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Plywood Panel Mural from Resurrection City

100% Complete

2 Total Pages 12 Contributing Members

Plywood Panel Mural from Resurrection City

During the Poor People’s Campaign, participants at Resurrection City on the National Mall painted this mural, often referred to as “Hunger’s Wall” on twelve plywood boards. This mural illustrates the interracial nature and diverse concerns of the demonstrators. Vincent deForest, an activist with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) who participated in the Poor People’s Campaign, salvaged this mural after the Resurrection City encampment was shut down. After storing them for decades, deForest donated these panels to the NMAAHC in 2012. The text on this mural is scattered across all twelve panels. To ease transcription, we’ve separated the mural into two sections (top and bottom). You may find it useful to refer to the original image of the mural in its entirety, or other sections of the mural by clicking through this project. Please transcribe the text on the mural as follows: • Don't describe images; please transcribe the text only. • Please start each message on a new line to indicate they are separate/different/unique. • Do not worry about transcribing the messages in any particular order as long as they are all transcribed. Help us transcribe these panels and learn more about the diverse concerns of the participants of the Poor People’s Campaign.

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Diary written by Jessie Greer, 1919

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72 Total Pages 23 Contributing Members

Diary written by Jessie Greer, 1919

Diaries are an invaluable resource into the lives of individuals at a certain point in time. Jessie Greer, a sixteen-year-old living in Cincinnati, Ohio, kept a dairy in the months following the end of World War I. The diary dates from February 21 to April 14, 1919. Greer’s diary shows an often-overlooked part of the war, how the people who remained at home continued their daily lives as soldiers fought overseas. Greer describes her interactions with family and friends and her work with the YMCA. In an entry on March 10, 1919, Greer describes a homecoming parade of African American soldiers. Help us transcribe this diary and discover what daily life was like for an African American teenager during the World War I era.

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Cpl. Roy Underwood Plummer’s World War I Diary

100% Complete

149 Total Pages 34 Contributing Members

Cpl. Roy Underwood Plummer’s World War I Diary

Roy Underwood Plummer (1896–1966) was born in Washington, D.C., and enlisted in the Army in 1917. Corporal Plummer served in Company C of the 506th Engineer Battalion. Plummer was one of approximately 160,000 African Americans who served as Services of Supply (SOS) troops charged with mainlining the military supply networks in France during the war. After serving in the Army, Plummer attended Howard University Medical School and established a successful practice in Washington, D.C. This Army and Navy diary was made specifically for soldiers serving during World War I. The pre-printed pages include sections to record enlistment and service details, a French-English vocabulary guide, an address log of friends and fellow soldiers, and much more. Plummer’s diary entries discuss several topics including his insights on relations between US and French soldiers and citizens, the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, weather conditions, food and places that he visited, other African American companies and their bands, German prisoners of war, the study of French language by African American soldiers, and the racial conflict between US servicemen. Help us transcribe this rare example of the African American soldier’s experience during World War I.

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Cathrell Collection

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412 Total Pages 0 Contributing Members

Cathrell Collection

Part of the music domain includes nightlife and nightclubs, which were often the centerpiece of musical life during the first half of the twentieth century. Sisters Laura “Laurie” Cathrell and Sally J. Cathrell Jr. were both involved in New York’s nightlife scene, one as a showgirl and the other as a publisher of magazines featuring famous musicians and dancers of the time. Laurie performed in many famous nightclubs throughout America including Club Plantation and the Cotton Club. She is featured in many of the photographs and magazines of this collection. Sally followed in the footsteps of their parents, and made a career in publishing and created “The Show-Down” magazine, which was devoted to nightclub life and entertainment. In volume 1, number 1, “The Showdown” magazine is described as "a monthly publication, which caters to theatricals exclusively." The magazine featured night club reviews, show reviews, and features on performers. The magazine mainly covered New York, Indianapolis, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, and St. Louis. Help us transcribe the photographs, magazines, and programs and discover the many famous musicians and dancers featured.

