[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 149 (Thursday, October 30, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2148]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO THE BLACK ARCHIVES, HISTORY AND RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF SOUTH 
                 FLORIDA, INC. ON ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. CARRIE P. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 30, 1997

  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Black 
Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida, which is 
celebrating its 20th anniversary on Saturday, November 15, 1997.
  This is Indeed a milestone in the history of this organization, given 
the countless struggles and challenges that ushered its humble 
beginnings. And as I join my community in recalling the role of Miami's 
Black Archives Foundation, I also would like to honor Dr. Dorothy 
Jenkins Fields who serves as the catalyst behind its emergence as a 
respected institution. Almost singlehandedly, Dr. Fields helped turn 
around a neglected part of Miami's cultural heritage into a living, 
breathing lesson about the black experience in south Florida for 
students, adults, and researchers alike.
  In preparation for the celebration of our Nation's 200th birthday, 
she conceived and developed the concept that hastened the establishment 
of this cultural institution. Incorporated in November 17, 1977, as a 
private nonprofit organization, the Black Archives, History and 
Research of South Florida, Inc. is presently governed by a board of 
directors and supported by a board of trustees. Funded solely by its 
members, donations and grants, the foundation is dependent upon its 
volunteer help.
  This institution serves as a manuscript/photographic respository of 
south Florida's African-American communities. The materials in this 
repository are collected for educational purposes for users, which 
include students, teachers, scholars, researchers, the media, and the 
public-at-large. The memories of the pioneers, family albums, 
photographs, documents, souvenir programs from churches and 
organizations are preserved in its burgeoning files. Additionally, it 
identifies historic sites for nomination to local, state and national 
designation. As a result of the collected documentation, the historic 
Overtown Folklife Village and Dade County's Black Heritage Trail came 
to fruition.
  It also works in conjunction with the Dade County public schools by 
providing content for the infusion of African-American history into 
existing curriculum utilizing source materials for schoolchildren of 
all races throughout the school year. It also initiated the restoration 
of several historic sites including the Dr. William A. Chapman, Sr., 
residence. Located on the campus of Booker T. Washington High School, 
the house was restored for reuse as the Ethnic Heritage Children's 
Educational Center.
  One of the more recent joint ventures it worked out with the Dade 
County public schools is the creation of a districtwide, multicultural 
and multiethnic research and educational facility for students, 
teachers, and the community. The objective is to provide opportunities 
for students at all grade levels to celebrate the rich variety of 
cultures in Dade County. This program enables students to record the 
past in relation to the present, as well as ponder the possible events 
of the coming century.
  The documented materials that now form the wealth of the Black 
Archives Foundation collectively represent a stirring graphic journey 
into the inner sanctum of some of the most vivid life-experiences of 
African-Americans in Dade County. The soul-searching representation 
captivated by its historic documents personify not so much the black 
destination, as much as the episodic journey of our pioneers to that 
destination. Together they evoke the truism of a revered African 
Ashanti proverb that ``* * * until the lions get their own historian, 
the story of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.''
  Mr. Speaker, I am truly proud of the pioneering efforts and resilient 
spirit of Dr. Dorothy Fields that nurtured the spirit of the Black 
Archives Foundation in South Florida. The significance of the role of 
the foundation is premised on the paradigm in that when you stifle the 
remembrance of your people's past, you will have silenced the promise 
of their future. Conversely, however, I am exultant that under the 
aegis of this revered institution our community has truly become 
redemptive and knowledgeable of the struggles and sacrifices of our 
African-American forebears.
  As we honor them through the celebration of the 20th anniversary of 
the Black Archives Foundation, we will have become once again their 
partners in exploring the journey they have begun. In the convergence 
of our spirits and memories with theirs, we will be enriched because 
through our understanding of the many and varied messages they left us 
through their life journeys, we will be inextricably linked closer to 
them.
  On this occasion I want to congratulate the board of directors and 
the board of trustees for their steadfast efforts and genuine 
resilience throughout the Black Archives Foundation's 20-year history. 
I would like to reiterate our community's utmost gratitude for giving 
us the privilege of maximizing our knowledge of the vast richness and 
nobility of our African-American heritage.

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