I finally finished the finding aid for the Race and Segregation collection! It’s so satisfying to finally see it completed and to have one less thing on my to-do list. It’s been a crazy week preparing for finals and balancing my work and school schedule, but thankfully it’s starting to wrap up nicely.
For my last week at the library I’m going to continue to tie up the loose ends for the digitization of the race and segregation collection. I only have about fifty more files to upload to the website.
As those who have been reading my blog likely know, I’ve come across a lot of sources related to lynchings in the US that have been eye opening for me. But the thousands who lost their lives to mob violence are finally getting a memorial. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is opening today (04/26) in Montgomery, AL.
The memorial looks beautiful, and has an accompanying museum which documents the lives of the people killed and the historical factors that allowed such violence to occur. The structure contains 800 monuments, representing every county in the US where lynchings occurred, and each contains the names of all the victims.
I’m really glad that something has been made to honor the people who had their lives cut short. I’m also glad that the museum acknowledges the effects of slavery that most schools overlook, like the degradation, the loss of humanity, the pain and anguish it caused for generations.
I hope I can go and see it someday. You can check out the new museum site below!
https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/
