 |
|||||
|
| |
|||||
|
About the Memories From Hamblin Project“Memories from Hamblin” is a community project that aims to research, reconstruct, and relate the history of Battle Creek’s African-American community between the 1930s and the 1970s. It tells the story of the Bottoms, the emergence of vital community institutions like the Hamblin Community Center, and the civic responses to the flood of 1947 that led ultimately to the demise of the neighborhood. The overriding goal of “Memories From Hamblin” is to bring to light the people, places, institutions, and activities that composed the heart of Battle Creek’s African-American culture during and after World War II. These experiences now exist primarily in the memories and treasures of the people who lived them. “Memories from Hamblin” has been a three-year partnership between Heritage Battle Creek and the University of Michigan Arts of Citizenship Program, in association with Kellogg Community College and Western Michigan University. The project has benefited from funding provided by the Michigan Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The project owes its success to numerous local historians and community volunteers, such as Velma Adams, Thelma Jones, Velma Clay, Evelyn Atkinson, Grace McCreary, and others. These volunteers have shared their skills, time, insights, and memories to bring the history of Battle Creek’s African-American community into sharper focus. This website was written by Professor David Scobey and doctoral students Alex Navarro, Alice Ritscherle, LaDale Winling, Itohan Oyasimwese, and Karen Miller, of the University of Michigan, based on research and interviews gathered by project participants. The website was designed by Alex Navarro, and was made possible in part by a fellowship from the Berenice Bryant Lowe Foundation. The project partners hope that “Memories from Hamblin” will contribute to a permanent record and a deeper understanding of 20th-century African-American history in Battle Creek. In the future, the information gathered in the project will be shared through exhibits, a public archives, publications, and educational programs for the community. Members of the Battle Creek can contribute to this ongoing work by sharing their own memories and artifacts with the Heritage Battle Creek Research Center and in becoming community researchers themselves. If you would like more information about the Memories from Hamblin project, or if you would like to contribute materials or participate in the project as a volunteer Community Researcher, please contact the Heritage Battle Creek Research Center.
Heritage Battle Creek Research Center "This project is partially supported by the Michigan
Humanities Council"
|
