In November 2022, over 50 community-based archives (CBA) practitioners from across the U.S. gathered in Austin, Texas to learn from one another and discuss a range of issues pertinent to CBAs. This gathering, the Community Archives Collaborative Convening, was organized by the Community Archives Collaborative (CAC), a peer-to-peer network created to support CBAs. Convening sessions were highly participatory, inviting discussion and engagement. Breakout discussions covered topics of interest such as oral histories, digitization, collection development, public programming, training and engaging volunteers, ethics in CBA work, and fundraising and development. There were also times devoted to networking, so that the participants had the opportunity to build community and learn about each other.
Attendees included representatives from Albina Music Trust, Carver Museum/ATX Barrio Archive, Don’t Shoot Portland, The History Project, Inside Books Project Archive, La Historia Society, Los Angeles Contemporary Archive (LACA), LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, Mourning Our Losses, El Pueblo de Abiquiú Library and Cultural Center, Rikers Public Memory Project, Shift Collective, Shorefront Legacy Center, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, TéMaTé Institute for Black Dance and Culture, VanPort Mosaic, The Visiting Room Project, and Warrior Woman Project.
During the course of the CAC convening, we agreed that many of the challenges we face as community-based archives are rooted in our struggles to simultaneously maintain autonomy while also surviving financially, reputationally, and emotionally. Many attendees expressed dissatisfaction with extractive partnerships that might offer funding, but in turn jeopardize the organization’s independence, co-opt materials, or otherwise harm community relationships.
The conversations that emerged from the convening highlight the reality that many memory work organizations are struggling to manage collections, recruit volunteers & staff, tend to the needs of their communities, and keep their doors open—whether physically or digitally. This work is made all the more difficult when we face risks that are unique to activist and advocacy-based archives and organizations.
In summer of 2023, we’ll publish a report on the convening. Stay tuned to learn more about the conversations held during the convening, key takeaways, and next steps for the CAC.
