Educators and Libraries: Isaac Fisher (1877-1957)

Isaac Fisher (1877-1957), a native of East Carroll Parish, Louisiana and the son of former slaves, was the valedictorian of Tuskegee Institute's (Tuskegee University) graduating class of 1898. Fisher was also the first African American to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship. He was awarded the fellowship in 1926.

In addition to being a Guggenheim Fellow, Fisher was an educator, speaker, writer, editor, and conference organizer. He was often called upon to deliver speeches and keynote addresses at graduations, programs, conventions, and other events. Some of Fisher's speeches include:

• "Will America Absorb the Negro?" -- Delivered in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1893 to raise money for the train fare he needed to travel to Tuskegee, Alabama to attend Tuskegee Institute (Tuskegee University).
•  "Has the Negro Kept Faith?" -- Delivered at the 1910 centennial celebration of the life of abolitionist Theodore Parker.
• "The Unfinished Task." Delivered in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1934 at Crispus Attucks High School.

Fisher served as editor of The Southern Workman (published by Hampton Institute (now Hampton University)), The Fisk University News (published by Fisk University), and The Negro Farmer (published by Tuskegee Institute). In addition, Fisher once served as Tuskegee Institute's official news correspondent and had the honor of interviewing George Washington Carver (ca. 1864?-1943), a professor of agriculture at the institute and the 1923 winner of the Spingarn Medal.

As an educator, Fisher taught at the Schofield School in Aiken, South Carolina; served as principal of the Swayne Public School in Montgomery, Alabama; was principal of the Branch Normal College (University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff) in Pine Bluff, Arkansas; taught journalism and argumentation (debate) at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee; and headed the Department of Research and Publications at Florida A & M College (Florida A & M University) in Tallahassee, Florida.

His connection with libraries:

• While a student at Tuskegee Institute, Isaac Fisher built his own private library with the assistance of Margaret Murray Washington (1865-1925) the wife of Tuskegee Institute founder Booker T. Washington (1856-1915).

• In 1904, seeking to improve access to books and other information sources for students at Branch Normal College, Isaac Fisher made a request to Andrew Carnegie for funds to build a library for the college. However, Fisher's request was denied.  The reason given: "not a good business investment to give a library to a school which constructed only three buildings -- a classroom building, a girls' dormitory, and an industrial shop -- in twenty-nine years" (from page 1 of the Wednesday, June 6, 1906 issue of the Pine Bluff Daily Graphic, a local newspaper).

• On Friday, June 1, 1934, Isaac Fisher gave his speech "The Unfinished Task" at the graduation ceremony for Crispus Attucks High School, a high school for African Americans in Indianapolis, Indiana (the school is now integrated).  Housed inside the high school was the Crispus Attucks Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library, one of three library branches located in predominately African American neighborhoods in Indianapolis. The Crispus Attucks Branch Library was in operation from 1927-1959.

Fisher passed away on Friday, August 23, 1957 in Minnesota.

Sources: "200 Attucks Graduates in Commencement Exercises ; Prof. Isaac Fisher Speaks." Indianapolis Recorder (Indianapolis, Ind.) 2 June 1934: 1, 3. Print. ; "Attucks Class Gets Diplomas: Need of Providing for Material Things Stressed by Virginian." Indianapolis Star (Indianapolis, Ind.) 2 June 1934: 12. Print. ; "Branch Normal: Closing Exercises of State Colored School One of Greatest Successes in History of the Institution --- The Great Work Accomplished by Principal Isaac Fisher." Pine Bluff Daily Graphic (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 6 June 1906: 1. Print. ; "Isaac Fisher Again Winner: Colored Man Awarded Prize in Magazine Contest : Nine Thousand Competed." Indianapolis Recorder (Indianapolis, Ind.) 19 Sept. 1914: 1, 4. Print. ; "Mr. Fisher Wins Again" The Advocate (Charleston, W. Va.) 24 Feb. 1910: 3. Print. ; "Changes Made at Hampton." The Pittsburgh Courier (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 7 July 1934: 11. Print. ; "Hamptonians in N.Y. Hear Isaac Fisher on Gen. Armstrong: Founder's Day Program Draws Large Audience in Harlem." New York Age (New York, N.Y.) 2 Feb. 1935: 2. Print. ; "Hampton Commencement." New York Age (New York, N.Y.) 7 June 1917: 7. Print. ; "Moton Sketches Progress of Negroes on Ever of Tuskegee Anniversary." The Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.) 12 Apr. 1931: 10. Print. ; "Fisher Hits 'Making the News'; Press Friendly, Cooperative When Program is Genuine." Indianapolis Recorder (Indianapolis, Ind.) 21 Aug. 1937: 13. Print. ; "Fisher Writes Moving Picture Drama." Indianapolis Recorder (Indianapolis, Ind.) 16 Oct. 1915: 4. Print. "Commencement Programs Announced by Manual, Broad Ripple, and Attucks." Indianapolis Star (Indianapolis, Ind.) 29 May 1934: 6. Print. ; Wheeler, Elizabeth L. "Isaac Fisher: The Frustrations of a Negro Educator at Branch Normal College, 1902-1911." The Arkansas Historical Quarterly 41.1 (Spring 1982): 3-50. Print. 

