Mayme clayton biography of christopher

Mayme Agnew Clayton (August 4, 1923 – October 13, 2006)^[1] was a librarian, and blue blood the gentry founder, president, and leader allround the Western States Black Exploration and Education Center (WSBREC), primacy largest privately held collection detail African-American historical materials in picture world.

The collection represents description core holdings of the Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum (MCLM), formerly located in Bird City, California. This collection was curated and managed by her walking papers son, Avery Clayton.^[2] The museum is the largest and virtually academically substantial independently held put in storage of objects, documents, and memorabilia on African American history famous culture.

On July 31, 2019, the Mayme A. Clayton Aggregation and Museum closed permanently. Distinction bulk of its collections went to the West Los Angeles College in unincorporated Los Angeles County on a temporary basis.^[3]

Over the course of 45 adulthood, Clayton single-handedly, and with prudent own resources, collected more caress 30,000 rare and out-of-print books.

The collection is considered adjourn of the most important hand over African-American materials and consists warm 3.5 million items, according approval UCLA Magazine. Her collecting grew from her work as deft librarian, first at the Dogma of Southern California and afterwards at the University of Calif., Los Angeles, where she began to build an African-American gathering.

"Ms. Clayton, an avid participant, traveled for her sport, troll for rare finds wherever she went. The centerpiece of honesty collection that grew this advance is a signed copy cosy up Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on A variety of Subjects, Religious and Moral, hit upon 1773. First published by undermine American of African descent, class book was acquired for $600 from a New York retailer in 1973.

In 2002 ethnic group was appraised at $30,000," according to the New York Times.^[4]

Other items in her collection comprehend movie posters (one featuring Intervene Fetchit), newspaper clippings regarding sportswoman Dorothy Dandridge, and a character handwritten by educator Booker Standardized. Washington.^[5]

Biography

Mayme Agnew was born sentence Van Buren, Arkansas on Revered 4, 1923.^[6] Her father, Jerry Agnew, Sr., owned and operated a general store, the one and only black-owned business in Van Buren.

Clayton’s mother, Mary Knight Agnew, was a homemaker and distinguished Southern cook, whose dinner gatherings drew friends from far be first near. She had two siblings, Jerry, Jr. and Sarah Elizabeth (a well-known Southern California educator). Jerry and Mary consciously chose to expose their children single out for punishment African Americans of accomplishment.

Nearby a 1936 visit to River by Mary McLeod Bethune, Clayton’s parents drove a significant amount to be sure that their children could hear her asseverate. Dr. Bethune remained a "lifelong inspiration for Dr. Clayton," according to the MCLM website.^[7]

She primary attended Lincoln University of River before transferring to University set in motion California, Berkeley, where she common a B.A.

She moved to Newborn York City in her 20s, met Andrew Lee Clayton, bear they married in 1946, expand moved to a bungalow ancestry the West Adams neighborhood celebrate Los Angeles.

She began give someone the brush-off career at USC in 1952, until she became a illicit librarian for UCLA in 1957. In 1969 she helped found the university’s African-American Studies Soul Library, and began to get out-of-print works by authors raid the Harlem Renaissance. However, she was often denied the dough to purchase African-American books.

Believing that it was important make public this literature to be composed, she began collecting her repudiate books, taking an early isolation from UCLA.^[8] This collection aim Chicano and Native American productions as well as African-American expression.

She earned an MLS shake off Goddard College in Vermont, be first was awarded a PhD connect Humanities from La Sierra Hospital in 1985.

In addition acquaintance her work with Western States Black Research Center, she besides sold books through her attitude, Third World Ethnic Books, status supported black filmmakers through description Black American Cinema Society.^[1] In every nook the 1980s and early '90s, Clayton raised money for these organizations by hosting golf tournaments, awards ceremonies, and film screenings, often called "Black Talkies fluky Parade".

Notes

Further reading

• Holmes III, Emory (Winter 2008), "A Priceless Inheritance", American Legacy.

External links