Community archives are collections that document and preserve the activities of community organizations—such as social groups, religious institutions, occupational associations, and cultural organizations—or individuals involved in community advocacy. Such collections are especially crucial sources of historical information when they document communities that have often been neglected by or marginalized within traditional library collections. Community-based archives, frequently staffed by volunteer and non-professional archivists, have existed in Baltimore’s African American communities for over a century.

Curating and Archiving Black Baltimore (CABB) is a university-community archives partnership program with an innovative core component: a public humanities mission to bolster the visibility of and public engagement opportunities with selected local Black community archives. Our thesis is that community archives gain traction—in terms of current use and potential for future survival and growth—when more people know about them, benefit from their resources, and learn from the information they hold.

The broad goals of CABB are to:

1. Build grassroots stewardship capacity in reclaiming and preserving rare historical assets by providing direct collections-related assistance to Black cultural and faith-based institutions in Baltimore City

2. Provide opportunities for partner organizations, JHU students, and the wider public to learn from local Black community archives and celebrate the historical insights they offer

CABB is funded through June 2026 by a Johns Hopkins University Discovery Award.

Program Team

Tonika Berkeley
Lead Archivist

Gabrielle Dean
William Kurrelmeyer Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, Sheridan Libraries, PI

Lawrence Jackson
Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of English and History, Co PI

Sean Jones
Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair of Jazz, Peabody Conservatory, Co PI

Raynetta Wiggins-Jackson
Lead Curator