1928 Indiana Library Association Meeting and the Hotel Lincoln

African American librarians experiencing discrimination and prejudice while attending library conferences was not unique to the 1936 ALA Conference in Richmond, Virginia. Similar incidents have happened at other library conferences.

During the 1928 Indiana Library Association Meeting (now the Indiana Library Federation Conference) in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Hotel Lincoln changed its rules and allowed African American attendees to use the hotel's elevators. This made it easier for African American librarians to attend sessions of the conference held on the higher floors of the building. However, one rule stayed in place: African Americans were not allowed to book rooms at the hotel and had to seek accommodations elsewhere.

The Hotel Lincoln, named for United States President Abraham Lincoln, was built in 1918 and was located on the corner of West Washington Street and Kentucky Avenue in downtown Indianapolis. The hotel hosted numerous conferences and conventions during its years of operation, and was where Robert F. Kennedy and his campaign crew stayed during the Indiana Primary in 1968. The hotel was torn down in 1973. 

Sources: Howard, Edward Allen. "Indiana Library Association." Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science. Ed. Kent Allen, Harold Lancour, and Jay Daily. Vol. 11. New York: Marcel Dekker, 1974. 447. Print. ; "Indiana Library Association 37th Annual Conference and Indiana Library Trustees Association 20th Annual Conference: Indianapolis, November 21, 22, 23, 1928." Library Occurrent 9.1 (1929): 2-9. Print. ; Secker, William R. "The New Fireproof Hotel Lincoln, Indianapolis." Hotel Monthly 20.305 (1918): 44-55. Print.

Update 7/27/2020:  

Related post: ALA History: 1936 American Library Association Meeting in Richmond, Virginia

Dr. Charles D. Churchwell (1926-2018): Second African American to Earn a Ph.D. in Library Science from the University of Illinois

Dr. Charles Darrett Churchwell was the second African American to receive a Ph.D. in library science from the University of Illinois. A native of Dunnellon, Florida, Dr. Churchwell was born on Sunday, November 7, 1926 to John Dozier Churchwell and Leeannah Delaughter Churchwell. Dr. Churchwell was also a veteran of the United States Army. After the military, he attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, graduating in 1952 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Dr. Churchwell then attended the Atlanta University Library School (Clark-Atlanta University), receiving his MLS (Master of Library Science) in 1953. He earned his doctorate (Ph.D.) in library science from the University of Illinois in 1966.

During his career, Dr. Churchwell held several positions in libraries across the country, including Alabama State College (Alabama State University), Prairie View A & M University, the New York Public Library, and the University of Illinois before becoming the first African American to serve as Assistant Director of Public Services & Associate Professor at the University of Houston. He remained at the University of Houston until 1970. That same year, Dr. Churchwell became the director of the Miami University of Ohio's libraries, serving for four years. Afterwards, he served as director of the Brown University Library, the dean of libraries at Washington University in St. Louis, and a library science professor at Wayne State University. His final years of librarianship were spent as the dean of the library science program at Clark-Atlanta University.  He retired in 1999.

