The US National Archives hosts a monthly “hashtag party” that encourages archives worldwide to post an item from their collections to Twitter and Instagram. Over the past three years, diverse monthly themes have included: weather, ancestors, baking, and movies. This February, the Brock University Archives participated for the first time with the timely subject being #ArchivesBlackEducation. We reached into our popular Rick Bell Family Fonds:
This certificate was awarded to Richard Nelson Bell of St. Catharines, Ontario in 1925 giving him admission to attend the local high school. Descended from former slaves who came to Canada after the Civil War, Richard was among the first of this generation of Bell family members to attend high school.
More rich history can be discovered through the Rick Bell Family fonds in the Brock University Digital Repository.
Keep an eye out for next month’s archives hashtag party!