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Archives 299
Black Studies Department
Records, 1970 – 1981

ACQUISITION AND PROCESSING INFORMATION

These records were received from the Black Studies Department at Washington State University as two donations (UA1983-10, June 1983, and UA1979-25, November 1979). They were jointly processed into one collection by Library and Information Science graduate student Katrina Burch between September, 2010 and February, 2011.

EXTENT/QUANTITY INFORMATION

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The Black Studies department was created in 1970 and while the department itself has since been enveloped into Comparative Ethnic Studies in the College of Liberal Arts, black studies classes are still offered as part of that program. An early director of the department was Talmadge Anderson. He had earned an MBA from Atlanta University (as of 2011, Clark Atlanta University) and was faculty in WSU’s College of Business before becoming director for Black Studies. The department was one of the first black studies programs in the northwest, and offered classes included Swahili, Black Literature, Black Psychology and Anderson’s area of expertise, Black Economics.

In 1975, Anderson created the Heritage House, which was WSU’s first African American cultural center. It was originally located on College Avenue, in an area in front of Cleveland Hall, between it and the Owen Science and Engineering Library. As of 2011 it is located at 935 B Street; in 1996 it was renamed in honor of Anderson as the Talmadge Anderson Heritage House. As Anderson planned it, Heritage House was a place to talk about campus involvement and issues that relate to blacks. He also brought in many well known speakers.

In 1977, Anderson created and became editor of The Western Journal of Black Studies, a quarterly journal that specialized in black research, social and political issues, arts, and literature. It is still published today through WSU University Press.

Biographical materials retrieved from http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aaw/anderson-talmadge-1932 in January, 2011.

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION & ARRANGEMENT

The collection consists of papers on affirmative action, correspondence, grants, Heritage House, proposals, The Western Journal of Black Studies, and television and radio programs. Included at the end are photographs and slides, as well as a Black History month print.

The collection is organized alphabetically by subject. Some subjects are further broken down by date.

ACCESS

This collection is open and available for research use. Copyright restrictions may apply.

RELATED MATERIALS

The oral histories that go with the research paper that is discussed in folder 128 can be found at http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/masc/finders/cass2.htm. More information about the television program discussed in this collection, “South by Northwest” can be found at http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/masc/docs/sbn.htm

Issues of the Western Journal of Black Studies can be found in Holland & Terrell at call number E195.5.W48 X.

PREFERRED CITATION

The suggested citation for the collection is:

[Item Description]
Black Studies Department Records, 1970-1981 (UA 299)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Washington State University Libraries
Pullman, WA