Research Guides: Hear Black Women's Voices: Research Tips and Resources

Research Tips

Explore research guides as another place to find relevant materials.

The Schlesinger Library has published a number of research guides that will help you dig into the collections a little deeper. For example, please check out these research guides: Black Women Oral History Project and African American Women.

Search the HOLLIS catalog for more resources.

This guide only provides an introduction to materials held at the Schlesinger Library. HOLLIS, Harvard Libraries' online catalog, makes even more materials discoverable.

Ask a Schlesinger Librarian about your research - share your questions with us.

Even while the Library is closed to onsite research during the pandemic, we are available online to answer your questions, recommend additional sources, and provide in-depth research help.

Additional Resources

Anti-Racism Resources for all Ages
From Dr. Nicole A. Cook: "This project emerged out of the pain and frustration associated with the back-to-back deaths of #GeorgeFloyd #BreonnaTaylor and #AhmaudArbery in 2020.
We must do better as a global society! #BlackLivesMatter
This list is not a panacea. This compilation of resources is JUST A STARTING POINT to encourage people to do their own work and have their own hard conversations."
Cooke, N. A. (2020, May 30). Anti-Racism Resources for all ages. [A project of the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair at the University of South Carolina].
Black America and COVID-19
This research guide was created in partnership between Tracie Denise Jones (Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at the Harvard Graduate School of Education) and Sarah DeMott (Harvard College Libraries). The stated purpose is to document "the experience of COVID-19 on Black communities in America. Its intention is to create a collective conversation of material for teaching and learning about the contemporary effects of COVID-19 on the Black community as it is tied to the historical legacy of race in America."
Black Lives Matter: Antiracism and Health Suggested Resources
This post from the Harvard Medical School's Countway Library includes links to books, articles, and videos relevant to these topics. From the description: "The following resources are suggested tools to help the Longwood community with this project. It is not exhaustive and tries to focus on works that address racism as a health issue. "
Black Lives Matter Library Resource List
Que(e)ry Librarians produced this list in 2016 and it is updated on a regular basis. The list is described as "#blacklivesmatter library, teaching, activism, and community resource list"
Call to Action: Archiving State-Sanctioned Violence Against Black People
A call to action, written by "Black memory workers committed to documenting the Black experience during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the current uprisings brought about by racist police violence against Black people."
The HistoryMakers (Database)
Note: This database is accessible to those with a Harvard Key login, or to anyone visiting the Library in-person.
"The HistoryMakers is the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive. A 501(c)(3) non-profit educational institution, the organization is committed to preserving, developing and providing easy access to an internationally recognized archival collection of thousands of African American video oral histories. By recording the stories of both the well-known and unsung African Americans from diverse backgrounds, The HistoryMakers seeks to preserve and elevate the cultural equity of the African American community to the level of its historical record, as well as to increase the cultural understanding of present and future generations."
Harvard Kennedy School: Racial Justice, Racial Equity, and Anti-Racism Reading List
Harvard Shorenstein Center: Institutional Anti-Racism and Accountability Project
The Shorenstein Center's Institutional Anti-Racism and Accountability Project's goal is to "use research and policy to promote anti-racism as a core value and institutional norm." The Project's site also includes a reading list on racial justice, equity, and anti-racism [PDF].
Harvard WIT+ : Fighting Anti-Blackness Resource List
Harvard WIT+ (Women in Tech + Allies) published this resource list, identifying some ways allies can support the #BlackLivesMatter movement..
A People's Archives of Police Violence in Cleveland
A People’s Archive of Police Violence in Cleveland collects, preserves, and shares the stories, memories, and accounts of police violence as experienced or observed by Cleveland citizens. Organized in Summer 2015 by Cleveland residents and professional archivists from across the U.S., the archive hopes to provide the Cleveland community--especially survivors of police violence and the families of victims-- a safe and secure space to share any testimony, documents, or accounts that narrate or reflect on encounters or effects of police violence in their lives and communities.
Society of American Archivists: Community Reflection on Black Lives and Archives
From SAA Website:
As noted in the Society of American Archivists’ June 2, 2020 Statement on Black Lives and Archives, the vitality of American archives depends on the safety of archives workers and an explicit commitment to social responsibility, justice, and anti-racism in the work that we do and the organizations we work within.
The SAA Council convened this forum of reflection to move toward healing and understanding on the continuation of anti-Black violence and provide an affirmation of the importance of Black lives.
Moderated by Dr. Meredith R. Evans, Director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta and 74th President of the Society of American Archivists.
Speakers:
Zakiya Collier, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library
Dorothy Berry, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Courtney Chartier, Rose Library, Emory University
Erin Lawrimore, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Closing remarks by SAA Vice President/President-Elect Rachel Vagts, Denver Public Library.
TMI Project: Black Stories Matter
From the website:
seeks to raise awareness around issues of inequality and injustice through true storytelling and inspire people to take action while also using our digital platform to expose inequality and injustice rapidly and frequently and amplify the voices of those who have inspiring stories to share, about black people surviving--and thriving--in the Hudson Valley and throughout the United States.
TMI has also posted a list of resources highlighting activism opportunities and information.
Women's Foundation (Washington, D.C.)
From the Women's Foundation website:
We're living in a time where no life matters, unless Black Lives Matter. This page is not complete, and likely won't be for a long time. Please read and share the links and articles below, thoughtfully collected and curated by The Women's Foundation team.