SJ4A Key Project Staff and Team
SJ4A Key Project Staff
Bharat Mehra (PI/Project Director) (Professor & EBSCO Endowed Chair in Social Justice), School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alabama: bmehra@ua.edu
Robert B. Riter (co-PI) (Assistant Professor; Marie Drolet Bristol-EBSCO Endowed Professor; Program in Archival Studies Coordinator), School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alabama: rbriter@ua.edu
Michelle Cheng (Graduate Research Assistant, August-September 2022), School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alabama
Ron Harris (Graduate Research Assistant, September 2022 – May 2024), School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alabama: rlharris1@ua.edu
Johana Canales (Graduate Research Assistant, May 2024 – Present), School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alabama: jccanales@ua.edu
SJ4A Partners and Advisory Board Members
1. Terry Baxter (Archivist, Multnomah County and the Oregon Country Fair/Vice President/President-Elect, SAA): terry.d.baxter@multco.us
2. Courtney Chartier (Current SAA President; Director, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University): cc4785@columbia.edu
3. Eli Guinnee (State Librarian, New Mexico State Library): eli.guinnee@state.nm.us
4. Steve Murray (Director, Alabama Department of Archives and History):
steve.murray@archives.alabama.gov
5. Dr. Nancy Pack (Director, Alabama Public Library Service): npack@apls.state.al.us
6. Dr. Mario H. Ramirez (Head of Special Collections and Archives, California State University, Los Angeles/SAA Council Member): mario.ramirez2@calstatela.edu
SJ4A Advisory Board Members and Practitioner-Mentoring Board Members
1. Jim Baggett (Head of the Department of Archives and Manuscripts,
Birmingham Public Library): jbaggett@bham.lib.al.us
2. Donna Braquet (Project Co-Director, Voices Out Loud, East Tennessee LGBTQ+ History Project):
dbraquet@utk.edu
3. Joshua Burford (Director of Outreach & Lead Archivist, Invisible Histories Project):
josh@invisiblehistory.org
4. Catherine Oseas Champion (Archivist, Birmingham Public Library, Department of Archives and Manuscripts): coseas@bham.lib.al.us
5. Jina DuVernay (Program Director, Engagement and African American Collections, Robert W.
Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center): jduvernay@auctr.edu
6. Makiba J. Foster (Librarian of the College, The College of Wooster): mfoster@wooster.edu
7. Bob Friedman (Founder, Birmingham Black Radio Museum): bobby3d@bellsouth.net
8. Michelle Ganz (Director of Archives, Dominican Sisters of Peace): michelle.ganz@oppeace.org
9. Angela Houser (Digital Archivist and Manager of the Special Collections and Archives, UT Southwestern Medical Center): amhouser91@gmail.com
10. Hannah Hurdle (Library E-Learning Specialist, Ottenheimer Library, University of Arkansas at Little
Rock): hfhurdle@ualr.edu
11. Taneya Koonce (Deputy Director, Center for Knowledge Management, Vanderbilt University Medical Center): taneya.koonce@vumc.org
12. Kimberly McDade (Technical Services Librarian, Julia Tutwiler Library, University of West Alabama): kmcdade@uwa.edu
13. Laken Smith (University Archivist, Kares Library, Athens State University): laken.Smith@athens.edu
14. Laura E. Smith (Photo Archivist, Archives & Special Collections, Ohio University): smithle@ohio.edu
SJ4A Fellows
- Iris Afantchao: Marilyn Blackwell 69 Post-Baccalaureate Fellow and Public Services Assistant at Smith College Special Collections, Northampton, Massachusetts. [New job: Acquisitions Specialist, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts. Started: September 2023]
- Jehoiada Zechariah Calvin: Archives Assistant for the Johnson Publishing Company Archive with the J. Paul Getty Trust, Chicago, Illinois.
- Wayne Coleman: Head of Archives, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham, Alabama.
- shady Radical: CA, MA, PhD: Founder, The Radical Archive of Preservation; Visiting Assistant Professor, Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia. [New job: Associate Director of Training & Development, Heritage Werks; Adjunct Professor, Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia. Started: August 2024]
- Néstor Rave, Senior Library Associate, Bowling Green State University Firelands & Reference Library Assistant, Sandusky Public Library, Sandusky, Ohio. [New job: Special Collections Librarian, Archives, Sandusky Public Library, Sandusky, Ohio. Started: December 2024]
- Sabrina Robinson: Library Associate, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Charlotte, North Carolina [New job: Outreach Specialist, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Charlotte, North Carolina. Started: August 2024)
- Dartricia Rollins: Assistant Director, Charis Books and More/Charis Circle, Decatur, Georgia. [New job: Visiting Librarian for Oral History, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Started: January 2025]
- Su Lan Sheehan: Archives Apprentice, Denver Public Library’s Special Collections and Archives, Denver, Colorado. [New job: Cataloging Assistant, Denver Public Library’s Special Collections and Archives, Denver, Colorado. Started: March 2024]
- Maria Smyer: Hispanic Resource Specialist, Special Collections Department, Pueblo City County Library District, Pueblo, Colorado. [New job: University Archivist & Assistant Professor of Library Services, Colorado State University Pueblo, Pueblo, Colorado. Started: November 2024]
- Kelly Walker: Library Night Supervisor, Reed College, Portland, Oregon.
- Lerin Williams: Archivist, Cultural and Oral Historian, Backstreet Cultural Museum; Archival Assistant, Amistad Research Center, New Orleans, Louisiana. [withdrawn]
- Sandy Yang: Archives Specialist, RAND Corporate Archives, Santa Monica, California.
- Zonia Zena: Archives Assistant, Women Artist Archive Miami, Miami, Florida. [New job: Library Archivist, Special Collections Miami-Dade County Library System, Miami, Florida. Started: May 2024].
SJ4A Scholars
- Melissa Carrasco: Circulation Supervisor, Clifton Public Library, Clifton, New Jersey.
- Sierra King: Founder & Principal Archivist, Build Your Archive, Atlanta, Georgia.
- Mia McNair: Social Media Intern, Durkeeville Historical Society, Jacksonville, Florida.
- Tsinnijinnie Russell: Archival Assistant, Western History and Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library’s Special Collections and Archives, Denver, Colorado. [New job: Digital Archives Specialist, National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, Denver, Colorado. Started: June 2024]
- Charles Woods, III: Education Director & Trainer, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham, Alabama.
For questions and other inquiries, the SJ4A cohort can be contacted at sj4acohort-STUDENT@ua.edu.
Note: Other collaborators are getting elicited now that the proposal application has got accepted for funding. We will add to the list (as appropriate).
