Hidden Figures: Miriam Matthews #BlackHERstoryMonth 23/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Miriam Matthews #BlackHERstoryMonth 23/28

If you enjoy my work, please consider supporting! CashApp: $SerenSensei Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei All Patrons get access to the Discord server! NEW MERCH SHOP: https://the-bheezebake-project.creator-spring.com Miriam Matthews (August 6, 1905 – June 23, 2003) was an American librarian, historian, and art collector. She was the first Black American librarian in the Los Angeles Public Library system. Hired in 1927, she was instrumental in preserving the history and cultural heritage of early Black Angelenos. Matthews was born in Pensacola, Florida in 1905, the second of three children born to Fannie and Reuben Matthews. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was two years old, where her parents established a painting business. Matthews graduated high school in 1922, and spent two years at UCLA. She subsequently transferred to UC Berkeley, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1926 and a certificate in librarianship in 1927. After returning to Los Angeles, Matthews sought employment as a librarian in the Los Angeles Public Library. She was hired as a substitute librarian and then, three months later, promoted to full-time librarian at LAPL's Robert Louis Stevenson Branch Library and becoming the first Black American librarian in the Los Angeles Public Library system. When she realized how few resources the library system held on Black history, Matthews began collecting materials on the subject; while working at the Helen Hunt Jackson branch, Matthews discovered "a small collection of books on the Negro" and began building that into a substantial research collection documenting the contributions made by Black Americans to California's history and culture. Matthews rose to the position of branch librarian within 10 years, and then took a leave of absence to earn a master's degree in library science from the University of Chicago Graduate Library School in 1945. After she returned to Los Angeles, she was promoted to regional librarian, supervising twelve branch libraries in LAPL’s South Central region. As part of her commitment to honor Black American contributions to history and culture, Matthews was an early supporter of Carter G. Woodson in his efforts to establish a "Negro History Week" (now known as Black History Month), lobbying the city of Los Angeles until Negro History Week was recognized there in 1929. Matthews also amassed a collection of approximately 4,600 black-and-white photographs documenting the Black American experience in Los Angeles and California, including scenes depicting the founding of the city. The Miriam Matthews Photograph collection chronicles life, politics, community service, entertainers, artists, black-owned businesses and the civil rights movement in Los Angeles in the 1960s. For her role in community preservation, Matthews has been called the “dean of Los Angeles Black history.” After more than three decades of employment, she retired from the Los Angeles Public Library in 1960. During retirement, Matthews dedicated herself to numerous groups promoting libraries and Black history. In 1996, Matthews moved to Mercer Island, Washington to be near her nephew. She died in Mercer Island on June 23, 2003, at the age of 97. In 2004, the Hyde Park Branch Library was renamed after Matthews. In 2012, she was one of the ten inaugural inductees to the California Library Hall of Fame. #HiddenFigures #MiriamMatthews ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/theblackamericans https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/dacs?rq=d.a.c.s Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: Black History Month Spotlight - Miriam Matthews, a Boundary-Breaking L.A. Librarian: https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/black-history-month-spotlight-miriam-matthews/ Honoring L.A.'s Black Founders: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-13-me-31591-story.html MIRIAM MATTHEWS (1905–2003): https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/matthews-miriam-1905-2003/ California Library Hall of Fame - Miriam Matthews (1905-2003): https://www.cla-net.org/page/448 Finding Aid for the Miriam Matthews Photograph collection, 1781-1989: https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8q52q6w/ The Incomparable Miriam Matthews: https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/blogs/lapl/incomparable-miriam-matthews