JMU English Students Visit the Library of Congress

JMU English students from Dr. Courtney Murray Ross’ ENG 408 Early Black Press course visited the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on September 23rd. 

The course, taught by Assistant Professor of English, Dr. Murray Ross, examines early Black print culture in American society through newspapers spanning the 19th and 20th centuries.

In D.C., students viewed the Library of Congress’ Newspaper and Current Periodical collections held by the Serial and Government Publications Division — which features newspapers written, edited, and published by prominent figures in early Black print culture — stored in the historic Madison Building. 

They also heard a small lecture tracing the history of the Black press, given by two Library of Congress reference librarians, Brandee Worsham and Elizabeth Davidson. 

The lecture covered the physical creation and printmaking, material composition, and the preservation process of the newspapers.

Among the artifacts shown to students was a copy of The North Star, one of Frederick Douglass’ newspapers. Founded and edited beginning December 3rd, 1847, The North Star was Douglass’ first antislavery newspaper and has been frequently discussed in Dr. Murray Ross’ course.

“I was impressed by the vastness of [the Library of] Congress,” senior English major Tyler Heron said. “Seeing the Frederick Douglass papers, both the North Star and [Frederick Douglass’ Newspaper], was very cool.”

Senior English and Philosophy major Lili Reyes said the experience was “really informative and in-depth.”

She added that the librarians gave comprehensive information on aspects of the Black press she hadn’t thought about before.

“My favorite part of the experience was seeing the newspapers in the flesh,” Reyes said. “You’re able to see the differences in the material, and you have an actual object to point to for comparison.” 

This semester, students will continue their work through project-based learning by examining sources and creating a digital archive centering the Black Press in Virginia.