Collections
The On These Grounds project, a nationwide collaboration funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, revised the descriptions and metadata of archival records focused on enslaved people to accurately describe enslaved peoples' experiences at academic institutions, including the University of Georgia (UGA). Building on the work of the History of Slavery at UGA, the On These Grounds project acknowledges and confronts the institution's connections to enslavement and works to bring the people who were enslaved to the front of the historical narratives and research. UGA, as a public university, serves a diverse community, including African American students whose ancestors were impacted by enslavement and racism. By highlighting the enslaved people who contributed to the university's development and success, the On These Grounds project fosters inclusivity and allows the UGA community to engage with its complex history.
Theatre at the Tannehill Iron and Steel Museum (Matterport, 2025).
Resources
Reparations 4 Slavery, created by Reparative Genealogy, provided resources to help African American descendants trace their ancestry through genealogical research, DNA analysis, and digital archives. The goal of this organization is to promote accountability and justice for the descendants of enslaved people. The organization offers resources to explore the history of reparations and the lasting impact of slavery on the African American community. It provides state-by-state historical studies, history research guidelines, online education resources, and resources for genealogy. The organization also hopes to bring together African Americans and European Americans to grow the pursuit of justice and to promote personal accountability for the injustices of the past via reparations. Reparations 4 Slavery, created by Reparative Genealogy, provides resources to help African American descendants trace their ancestry through genealogical research, DNA analysis, and digital archives. The goal of this organization is to promote accountability and justice for the descendants of enslaved people. The organization offers resources to explore the history of reparations and the lasting impact of slavery on the African American community. It provides state-by-state historical studies, history research guidelines, online education resources, and resources for genealogy. The organization also hopes to bring together African Americans and European Americans to grow the pursuit of justice and to promote personal accountability for the injustices of the past via reparations.
An iron and steel block (Matterport, 2025)
Assigned Role
The University of Toronto’s Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office offers various training, educational resources, and workshops to promote diversity and address racism at the university. These programs were created to provide faculty and staff with the tools to understand anti-racism practices, cultural competency, and how to best engage with respectful community outreach. This educational initiative aims to create positive change within their campus community and focuses on the personal responsibility of each person, along with the power of collective action to address oppression and systemic racism.
Brief history of Alabama statehood (Matterport, 2025)
Strategic Representations
The Archival Justice for the Enslaved Project with Princeton University Archives addresses the silencing of enslaved people’s histories in academic archives. It aims to decolonize historical records and shift focus from slaveholders to the enslaved people and their personhood. The Archival Justice for the Enslaved Project creates a counter-narrative to traditional archives and works to create more inclusive archival descriptions while also remaining aware of the limitations experienced due to the past historical records limiting the narratives and stories of enslaved people. This project supports restorative justice by confronting the legacy of slavery, supporting archival activism, and contributing to reparations through their reparative work.
A history of Alabama's iron industry (Matterport, 2025)
Internal Department/Unit
The Conscious Editing Initiative and Conscious Editing Steering Committee at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill addresses the historical biases in archival descriptions through monitoring of their description work. This includes revising outdated and offensive language in finding aids to reflect marginalized groups and centering the voices of underrepresented people. The committee and initiative work to make collections more accessible with a focus on underserved communities and their histories. The committee also creates guidelines and hosts community conversations to foster collaborations in their ongoing work to repair biases in archival practice.
A brief history of the Civil War and its impacts on Alabama's iron and steel production (Matterport, 2025)
Internal Events
The University of Chicago Libraries video event explores the impact of archival practices on marginalized communities. The discussion, provided for faculty and staff of the library but also open to the public, focuses on addressing historical erasures in records focused on African American experiences and the legacies of enslavement. The event promotes reparative justice and challenges the traditional archive structure for its biases and systematic erasure of African American voices. The event highlights the importance of diversity in our curation of archival collections and documenting history, with a focus on building an inclusive dialogue with the communities we represent.
A brief history of ironmaking at Tannehill and Birmingham as the Iron City (Matterport, 2025)
External Events
Washington University in St. Louis hosts events and exhibitions to promote awareness of slavery and resistance history with a focus on the stories of enslaved people. The Archives of Resistance series included film screenings, discussions, and efforts to highlight the resistance to enslavement. The events are a part of the library's efforts to address the history of enslavement and to reflect on the university’s ties to the violation but retain a focus on marginalized stories and experiences.
A salt kettle from the Civil War on display (Matterport, 2025)
References
Matterport. (2025) 3D virtual tour of Iron and Steel Museum of Alabama [Virtual tour]. Matterport. https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=DkUjohLyL1z
On These Grounds: Slavery and the University of Georgia. (n.d.). About. University of Georgia Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscripts Library. https://onthesegroundsuga.digilabuga.org/s/otg/page/about
Princeton University. (n.d.). Archival justice for the enslaved. Princeton University. https://archivaljusticefortheenslaved.princeton.edu/
Reparations4Slavery. (n.d.). Reparative genealogy. Reparations4Slavery. https://reparations4slavery.com/reparative-genealogy/#:~:text=Reparative%20Genealogy%20is%20the%20act,of%20those%20our%20ancestors%20enslaved
University of Chicago Library. (2023, February 24). Reparative acts and the caste of archival erasure [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xLOUh7utNI
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries. (n.d.). Conscious editing initiative. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries. https://library.unc.edu/project/conscious-editing-initiative/
University of Toronto. (n.d.). Training & workshop. Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office, University of Toronto. https://antiracism.utoronto.ca/training-workshop/
Washington University in St. Louis Libraries. (2023, February 24). Archives of resistance: Events and exhibition. Washington University in St. Louis Libraries. https://library.wustl.edu/news/archives-of-resistance-events-and-exhibition/