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Shearer Summer Theater Collection

100% Complete

42 Total Pages 0 Contributing Members

Shearer Summer Theater Collection

Martha’s Vineyard is known for its leisure activities and summers. From the 1940s to the 1980s, the Shearer Summer Theater, an African American theater company, produced shows for locals and tourists alike. The Shearer Summer Theater was the brainchild of Elizabeth “Liz” White, a dresser on Broadway, who directed, and even bought a two story house to act as the stage in the 1950s for the plays. In the 1980s, White completed her first film, a presentation of Othello. Help us transcribe this program from a screening of Liz White’s presentation of Othello at Howard University.

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National Baptist Publishing Board Publications

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233 Total Pages 0 Contributing Members

National Baptist Publishing Board Publications

In the midst of the Great Depression, Henry A. Boyd, secretary of the National Baptist Publishing Board submitted the 34th Annual Report of the National Baptist Publishing Board to the chairman and members of the Board. Boyd notes, "We are pleased to report that notwithstanding the unusual financial depression and the shortage of funds, with the unemployment situation, there has been only a slight decrease in the circulation during the past year, of these publications." Help us transcribe this report and learn more about the workings and publications of the National Baptist Publishing Board.

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Delegate Magazine

100% Complete

5,789 Total Pages 0 Contributing Members

Delegate Magazine

Founded by Pittsburgh Courier journalist C. Melvin Patrick, each yearly-issue of Delegate contains hundreds of photographs providing coverage of African American professional and fraternal organizations, special events, award recognitions, individuals of note, and newsworthy situations. The magazine was a virtual year in review of African American life in the United States during the 1960s and 1980s. Published by MelPat Associates, Delegate magazines were distributed free of charge by African American organizations at their conferences and meetings. Help us transcribe this issue to make the names, places, and events discoverable to all.

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John Freeman Shorter's Diary

100% Complete

148 Total Pages 39 Contributing Members

John Freeman Shorter's Diary

“Spent the morning and afternoon at Church and heard two fine sermons. A Report received that Charleston and Columbia had been captured and the left wing of Shermans Army was within 25 miles of Richmond.” So wrote Lieutenant John Freeman Shorter (1842-1865) on February 19, 1865. Shorter raised as a freeman in Washington, D.C., joined the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in 1863 and became a fully commissioned officer. His diary details the experiences of a civil war soldier from January 1, 1865 to September 30, 1865. Helps us transcribe the rest of his diary and discover what life was like for an African American soldier during the Civil War.

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Playbills

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1,620 Total Pages 0 Contributing Members

Playbills

One of the time-honored traditions of the theater is the playbill. From local community theaters to Broadway, playbills provide the audience with information about the story being told on stage and the artists who bring it to life. After the show, playbills often become cherished souvenirs. "Playbill," a monthly magazine distributed at major theaters in New York and nationwide, presents details about particular productions along with articles about current happenings in the theater world. The Museum's collection of playbills, which spans from the nineteenth century to the present, offers insight into the roles African Americans have played in the development of American theater as actors, playwrights, directors, producers, costume designers, choreographers, and more.

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Cpl. Lawrence Leslie McVey Papers

100% Complete

19 Total Pages 0 Contributing Members

Cpl. Lawrence Leslie McVey Papers

Cpl. Lawrence McVey served during World War I in the 369th Infantry Regiment, better known as the “Harlem Hellfighters.” Due to racial tension within the US Army, the 369th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the French Army for the duration of US involvement in World War I. Formed from the 15th New York National Guard, the 369th was the first African American regiment to reach the battlefields of France and one of the first American units to reach the banks of the Rhine River. The 369th spent more days in front-line trenches than any other American regiment in the war. Corporal McVey, who served for the entirety of the war, was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his bravery in action while leading an attack on a machine-gun nest during the fight at Séchault on September 29, 1918.

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