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The Manuscript Division holds some of the nation's richest manuscript collections for the study of African American history and culture, and an extensive set of collections related to the history of science and technology in the United States. This research guide highlights some of the intersections of those holdings, by highlighting resources related to Black scientists, innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs.
Featured collections cover not only topics like science, technology, and business, but education, activism, and social science as well. The guide aims to present individuals and organizations as multidimensional, and to highlight unexpected places in which innovation and entrepreneurship occur.
Three collections underpin the guide: the papers of social scientists Kenneth Bancroft Clark (1914-2005) and Mamie Phipps Clark (1917-1983), organic chemist Henry Aaron Hill (1915-1979), and ethnomathematician Gloria Ford Gilmer (1928-2021). Pages devoted to each give career and collection overviews, and point out resources related to unexpected moments of innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship. Each page also contains a list of related resources, and of selected colleagues from each figure's professional networks, highlighting the importance of those networks for both career advancement and mentorship.
The guide's Other Manuscript Collections page describes manuscript resources related to a multidisciplinary range of individuals and organizations, some of whom are well-known and some whose work has been underexplored. This page identifies both standalone collections of African American innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs, and figures represented in the collections of others.
A recurring challenge in tracing moments of African American innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship stems from a historic lack of representation. While some figures can be identified through finding aid searches, others surface only when researching related topics such as patent disputes, anti-discrimination lawsuits, nonprofit fundraising, education and vocational training, or by focusing on an individual's side jobs. The Manuscript Division continues to acquire and preserve collections at the intersection of African American history and culture, and the history of science, technology, and entrepreneurship, and to make those collections accessible to the public.
This guide is separated into pages and subpages, which you can navigate using the sidebar on the left.
The Kenneth Bancroft Clark and Mamie Phipps Clark page introduces the career of social scientists Kenneth and Mamie Clark. This page, along with the two below, provide a brief biography, highlights major achievements, identifies relevant collection items and related resources, and provides a selected listing of the Clarks' professional colleagues.
The Henry Aaron Hill page features the work of organic chemist Henry Aaron Hill.
The Gloria Ford Gilmer page features the work of ethnomathematician Gloria Ford Gilmer.
The Other Manuscript Collections page, subdivided by individuals and organizations, contains an extensive alphabetical listing of individuals and organizations whose work is either documented in a standalone collection, or appears within another collection. Where possible entries direct researchers to resources highlighting unexpected or underexplored moments of innovation, invention, and entrepreneurship.
The Visiting the Manuscript Reading Room page will provide further instructions and guidance on conducting research at the Manuscript Reading Room and using the finding aids at the Library of Congress.
