Donors
The AALSC is comprised of a number of generous gifts from Detroit area poets and collectors.
The three largest donations to the collection came from:
- Jay Charles Levine
- Dudley Randall Estate
- Family of Ron Milner
Other major donors: Hilda & Don Vest, Catherine Blackwell, Terry Blackhawk, Herb Metoyer
There are many others who have supported the AALSC through their gifts and we thank them all!
African American Literature Special Collection
The African American Literature Special Collection (AALSC) was initially focused on literature written by African Americans from Detroit or who wrote about the city. It has developed into a comprehensive collection of works by and about African American authors. Topics include slavery, race relations, Black leaders, performers and athletes, United States history, political activism, folklore, Africa, and religion.
There are over 4,500 unique titles in this collection that spans from 1807 to 2014.
For more on the history of the AALSC, check out this article from the Metro Times.
Arthur L. Johnson African-American History Collection
The Arthur L. Johnson collection of books, videos and non-print materials reflects the history of African Americans as it relates to the civil rights movement in the United States. The purpose of the collection is to serve the teaching and research needs of students and faculty, as well as the Detroit metropolitan community. The collection began in 1993 with a donation of several print and non-print materials from Arthur L. Johnson and the establishment of the Arthur L. Johnson Endowment. Items in this collection may be located in the catalog.
Images from the Collection
Maud Martha
By Gwendolyn Brooks
Une Vie de toutes les Couleurs
By Josephine Baker and Andre Rivollet
Richard Wright: Daemonic Genius
By Margaret Walker
Uncle Tom's Cabin
By Harriet Beecher Stowe
A Feast of Poetry
Celebrating Thirty Years of Lotus Press and Its Poets
The Big Sea
By Langston Hughes
Working with the Hands
By Booker T. Washington
Jonah's Gourd Vine
By Zora Neale Hurston
The Prosaic Soul of Nikki Giovanni
By Nikki Giovanni
How to Access Collection
AALSC items are listed in the catalog. Click the Request from Special Collections button and fill out the required information.
Authors
Some of the most prevalent authors in the AALSC are:
|
Baraka, Amiri/LeRoi Jones |
Hurston, Zora |
|
Bontemps, Arna |
Johnson, James Weldon |
|
Brooks, Gwendolyn |
King, Martin Luther Jr. |
|
Butler, Octavia |
Lorde, Audre |
|
Campbell, Bebe Moore |
Madgett, Naomi Long |
|
Cohen, Octavus Roy |
Madhubuiti, Haki R./Don Lee |
|
Dubois, W.E.B. |
Parks, Gordon |
|
Dumas, Alexander |
Reed, Ishmael |
|
Dunbar, Paul |
Stowe, Harriet Beecher |
|
Giovanni, Nikki |
Twain, Mark |
|
Hamilton, Virginia |
Washington, Booker T. |
|
Harris, Joel Chandler |
Williams, John A. |
|
Himes, Chester |
Yerby, Frank |
|
Hughes, Langston |
Young, Al |