Antiracism and black memory in the archives: a project to preserve black organization collections at the University of Campinas (Brazil)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article describes the anti-racist project developed by the Arquivo Edgard Leuenroth (AEL — Edgard Leuenroth Archive) at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil that involves assembling collections pertaining to black social organizations in the state of São Paulo for preservation and dissemination. The project understands the relation between archives and anti-racism in two dimensions. One considers the very gesture of incorporating materials into the archival apparatus and the other involves the search for a new participatory paradigm for archival practices and decision-making. The collections enable us to reimagine the role of black organizations in the history of the country and its future, thus preserving and ensuring access to them is part of a broader initiative to redefine the place of the archival institution in policies aiming to dismantle racism.