01
Mission
The Quakers of Color International Archive (QCIA) is a multi-media study-and-research collection. It is intended as the first centralized, comprehensive collection of videos, writings, films, and audio resources by and about Quakers of Color worldwide.
02
History
We began with a pilot project in spring 2019, interviewing outstanding Quakers of Color from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the USA. Our first interviewees were Palestinian Friend Jean Zaru, Kenyan Friend Dancan Sabwa, Bolivian Friend Emma Condori Mamani, and pioneering African American Friends Joan Countryman, James Varner, and our director Harold D. (Hal) Weaver. It has grown to include over 22 released interviews with more to come.
03
Availability
The QCIA is accessible to scholars, educators, and students who wish a better understanding of the lives, achievements, and contributions of Quakers of Color worldwide to the Society of Friends and to the broader community.
Our Advisory Committee
Expertise in the selection and preservation processes, to complement the more than 50 years of experience of the Project director in Black history and culture, is already being utilized from the following experts in bibliography, preservation, Africana Studies, Quakerism, and Black Quaker Studies:
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The late Rob Cox, Director of Special Collections, UMass/Amherst Library and Overseer, NEYM Archives, UMass/Amherst Library​. We are forever grateful for his enduring work without which this archive would probably not exist.
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Emma Lapsansky, Prof. of History and Curator of the Quaker Collection, Emerita, Haverford College
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Mary Craudereuff, Current Curator of the Quaker Collection, Haverford College Library
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Aaron Rubinstein, Head of the Robert Cox Special Collections and University Archives at University of Massachusetts Amherst.