{"id":112523,"date":"2026-01-10T00:35:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T00:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/112523\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T00:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T00:35:08","slug":"famus-black-archives-preserve-black-history-as-national-debates-continue-the-famuan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/112523\/","title":{"rendered":"FAMU\u2019s Black Archives preserve Black history as national debates continue \u2013 The FAMUAN"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Front entrance of the Meek-Eaton Black Archives. (Khalil-Lullah Ballentine\/The FAMUAN)<\/p>\n

As national debates over race, education and identity grow, Florida A&M University\u2019s Meek-Eaton Black Archives\u00a0remains\u00a0a vital institution for preserving African American heritage and culture.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Located inside the historic Carnegie Library on FAMU\u2019s campus, the Black Archives houses thousands of photographs,\u00a0documents\u00a0and artifacts that detail the Black experience in Florida and beyond. Students say its presence is more important now than ever.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving the Black Archives on campus is very important for students today and students to come because it keeps our history alive,\u201d said Victoria Edwards, a fourth-year FAMU student. \u201cIf we don\u2019t, then who will?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The historic Carnegie Library houses the museum. (Khalil-Lullah Ballentine\/The FAMUAN)<\/p>\n

A 2024 report by PEN America\u00a0found\u00a0more than 40 states have introduced or passed legislation since\u00a02021,\u00a0limiting how educators can teach about race,\u00a0gender\u00a0and systemic inequality. Florida has been a leading state in this trend, with policies that critics say downplay or erase key parts of Black history. The report also notes that many educators and institutions have avoided certain subjects altogether out of fear of violating vague or politically charged restrictions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

William Jiles,\u00a0director of the Division of Journalism at FAMU, agreed that current\u00a0political\u00a0climates have had a chilling effect on education. He said\u00a0many\u00a0teachers now feel pressured to avoid certain topics, even when they know those lessons are necessary.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people know what is right, but they are afraid of retribution,\u201d Jiles said. \u201cThey have families to feed. So, they just go along with it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jiles\u00a0added that censoring Black history risks leaving future generations with an incomplete or distorted understanding of the country\u2019s past.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"A sign on campus details the history of the Carnegie Library at Florida A&M University. (Khalil-Lullah Ballentine\/The FAMUAN)<\/p>\n

\u201cIn American history, there is good and bad,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you only focus on the good, people are not going to learn the full story.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Black cultural institutions across the country face similar challenges. A June 2024 Associated Press report highlighted concerns that the national backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion could threaten funding sources. Leaders worry that organizations dedicated to Black history may see reduced support at a time when their work is most needed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Timothy Barber,\u00a0director of the Meek-Eaton Black Archives, said the institution is not immune to the growing pressure, both politically and financially. He noted that Black cultural institutions are often the first to experience funding cuts and receive minimal support compared to their non-Black counterparts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is always an attack on institutions like ours,\u201d\u00a0Barber\u00a0said. \u201cWe are always the lowest-funded\u00a0institutions. We are the first to get cut.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

He emphasized that institutions like the\u00a0Black\u00a0Archives play a critical role in protecting historical truth in a digital world where misinformation is easy to spread.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWith social media and AI, it\u2019s easy to manipulate information,\u201d\u00a0Barber\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0archives hold the primary sources.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"North entrance of The Meek-Eaton Black Archives. (Khalil-Lullah Ballentine\/The FAMUAN)<\/p>\n

Victoria Edwards, a\u00a0fourth-year\u00a0student\u00a0at FAMU,\u00a0shared the concern that future students may forget the\u00a0Black\u00a0Archives even existed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy fear is that one day students will walk past that building and say, \u2018I wonder what that was,\u2019 and have zero knowledge,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Barber\u00a0remains\u00a0committed to ensuring the\u00a0Black\u00a0Archives\u00a0continues\u00a0to educate and empower. Through rotating exhibits and community outreach, he hopes to make it a space that people return to often.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to feed people the history,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want them to come in, experience it, and find out the truth\u00a0on their own.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Front entrance of the Meek-Eaton Black Archives. (Khalil-Lullah Ballentine\/The FAMUAN) As national debates over race, education and identity…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":{"0":"post-112523","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tallahassee","8":"tag-tallahassee","9":"tag-tallahassee-headlines","10":"tag-tallahassee-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}