Knowledge. Truth. Inspiration.
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The Mark E. Mitchell
Collection of African American History spans
four centuries, consisting of well over 5,000 individual pieces
-- defying description both in scope and content.
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"W H A T O T H E R S A R E S A Y I N G A B O U T T H E C O L L E C T I O N"
-- "The items in this collection represent the full range of African American history: the monumental, the terrible and the indelible moments of pride...extraordinary." -- Washington Post
-- "In many ways, Mark's collection is a wonderful look at how African Americans struggled to speak for themselves...He has found a way to help us remember. There is nothing greater than helping people to remember." -- Lonnie Bunch, Director, National Museum of African American History & Culture, Smithsonian Institution
| -- "...the most valuable private assemblage of
documents in Afro-Americana that I have ever seen." -- David W.
Blight, Professor of History and Black Studies, Amherst College; author of
Frederick Douglass's Civil War. --"Your (Mark E. Mitchell) African American History history collection was indeed an eye-opener; it demonstrated the connection between African Americans and the African people...(It) should be promoted, sustained and accorded the widest publicity in order to educate more people about the history of the African Americans." -- Ambassador Molelekeng E. Rapolaki, Kingdom of Lethoso |
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-- “Having written about, collected, bought, and sold African Americana for nearly two decades, I can attest, first hand, to the Mitchell’s Collection’s integrity and historical significance – rarely has an assemblage of original manuscripts documents, newspapers, periodicals, antiques prints, books, and photographs of this caliber been amassed; rarely has an assemblage of material of this density (dating from the early 1600s through the present) been able to hold together, making its sum total more than equal to its individual pieces – a fact which I perceive as crucial to the collection’s uniqueness and valuation. Mr. Mitchell’s determination and vision to preserve the collection as a whole continuum of history will profoundly benefit students and scholars alike.” -- Randy F. Weinstein, renowned appraiser of African American books, manuscripts and documents and author of “Against the Tide”, a text book of African American history
--"Thank God and thank you, Mr. Mitchell, for the incredible documentation of my people's history." -- Cathy Hughes, Chairman and Founder, Radio One, Inc.
--"Matchless! No other single collection of African American photographs, documents and manuscripts rivals the Mark E. Mitchell Collection for its combination of scholarly depth and flash!" -- W. Jeffrey Bolster, Professor of History, University of New Hampshire; author of "Black Jacks: African American Seamen in the Age of Sail
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--"It is difficult to express fully what I feel. This falling into history, so painful, so inspiring, but above all, so human." -- Dr. Ronald Williams, President, Prince Georges Community College (Prince Georges County, Maryland) --"Your (Mark E. Mitchell) marvelous collection is the most amazing experience of Americans of African descent I've seen. Awesome!" -- Jimmy Jones, former guard for the Baltimore Bullets (now Washington Wizards) --"Mitchell's collection let's people see and touch history; it gives body to the stories and fact to the myths." -- The Huntsville Times (Alabama), March 28, 2001 --"In my many years and travels, I have never seen anything like your (Mark E. Mitchell) collection anywhere. I am overwhelmed and deeply moved by the history of it all." -- the late Stanley Turrentine, jazz saxophonist and composer |
--"Your (Mark E. Mitchell) collection is unparalleled to any that I have ever had the privilege to see. A truly humbling experience!" -- Charles E. Bethea, Executive Director, Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia
--"Mark E. Mitchell over the past 23 years has amassed an impressive collection of African American artifacts, form original copies of abolitionist Frederick Douglass' newspaper, The North Star, to letters from black radical leader Malcolm X and scholar W.E.B. DuBois." -- Pittsburgh Post Gazette
--"I am in awe of seeing so many originals up close! I actually touched a copy of the North Star and read parts of a Malcolm X letter written from jail in 1950. This is a dream for any scholar and/or historian." -- Marion Carpenter, Curator, Banneker-Douglass Museum
--"Our children need to see this. I am excited and inspired by what I've seen. This was most educational." -- Joanne C. Benson, Delegate, Maryland House of Representatives
--"I have reviewed a number of private collections and have not been more impressed -- You (Mark E. Mitchell) have amassed materials that tell a story few have had the opportunity to see." -- John E. Fleming, Former Director, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
-- Little did I know as we first talked about the dream of bringing pieces from your wonderful collection of Black history to this campus, and speaking to our faculty, staff, and students, that it would be such a tremendous success....it provided a new base for inspiration and a new appreciation of Black history....one of our top history students told me that as a result of your presentation, she has made a decision to devote her career to the teaching of African American history. -- Dr. Delbert W. Baker, President, Oakwood College, Huntsville, Alabama.
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Examples of historic items in
The Mark E. Mitchell Collection
| THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION
- contemporary printing of Abraham Lincoln's proclamation in The New York Herald. PAUL ROBESON - letter signed as chairman of the Council on African Affairs.
ROOTS - ALEX HALEY
- original signed copy of the contract |
THURGOOD MARSHALL - letter regarding his work on school desegregation. BILLIE HOLIDAY - signed performance contract framed with portrait. THE AMISTAD SLAVE SHIP MUTINY - graphic woodcut illustration from the 1840 New Haven pamphlet (included). CRISPUS ATTUCKS - 1770 Boston Gazette describing the death of the first black martyr of the American Revolution during the legendary "Boston Massacre." BLACK SOLDIERS IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION - (1775-1783) - archive of over 180 documents (many signed) for 124 African-American soldiers who fought alongside white patriots for the freedom and independence of the United States; includes a rare powder horn used by a black soldier. BENJAMIN BANNEKER - original signature and one of the few newspaper accounts ever published about the noted astronomer and mathematician.
MEDGAR EVERS - letter to Gloster Current, the last man to see Evers alive. |
Freeman and Mitchell
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Black History Matters
Box 305, Gambrills, MD 21054
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