We can rewrite history when we have more info.
So you know you want to save your legacy… But where?
One of my clients had a VERY clear idea about that.
Someone had been courting my client to leave all of her meeting notes, newspaper clippings, photos, correspondence, and ephemera with *them* at their repository.
They had big plans…
They wanted a big splash.
My client had studied black history and lived it, too. Nobody was getting famous on the back of her long career, intricately documented.
One person’s career, one institution’s press release and elevated status… these are NOT the reasons she saved all her papers all these years.
She wanted to ensure that her papers were a legacy that would be USED …to add to the field of data on people of color. To add black voices and experiences to the historical record.
And we did.
A university committed to expanding their holdings on people of color welcomed them! My client was relieved, happy, proud, and hopeful for the future of her collection.
If you’re not saving, start!
If you are saving, preserve it!
If you’re done saving, reach out!
We can find the very best, most aligned place for your legacy.
Let’s chat!
https://bit.ly/freecalltodd
I spent 18 years as “archivist and senior research scholar” at an academic science library, actively trying to add women to the historical record and looking for the women who were already included almost accidentally. I have degrees in women’s history and cultural theory — the latter means that I see the cultural value of everyday practices such as food, clothing, hobbies, and domestic arrangements. Non-famous people matter.