My ‘Why’s’ For this Work
I do this work to preserve and fight for the stories, people, and communities of the past and present.
Annyah St. Louis
Processing Archivist
What I Do at Work
I am a Processing Archivist at Afro Charities, where I assist in preparing the AFRO American Newspapers' archival collection for public access.
My Background
As a holder of a B.A. and M.A. in History, my path as a historian has been one filled with exploring and telling the stories of marginalized communities. During my time as a Graduate Assistant at the UMBC Special Collections, my passion for the archives flourished and pushed me onto a path of ensuring that my work preserved the stories of the past so that future generations have access to the lessons and experiences of history. Having recently completed a master’s thesis on The Woman’s Era, the first national newspaper owned, edited, and produced by African American women, I deeply understand the importance of access to archival materials and my commitment to this work advances daily.
Collection Items that Resonate with Me:
Having recently started working with the collection, these postcards caught my attention as they reminded me of all the unique and intriguing materials one can find in an archival collection, especially of this size.
An Object From My Personal Collection
These two photographs are in an old photo book that holds photos from my first years growing up in Grenada before I moved to Maryland. It's always nostalgic to look through it, especially with my limited memories from that time.