Faculty Organizing for Community Archives Support (FOCAS) Project
Blanca H. with BMGA Fellow and Community Historian at Shorefront Legacy Center
The Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) as a part of the Faculty Organizing for Community Archives Support (FOCAS) project, supported by the Mellon Foundation’s Public Knowledge program is currently placing 2nd yearMLIS students with a concentration in the field of Archives in paid internships with local community archives. FOCAS is a collective of faculties from nine academic institutions across the United States and Canada dedicated to transforming archival education and expanding support for community archives. Established in 2022, the initiative focuses on training Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students to work with community archives, particularly those serving historically underrepresented groups such as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled communities.
FOCAS was awarded a $6.15 million grant to launch a three-year program that will place archival studies students in over 40 community archives across North America. In addition to promoting paid internships, the initiative funds curriculum development, supports student participation in conferences and professional associations, and provides direct financial support to community archives in recognition of their expertise and labor. The goal is to create a more inclusive and community-centered model for archival education and practice.
Through this partnership, BMRC supports MLIS students working with Black-centered community archives, contributes to curriculum development efforts, and provides funding to local archives for their critical work in preserving and sharing Black history. The initiative also includes support for student engagement in professional development opportunities. This collaboration aligns with BMRC’s ongoing mission to support Black community archives, increase access to Black historical collections, and train the next generation of archivists from historically marginalized backgrounds.
2024/2025 BMRC FOCAS Interns
Cheryl Muhammad is in the final semester of her MLIS program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and currently works in library services and records management within a government agency. With an extensive background in data management, community-focused roles, and operational administration, she specializes in records preservation and analysis to maintain the accuracy and integrity of physical and digital archives. Her practical experience in managing archival resources highlights her dedication to enhancing accessibility and innovation in information management. Cheryl values collaboration, creativity, and technical expertise in bridging traditional and modern archival practices.
Alyssa Brown is an MSLIS student currently completing her final semester at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As a BMRC FOCAS intern, she conducts post-processing of oral history interviews at the National Public Housing Museum. Her interest in community archives intersects with an academic and professional background in climate and environmental work. In her free time, Alyssa enjoys hiking, birding, and playing ultimate frisbee.
Blanca Vásquez-Hurley, an emerging archivist received her MSLIS from Chicago State University with a concentration in archives. In addition, she holds a BA from Northeastern Illinois University in Latino/a/x and Latin American Studies. Originally, from the Southwest her interests include social justice work through activism, reparative human-first approaches to archiving, Afro-diaspora in Latin America, community archives with an emphasis on marginalized histories and experiences. As a BMRC intern placed at Shorefront Legacy Center she combines her academic and social justice backgrounds to promote and preserve the histories of the Black community in Evanston and along the north shore.
Gabrielle Banks (she/her) is an emerging archivist from Chicago's South Side, most interested in preserving and amplifying Black history through community-centered archival practices. She is currently completing her Master of Library and Information Science with a specialization in archives and records management. Her experience spans digital and physical collections, metadata creation, and reference services at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and Chicago State University. As a BMRC Community Archives intern, she is excited to support the stewards of Black Chicago’s archival offerings while deepening her own understanding of archival practice.
Community Archives Host Sites
2024-2025
The Shorefront Legacy Center collects, preserves, and shares the histories of Black communities along Chicago’s suburban North Shore. Rooted in the principles of Collect, Preserve, and Educate, this community-driven archive documents the lives and contributions of individuals, families, organizations, and businesses that have shaped the region’s cultural and social fabric. Its collections include oral histories, historical photographs, personal papers, institutional records, digital exhibits, and community-led research projects. Through archival work, educational programs, and public initiatives, Shorefront ensures these important histories remain accessible and enduring.
The National Public Housing Museum is the only cultural institution in the U.S. dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of public housing. Located in the last remaining building of Chicago’s historic Jane Addams Homes, the museum highlights the lived experiences of public housing residents and advocates for housing as a human right. Its collections include oral histories, policy and advocacy documents, personal artifacts, and digital storytelling projects that bring these stories to life.
Movin’ Legacy is an archiving organization dedicated to preserving and promoting African and African diasporic dance traditions. Recognizing dance as a vessel of history and cultural evolution, the organization documents the contributions of Black dancers, choreographers, and movement artists through archival collections, public performances, and educational outreach. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Movin’ Legacy celebrates the human body as a repository of ancestral knowledge and challenges systemic inequalities through the power of embodied expression. The organization confronts the historical marginalization of African and diasporic dance, affirming these practices as essential to cultural resilience and spiritual connection. Collections include oral histories, archival performance footage, personal collections of movement artists, and community dance workshop documentation.
BMRC-FOCAS PIs
Sumayya Ahmed, Ph.D., Executive Director
Sumayya Ahmed joined the Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) and the University of Chicago Library as Executive Director of the BMRC in January, 2024. Prior to joining the BMRC, Ahmed worked as an Assistant Professor in the School of Library and Information Science Simmons University in Boston, where she taught in the Archives Management concentration. The great-granddaughter of Black Southerners who migrated to Chicago in the 1930s, the archives of the African diaspora in Chicago has personal significance.
Ahmed earned her PhD in Information Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University, and a BA in African American Studies and Sociology from Wesleyan University. She is the co-editor of the Routledge Studies in Archives Series and has published extensively on the social life of archives in North Africa and the Arabian (Persian) Gulf, and on race and equity within the library, archives, and museum sector.
Tolu Balogun, Ph.D.
Tolu has extensive experience in records and archives management, having previously worked with several international organizations including at the United Nations. Tolu holds doctoral and master’s degrees in records and archives management from the University of Zululand, South Africa and the University of Ghana.
As BMRC Postdoctoral Fellow in Community Archives, Tolu supports and helps manage the Mellon Foundation funded BMRC-FOCAS project that works to empower community archives, diversify the field of archives, and make accessible the history of Black Chicago through paid graduate student internships at local community archives. He is a resource on archival practice for student interns and community archives, will work to produce and publish research on the BMRC FOCAS project, and support the incorporation of documentation generated from the grant project into the BMRC Archives Portal.