Archives help preserve the stories that history almost loses. In this episode, we explore personal archives, the William and Ellen Craft legacy, and how Superfine: Tailoring Black Style connects fashion, resistance, and Black history.

Hosted by the Avery Research Center, this conversation brings together Georgette Mayo, Dr. Monica L. Miller, Julia Ellen Craft Davis, and Ronni Craft Robinson. The episode looks at why archives matter, how family collections shape public history, and what it means to see the Craft family story featured in a major museum exhibition.

This episode is for anyone interested in archives, African American history, family legacy, Black style, and the power of preservation. It is also especially relevant for listeners caring for personal collections at home and educators looking for compelling ways to teach history.

Time Stamps / Chapters:

Chapters / Timestamps

• 
  00:00:00 Welcome and episode overview
• 00:01:15 Caring for your personal archive at home
• 00:03:11 Brown Bag Lunch Talk and episode setup
• 00:03:33 The William and Ellen Craft collection at Avery
• 00:05:15 Guest introductions and Monica L. Miller’s background
• 00:07:48 Start of the donor conversation
• 00:08:06 What Zora Neale Hurston’s archive teaches about preservation
• 00:11:20 How Monica L. Miller begins archival research
• 00:13:58 Research, exhibitions, and curatorial inflection points
• 00:16:11 Why the Craft family story mattered in Superfine
• 00:19:14 How the Craft family learned about the Met exhibition
• 00:23:00 What attending the exhibition meant to the family
• 00:33:25 Teaching younger generations the Craft story
• 00:34:46 The foundation’s focus on archives, education, and scholarships
• 00:36:35 Why this history matters for young learners
• 00:38:52 Future exhibitions and projects
• 00:40:49 Closing thanks and credits

Submission link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepBOGb5Dp5u7l4MxNAM2w-l9Pe0lImQ5sb2Jw3nROtY4f5dQ/viewform

Dating Journal: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9B7M5B3?th=1

Avery Research Center Blog: https://avery.charleston.edu/blog/ 

Avery Research Center Finding aid: AMN 1102: Craft and Crum families papers: https://findingaids.library.cofc.edu/repositories/3/resources/176 

Selected items Craft and Crum families papers on the Lowcountry Digital Library: https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/?f%5Bcollection_titleInfo_title_facet%5D%5B%5D=Craft+and+Crum+Families%2C+1780-2007&q=Craft+and+Crum+families+ 

Books: Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. Duke University Press, 2009.

Exhibition catalog: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style:  https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/superfine-tailoring-black-style 

Dr. Conseula Francis Reading Circle with the Craft Family descendants and author Ilyon Woo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdoivIOGg9c&t=4s 

YouTube Tags:

William and Ellen Craft, family archives, personal archives, Black history, African American history, Monica L. Miller, Superfine Tailoring Black Style, black dandyism, Avery Research Center, archival preservation, preserving family history, cultural legacy, Met exhibition, Black style, Ellen Craft, William Craft

Hashtags:

#WilliamAndEllenCraft #Archives #BlackHistory

Keywords:

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Monica L. Miller

Superfine Tailoring Black Style

Black dandyism history

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Avery Research Center

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archives and cultural legacy

William and Ellen Craft legacy

Reel 1:

Why Archives Matter More Than You Think

Your story matters. 📚

Archives aren’t just about famous writers or historical figures. They’re about families, memories, and the people who came before us. Personal archives help us understand where we come from and how that history shapes the future.

Knowing our history can strengthen us, guide us, and remind us of our place in the larger story.

✨ Preserve the past. Empower the future.

#archives #familyhistory #historymatters #preservehistory #oralhistory #legacy #storytelling #historylovers

Reel 2:

History Isn’t Just the Past — It’s Still Living

History isn’t just something we read in books. It’s alive through the people who carry those legacies today.

Meeting descendants of figures like Frederick Douglass and Cab Calloway is a powerful reminder that history continues through families, stories, and the work people are doing right now.

Through storytelling, especially with children, these histories of enslavement, resistance, and self-liberation remain powerful and meaningful for new generations.

Because legacy isn’t just about the past.
It’s about what we do with it today.

#blackhistory #frederickdouglass #legacy #familyhistory #blackstudies #livinghistory #storytelling #preservehistory #historymatters