Spencer Library visit yields insights, connection for 2024 Whayne Scholars
Since 2016, the Alyce Hunley Whayne Visiting Researchers Award has forged meaningful connections between selected scholars and the distinctive African American collections in Kenneth Spencer Research Library -- but in 2024 with two award recipients, an additional bond was built. Alyssa Cole, assistant professor of African American studies at the University of Florida, and Brooke Thomas, African American history postdoctoral scholar at Pennsylvania State University, took part in overlapping visits to the library that sparked key moments of insight for their individual research projects as well as timely professional connections.
Both Cole and Thomas were interested in materials in the Kansas Collection and University Archives related to local communities and leaders, including those on KU campus and in the Kansas City area – and each of their work is helping to expand the field of history, telling a larger story of the integral leadership of Black women in addressing the racial inequities of the 20th century. During a presentation at Spencer Library, each scholar highlighted their findings and expressed the value of in-person research with primary sources.
"We've had scholars from different programs overlap their visits in the reading room before, but this is a case of the stars aligning,” said Beth M. Whittaker, Director of Spencer Research Library. “I hope it has great outcomes for their research, and for us it’s been so informative to learn and have the perspective of two scholars who are here at the same time talking about these things, really helping us think a little bit more holistically about this scholarship and giving us a much richer perspective than if we had heard them speak independently.”
Cole, who completed her doctoral degree in history at KU in 2022, returned to campus to complete research for a book exploring Black women activists’ roles in increasing medical equity in Kansas City during the early parts of the century. Thomas is researching a book on the role of Black collegiate sororities in political advocacy and leadership development from 1935-1970.
Thomas described a pivotal moment during her visit when she discovered an example of a booklet she had seen referenced in other sources but had never been able to locate. The item was a “legislative handbook” used by the sororities she was studying as a tool for political education. Thomas said she had been searching for an example of the booklet for four years and finding one at Spencer Research Library was an emotional moment.
“I shed a few tears,” she said, noting that she had to step outside the library for a few minutes to collect herself.
“It's a very small document," said Thomas, describing how seeing the material in person defied her expectations. “In my mind it's a big document, right? To keep all this information.”
The booklet, customized to the state of Kansas, contained details of national political happenings as well as notes on state legislation and lobbying efforts. The document brought to life how the Black women leaders Thomas had been studying accomplished their work, fitting it into everyday existence as they spanned various clubs and organizations, activating multiple networks to reach their goals.
“It’s literally pocket-sized,” Thomas said. “You can put it in your pocket, put it in your bag, and take it to different places and give people this information.”
The unique collections at Spencer Research Library were also an opportunity for Cole to mine for specific details and examples showing exactly how Black women, and the clubs and organizations they worked with, supported Black hospitals, as well as how their fundraising efforts subsidized hospital activities.
“My book project centers Black women as activists in their own right, not solely extensions of their husbands,” Cole said. “It’s an opportunity for me to bring these women back into the spotlight. They were really important during that time, and they should remain that way.”
Cole said the Whayne Visting Researcher Award’s financial support for travel expenses was key to accessing the experience, especially as an early career scholar who has recently finished graduate school and moved across the country. Cole and Thomas agreed that their connection was also an unexpected benefit of the award. They’ve each gained a colleague and have already planned to appear on a conference panel together next year.
“These awards are incredibly important,” Cole said. “I don’t know if we really fully understand the impact of this award yet and how important it’s going to be for our careers moving forward.”
The Whayne Scholars Program is made possible by generous support from KU Professor Emerita Sandra Gautt in honor of her mother, Alyce Hunley Whayne. Additional information about KU Libraries’ travel awards is available on the Kenneth Spencer Research Library website.