Although Dr. Carla Hayden is the first African American to serve as Librarian of Congress, she was not the first African American to be considered for the job. When Librarian of Congress Lawrence Quincy Mumford (L. Quincy Mumford) retired from the Library of Congress in 1974, Dr. Churchwell was among several candidates recommended by the American Library Association Executive Board as Mumford's replacement. Even though Churchwell wasn't selected for the position, the fact that he was recommended is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Dr. Churchwell wrote several articles, contributed chapters to books on library science, and was the author of The Shaping of American Library Education.  He also testified before the Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and Humanities of the United States Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources in October 1979 during hearings on the Higher Education Amendments of 1979 and before the Subcommittee on Post Secondary Education of the United States House of Representatives' Committee on Education and Labor in September 1985 during hearings on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

Dr. Churchwell passed away in 2018 at the age of 91 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Some works of Dr. Churchwell:

Churchwell, Charles D. "The Evolution of the Academic Research Library in the 1960s." College & Research Libraries 68.2 (Mar. 2007): 104-105. Print.

Churchwell, Charles. "Racial Integration at the University of Houston: A Personal Perspective II." Untold Stories: Civil Rights, Libraries, and Black Librarianship. Ed. John Mark Tucker. Champaign: Board of Trustees of U of Illinois, 1998. 136-140. Print.

Churchwell, Charles D. "A Historical Introduction to Library Education: Problems and Progress to 1951 (Book Review)." College & Research Libraries 38.1 (Jan. 1977): 74-75. Print.

Churchwell, Charles D. The Shaping of American Library Education. Chicago: American Library Association, 1974. Print.

Churchwell, Charles D. "Education for Librarianship in the United States: Some Factors Which Influence Its Development between 1919 and 1936." Diss. U of Illinois, 1966. Print.

Update 6/27.2020:

*Note: The first African American to receive a doctorate in library science from the University of Illinois was Dr. Jessie Carney Smith. Dr. Smith received her Ph.D. in 1964.  Many thanks to Jamillah Gabriel for bringing this to my attention!!

Sources: Figa, Elizabeth and Macpherson, Janet. "Brown v. Board of Education and Its Effect on Libraries and Library and Information Science Education: Mapping and Storytelling a Historical Journey  Fifty Years in the Making."  Unfinished Business: Race, Equity, and Diversity in Library and Information Science Education. Ed. Maurice B. Wheeler. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2005. 21. Print. ; Holley, Edward G. "Racial Integration at the University of Houston: A Personal Perspective I."  and Churchwell, Charles. "Racial Integration at the University of Houston: A Personal Perspective II." Untold Stories: Civil Rights, Libraries, and Black Librarianship. Ed. John Mark Tucker. Champaign: Board of Trustees of U of Illinois, 1998. 129-140. Print. ; Jordan, Casper LeRoy and Josey, E.J. "A Chronology of Events in Black Librarianship." Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 12, 15. Print. ; "Charles D. Churchwell Obituary." A Guide to African American Studies, Washington University in St. Louis. 14 Feb. 2020. Web. 30 May 2020. ; United States Congress Senate. Committee on Labor and Human Resources. Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and the Humanities. Higher Education Amendments of 1979: Hearings before the Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and the Humanities of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, United States Senate: Ninety-Sixth Congress, First Session on S. 1839 to Extend the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for Other Purposes: October 10, 11, 23, 25, and November 9, 1979, Part 2. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 1980. Print. ; United States Congress House. Committee on Education and Labor. Subcommittee on Post Secondary Education. Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act: Title II (College Libraries); Title VI (International Education); Title VIII (Cooperative Education); Title X (F.I.P.S.E.); Title XI (Urban Grant Universities): Hearings before the Subcommittee on Post Secondary Education of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-Ninth Congress, First Session: Hearings Held in Washington, DC, September 6 and 10, 1985. Volume 8. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 1986. Print. ; "SWIDC Meets." The Prairie View Standard 45.4 (Dec. 1954): 3. PDF file. ; "Dr. Churchwell Nominated." The Miamian 3.31 (May 1974): 1. Digital file. ; Pearson, Lois R. "Outside Consultant's Plan Causes Churchwell to Resign from Washington U. Libraries." American Libraries 18 (Mar. 1987): 164. Print. ; "Charles D. Churchwell." The History Makers. The History Makers, 16 Oct. 2007. Web. 1 June 2020. "American Council on Education Fellows." Wright State University Research News 3.10 (Apr. 1971): 3. PDF file.

