Theaster Gates Instagram – ARCHIVES: With 3,700 books catalogued, we are nearly 31% complete with the archiving of the Johnson Publishing Company Library at the Stony Island Arts Bank!
In honor of National Military Appreciation Month, we are thrilled to highlight a recently cataloged title from the Johnson Publishing Company library, “Black defenders of America, 1775-1973” (1974) by Robert Ewell Greene (1931-2022). Major Greene served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Richly filled with photographic evidence, Major Greene intended for this historical work to serve as “a reference and guide for those who want to learn the truth about America’s neglected Black soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen.”
One of the copies contained in the JPC Library is personally signed to John H. Johnson, with the following inscription, “To Mr. John H. Johnson, May I personally thank you for your decision to accept Black defenders as a Johnson publication. I am sure that it will be a success. Sincerely yours, Robert E. Greene, GS, May 24 of 74.”
The objects and inscriptions contained in this archive shed a critical light on the source material used by the editors and writers of Ebony and Jet Magazines, providing us with a glimpse into the texts that informed some of the most important Black media circulated across households throughout the country.
We are deeply grateful to @theastergates and the @mellonfdn for their steadfast and longstanding belief in the power of the Black archive. | Posted on 08/May/2024 03:50:00
