A new exhibit honors this legacy

The Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life marks its 40th anniversary this month in 2025 with a sweeping exhibit and a renewed call to community: to remember, reclaim, and reimagine the power of Black cultural memory in Minnesota.

Housed in the Elmer L. Andersen Library at the University of Minnesota, the Givens Collection is one of the most comprehensive archives of African American literature and cultural history in the Upper Midwest, spanning more than 250 years. To honor this legacy, the university will unveil a major exhibit on Oct. 23 titled “The Circle Unbroken,” celebrating 40 years of community stewardship and the Givens Collection.

“This isn’t just about books,” said the collection’s curator, Davu Seru, who recently took up the role after years of working with the collection as a graduate student and community researcher. “It’s about the people who ensured the collection came to this university, and the broader tradition of African American leadership that made it possible.”

Rooted in community power

The Givens Collection came to the university in 1985, thanks to a coalition of Black Minnesotans who invested not only money, but also long-term vision. Families including the Givens, Sayles Belton, Johnson, Jones, and Estes families were among those who answered the call — issued by Dr. John S. Wright, a founding professor of African American and African Studies at the U of M.

“The Givens Collection didn’t just show up here. It was brought here by people who knew what it could mean for future generations,” Seru said. “People like Sharon Sayles Belton, Josie R. Johnson, and Archie Givens Jr. made sure that this was not a collection hidden in the stacks, but one that served the wider community.”

In fact, the exhibit’s title, “The Circle Unbroken,” reflects that continuity — a multigenerational effort to preserve Black history and pass it forward.

A rare cultural treasure

The Givens Collection includes more than 20,000 rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and personal papers. Highlights include:

• A first edition of Phillis Wheatley’s “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773)”
• Early 20th-century literary gems from the Harlem Renaissance, including a 20-year correspondence between poet Countee Cullen and William Fuller Brown
• The personal papers of Dr. Josie R. Johnson, a civil rights icon and lifelong educator
• Archival material from Penumbra Theatre, one of the nation’s premier Black theater companies
• First editions of works by Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and other 19th-century African American leaders

The archive also contains unique oral histories of formerly enslaved people from Coahoma County, Mississippi, recorded during the Great Depression and preserved here as the only known copies.

“There are generations of Black Minnesotans who don’t even know that this archive exists,” Seru said. “This collection is evidence. It documents our legacy, our leadership, and our contribution to the cultural fabric of this state and country.”

An urgent moment 

As debates around public education, diversity, and the role of race in American history intensify, Seru says the 40th anniversary comes at a critical time. “Part of our work now is about shoring up support,” he said. 

“Because we are an outward-facing collection, meaning we serve the community beyond the university…we are also uniquely vulnerable. But we’re also uniquely powerful. When the pressure comes, I want to know I have my people with me.”

The anniversary is more than a moment to reflect — it’s a call to action. In addition to the October exhibit, the newly formed Community Advisory Council is planning events throughout the academic year, including:

• A revised K-12 curriculum guide rooted in the archive’s materials
• Public dialogues with artists and elders as part of the “Embracing Our Roots” series, in partnership with local organizations Black Ink and More Than a Single Story
• Performances and educational workshops tied to the exhibit

Beyond the university

Seru also wants to clarify a common point of confusion: The Givens Collection is not the same as the Givens Foundation for African American Literature, though they share namesakes and a deep intertwined history.

“The Foundation does important work in literary programming, but the collection lives at the University of Minnesota Libraries,” Seru noted. “It’s crucial to understand that distinction, especially when crediting the legacy of families who brought it here.”

A living archive

For Seru, who began as a graduate fellow and now leads the collection, the journey is personal.

“I came here for the Givens Collection. It was part of my calling,” he said. “This work allows me to connect with my elders, to honor them as they transition, and to help the next generation understand where they come from. That’s Sankofa: go back and get it so we can move forward.”

The exhibit “The Circle Unbroken” opens October 23 at Elmer L. Andersen Library and runs through January 2026. For updates, events, and how to get involved, visit lib.umn.edu/givens.

Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.

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