By Emily Schoch | Staff Writer
Baylor University’s Black Gospel Archive and Listening Center has received a $2.5 million grant, paving the way for significant expansion of its collections and programming, including hosting concerts and community events.
The Black Gospel Archive and Listening Center, located in Baylor’s Moody Memorial Library, is a place where students can go to experience the rich history of gospel music. The Lilly Endowment is funding the grant allowing the archive to receive $200,000 being put towards exhibits celebrating black gospel music. The opening of exhibits is allowing new staff positions to become available.
Jeffry Archer, dean of libraries, museums and the press at Baylor University, explained how the Black Gospel Archive will be affected by the Lilly Endowment.
“Today, the Lilly Endowment Inc. grant provides the libraries with important funding we will use to introduce an ever-growing Black Gospel Archive to new communities, not just in Waco, but in places like Detroit, Chicago, and even worldwide through our digital collections,” Archer said.
The Lilly Endowment will also be put towards developing an online version of the Royce-Darden collection of Black gospel music. The Royce-Darden collection has been recognized nationally because of its ability to preserve rare recordings of Black gospel music.
Robert Darden, retired Baylor journalism professor, is credited for having started the university’s Black gospel music preservation program in 2005.
The Lilly Endowment Grant is among the largest grants given to Baylor’s library system. The grant comes from the Lilly Endowment Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative with a mission to “support museums and other cultural institutions across the United States in developing exhibitions and educational programs that fairly and accurately portray the role of religion in the U.S. and around the world.”
The Black Gospel Archive is a creative way that students, faculty and the public can experience the history and culture of gospel music. Archer emphasizes that students will benefit from the improvements on the Black Gospel Archive, making information about the heritage and importance that Black artists have on society accessible to all students. Archer said he is excited about the improvements that will come with the grant.
“Here at Baylor, we believe the expanded BGA [Black Gospel Archive] Listening Center will be a huge resource for our faculty and students to showcase ways they can engage with these important materials and learn more about the important contributions of Black singers, songwriters, preachers, and community leaders on the local and national level,” Archer said.
Colleyville sophomore Audrey Jarrett said the grant is going to a good cause, and she is excited to see the collection expand.
“I personally think that having representation supported around campus is very important, and the Black Gospel Archive is a perfect example of that,” Jarrett said. “$2.5 million is a lot of money that will be used for such a good cause, to create a space where people can interact with the past and present, learning about Black music and influential people.”