Bertha Pleasant Williams (1923-2008) and the Union Street Library, Montgomery, Alabama

Bertha Pleasant Williams was Montgomery, Alabama's first African American librarian. Ms. Williams was born on Friday, June 29, 1923 in Montgomery, Alabama to Reuben P. and Mary Green Pleasant.  She was a 1943 graduate of Alabama State University where she earned a bachelor of library science degree (BLS) and a 1946 graduate of Atlanta University (Clark-Atlanta University) where she earned her Master of Library Science (MLS). Previously, Ms. Williams had tried to attend the library science program at the University of Alabama but was refused admission because she was African American. In 1950, she married Robert H. Williams.

Library service in Montgomery, Alabama began with the Montgomery Library Association, a small subscription library above a drugstore on Dexter Avenue in 1899. In 1904, with funds from the Carnegie Endowment (founded by businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie) the Carnegie Library of Montgomery, Alabama was built (later called the Montgomery City-County Public Library). However, library services were not extended to Montgomery's African American community. This changed in June 1947, when the Montgomery Negro Ministerial Association met to formulate plans to establish a library branch for the African American community. At the meeting, a task force, the Friends of the Library Association, was created and charged with making the library branch a reality. Members of the task force included:

Rev. Ralph A. Daley
Zenovia Johnson
Alice Martin
M. L. Pace
Dr. V. E. Daniel

A building was found on 409 South Union Street and was renovated for housing the library. The building was provided by the Sojourner Truth Club, an African American women's club. The name chosen for the library branch was the Union Street Library. Through the encouragement of library science professor  Dr. Virginia Lacey Jones, Bertha Pleasant Williams applied for and accepted the position as librarian for the newly created library.

The Union Street Library opened for service on December 8, 1948. Ms. Williams was determined to provide patrons with the best service and resources possible. She promoted the library and it services on the local African American radio station and in the local African American newspaper. She worked closely with the city's African American teachers to promote reading in the classroom and loaned books for the schools to use. Williams also established deposit stations, authorized locations to lend library books for patrons to use. Williams had help from people in the community -- some would help transport books to patrons since the city refused to fund bookmobile service for African Americans; others would contribute funds in support of the library.

As time went by, the Union Street Library outgrew its space and needed to expand. In 1960, a new location for the library was secured and it was renamed the Cleveland Avenue Branch.  In 1963, the entire library system of the Montgomery City-County Public Library was integrated. The Cleveland Avenue Branch was later renamed the Rosa Parks Avenue Branch. The branch was renamed again in 2012 as the Bertha Pleasant Williams Library at the Rosa L. Parks Avenue Branch.

Ms. Williams later worked at the library at Alabama State University. She was employed at the university for 14 years, 7 of which she served as head of the university's rare book collection and archives.

Bertha Pleasant Williams passed way on Monday, November 24, 2008 at the age of 85.  Her funeral was held at the Dexter King Memorial Baptist Church, in Montgomery, Alabama.  In 2012, a historic marker commemorating her work with libraries was placed at the Bertha Pleasant Williams Library at the Rosa Parks L. Avenue Branch.


Sources: Graham, Patterson Toby. A Right to Read: Segregation and Civil Rights in Alabama's Public Libraries, 1900-1965. Tuscaloosa: U of Alabama P, 2006. 56-62, 68, 75-80. Print. ; Battles, David M. The History of Public Library Access for African Americans in the South, or Leaving Behind the Plow. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2009. 94, 126. Print. ; Knott, Cheryl. Not Free, Not for All: Public Libraries in the Age of Jim Crow. U of Massachusetts P, 2015. 28, 143, 262. Print. ; Wiegand, Wayne A. and Shirley A. Wiegand. The Desegregation of Public Libraries in the Jim Crow South: Civil Rights and Local Activism.  LSU P, 2018. 51-53., 118-125. Print. ;  Robinson, Carrie C. "Alabama Association of School Librarians." Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 51. Print. ; Blumenstein, Lynn. "Bertha Pleasant Williams Dies." Library Journal.com,  Library Journal, 1 Dec. 2008. Web. 30 May 2020. ; Edwards, Brian. "Montgomery Officials Honor Recognition of Bertha Williams Library with Unveiling of Historic Marker." Montgomery Advertiser, USA Today Network, 28 June 2019. Web. 30 May 2020. ; "Council Reaches Compromise over the Renaming of Rosa Parks Library." WFAS.com, WFAS12 News, 18 July 2012. Web. 30 May 2020. ; "Bertha Pleasant Williams." Legacy.com, Legacy, 28 Nov. 2008. Web. 30 May 2020.