The Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library will introduce its new curator of African American collections at a Black History Month event online on Feb. 23, 2021.
Clint Fluker
Clinton Fluker, an Emory alumnus who has worked in the Rose Library and the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship, begins his duties on Feb. 8.
“I’m thrilled to return to Emory University in this new role as the curator of African American collections at the Stuart A. Rose Library,” Fluker said. “I am especially honored because of my respect for the position that was previously held by my dear friend and colleague, the late Pellom McDaniels III.
“I’m looking forward to working with our team to build vibrant communities around the collections, both on and off the campus, aimed at nurturing a diversity of research, pedagogy, and public programming based in African American history and culture.”
Fluker was previously the assistant director of engagement and scholarship at the Atlanta University Center’s Robert W. Woodruff Library, where he supervised the Archives Research Center and the GLAM Center for Collaborative Teaching and Learning. He was the outreach coordinator and open educational resource specialist at the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship, and prior to that, a curatorial assistant in the same African American collections in the Rose Library over which he now assumes the leadership role.
Fluker earned his BA in philosophy from Morehouse College and his MA and PhD in American Studies from Emory University. He has completed multiple fellowship programs and is a graduate of the LEAD Atlanta leadership program.
He takes over the position of curator of African American collections from Pellom McDaniels III, who passed away suddenly in April 2020 and for whom Fluker served as curatorial assistant from 2014-2017.
“We’re very excited to have Clint rejoin the Libraries,” said University Librarian and Dean, Yolanda Cooper. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with archives, digital scholarship, and community outreach and engagement. We look forward to the new directions of growth he has planned and his strategy to enhance Pellom’s work with the African American collections in the Rose Library.”
“In addition to Clint’s exceptional background and qualifications for the position, it is his warmth and passion for building community and commitment to teamwork that stand out,” said Jennifer King, director of the Rose Library. “The search committee deserves recognition for their role in helping Emory to appoint Pellom’s successor and for ensuring that the African American collections are in capable and caring hands.”
Second Black History Month event on Feb. 23
Fluker will discuss his curatorial vision and his plans for building on Rose’s legacy at “Preserving Black History in the Archives: The Legacy and Future of Rose Library’s African American Collections.”
The online event, slated for Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021 at 4 p.m., will celebrate Black History Month, the growth of the Rose Library’s African American collections into one of the premier collections of
its kind, and the future plans for the archive.
Those wanting to attend the event are asked to register here.
Guest speakers will include Valerie Babb, the Andrew Mellon Professor of Humanities in African American Studies and English at Emory University; Carol Henderson, Emory’s vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer; and Christell Roach, a poet and 2019 graduate of Emory University. The moderator will be Crystal Edmonson, Atlanta Business Chronicle broadcast editor, an Emory alumna, and an Emory Board of Trustees member. Other speakers may be added prior to the event.
The speakers will discuss what Black History Month means to them personally, for Emory, and for the Rose Library collections. They will also talk about the Rose Library’s African American collections as a whole: its legacy and how it has grown under the work of former curators Randall K. Burkett and Pellom McDaniels III; and its future, delving into the vision and plan for Fluker, the new curator, and how it will be used by students, faculty, scholars, and the Atlanta community.
The program will also include music, poetry readings, and the unveiling of a pen-and-ink portrait of McDaniels created by artist Keef Cross.
This event is co-sponsored by:
- Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
- Arts at Emory
- Emory Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Emory Black Student Alliance
- Emory Department of African American Studies
- Emory Department of English
- Emory Department of Music, Orchestral Studies
- BronzeLens Film Festival
- AJC Decatur Book Festival, presented by Emory University
by Maureen McGavin, writer, Emory Libraries Marketing & Communications Office