ATLANTA (February 7, 2019) — On Feb. 28, 2019 at 5 p.m., the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library will host a program and panel discussion about the life and work of Dr. Asa G. Hilliard III, including a special viewing of his collection.

The theme of the event is “Sba: Reclaiming African Futures.” Confirmed panelists include Dr. Elletta L. Denson, School Governance Council chair and teacher at Asa G. Hilliard Elementary School, Dr. Daniel Black, African American Studies professor at Clark Atlanta University and Dr. Tanya Clark, English professor at Morehouse College.

The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Sam Livingston, director of the African American Studies program at Morehouse College.

The event will give participants an intimate look at Hilliard’s body of work and allow them to hear from experts in academia and African American studies. Hilliard’s family will also be in attendance.

A leading advocate of African history, Hilliard was a professor of Urban Education at Georgia State University for 27 years. Prior to that, he spent 18 years at San Francisco State University. He served as a consultant to the Peace Corps and superintendent of schools in Monrovia, Liberia. He also led frequent study groups to Egypt and Ghana to help educators create more African centered curricula.

“The Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library is honored to have been entrusted by the Hilliard family to be the official custodian of the Asa Hilliard collection,” said Loretta Parham, Library CEO and director. “This rich anthology has been used by scholars who were taught by Dr. Hilliard and those who never met him but were impacted by his work.”

“Asa is known as the ‘conductor’ of the modern African-centered educational movement, but he was so much more than that. He was a father, a friend and my husband for nearly 50 years,” said Patsy Jo Hilliard, wife of Asa Hilliard. “With holdings uniquely documenting the African experience, there is no better home for his collection than the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library. My hope is that his life’s work inspires the next generation of educators and activists.”

The Hilliard collection spans the years of 1933 to 2007 and consists of over 200 boxes of materials. It includes organizational files from groups of which Hilliard was a member, records from his work at both Georgia State University and San Francisco State University, files related to his speaking engagements, photographs and videos, and manuscripts of articles, books, speeches and reports.

Those interested in attending the event can RSVP by visiting hilliardprogram.eventbrite.com.

Researchers can access the collection by making an appointment to visit the AUC Woodruff Library’s Archives Research Center, located at 111 James P. Brawley Drive, Atlanta, GA, or through the Library’s website via online finding aids. The audio/visual collection is available online in the Library’s Digital Commons repository, which can be accessed at http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/hilliard.

About the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
The Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library serves the nation’s largest consortium of historically black colleges and universities, which includes Clark Atlanta University, the Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College and Spelman College. As the intellectual center of this prestigious academic community, the Library’s mission is to provide the highest level of information resources and services in support of student and faculty success and the cultural preservation of the Atlanta University Center. In addition to the aesthetic benefits of this state-of-the-art facility, the Library has evolved into a model repository of information resources and a front-runner in the innovative delivery of digital resources. The AUC Woodruff Library is the winner of the 2016 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in the university category from the Association of Collegiate and Research Libraries (ACRL). Library CEO Loretta Parham was named the ACRL 2017 Academic/Research Librarian of the Year. Additional information about the AUC Woodruff Library is available at www.auctr.edu.