Black History Focus Of Library Exhibit

An exhibit honoring black Americans is now on display in the foyer of Baylor University's Moody Memorial Library.
Among items exhibited are original letters from George Washington Carver loaned to the library by Dr. Joseph Brown, a copy of A Narrative of William W. Brown, A Fugitive Slave published in 1847 and a photocopy of James Williams, An American Slave from Armstrong Browning Library's 19th-century collection.
Also showcased are children's books either written by African-American authors or highlighting the culture and heritage of Africa. These include Writings on Slavery and the American Civil War by Harriet Martineau, Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson (winner of the Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award) and Jim Crow's Children: The Broken Promise of the Brown Decision by Peter Irons.
Another exhibit, "The African-American Soldier, 1860-1965," was created by Frank Jasek, a library preservation specialist, from his private collection. The display memorializes black war veterans from the Civil War, World Wars I and II and the Vietnam War and includes write-ups on the first black regiment of the Civil War and the first Army Air CorpS flying school for blacks at the renowned Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
A large part of the Black History Month exhibit is an assortment of African-American dolls from the private collection of Beulah Barksdale, retired Waco Independent School District librarian. She owns more than 5,000 dolls, many from her childhood.
The exhibit will remain in the library foyer through Feb. 28. For more information, contact Ethel Walton at 710-2349.