 "Photo: Jonathan Wong | Daily Trojan")
In celebration of Black History Month, Black Alumni Programs, in collaboration with USC Libraries Special Collections and the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs, hosted "Black History on the Money" on Tuesday night.
The event featured a presentation of currency-related historical artifacts and a discussion with the original collector of these materials, John E. Collins, in an effort to raise awareness about blacks' role in designing and producing U.S. currency.
"Even though this has been information that's been suppressed and excluded, all of us have held dollar bills and coins in our hands," said Susan Anderson, managing director of L.A. as Subject at USC Libraries. "This collection gives us a sense of the history of the United States, the history of slavery, and how the history of African Americans has been reflected in U.S. currency."
The unique focus of the collection makes it a valuable resource, especially because it provides insight into an obscure area of black history, said Kari Enge, program manager for BAP.
"This information isn't something you get in your undergrad education or your high school education through American history," she said. "It's just as important for our community as for the rest of the community [at USC]."
The collection showcases several notable artifacts, including Confederate currency, a cancelled check from the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company and silver dollars adorned with the reliefs of famous black people.
Collins, a numismatic historian, first became interested in collecting currency as a teenager, when his friend and mentor showed him a piece of Confederate money that featured vignettes of slaves.
He began researching and acquiring materials after his military service ended following World War II.
"After getting out of the army in 1945, my mind went back to that note; I couldn't get away from it. It was lying dormant waiting for resurrection," Collins said. "I started checking out smaller denominations of Confederate money and I found a whole lot of black history."
Collins' dedication to discovering this little-known aspect of black history has continued to drive his work, and his membership in the American Numismatic Association served as a medium for him to learn more about blacks' connection to U.S. currency.
He has shared his knowledge on the subject in various ways, most notably by convincing the ANA to officially recognize Isaac Scott Hathaway as the first black American to design and sculpt an American coin, a silver dollar.
"To me the value is the educational aspect of it," Collins said. "If somebody can take something and broaden their horizons and put it out there for others to see it, that's my reward," Collins said.
Students and alumni who attended the event said they recognized the instructive value of Collins' collection, especially because they were unfamiliar with this aspect of black history.
"These programs are meant to be an educational experience, something new, something different that most people haven't seen," said Patrick Holloway, vice president of the Black Alumni Association. "I had no idea about blacks on money."
Deara Okonkwo, a senior majoring in English and psychology, said she came to the event to learn more about black history, which she hopes to share with other people.
Simone Andrews, a junior majoring in communication, said Collins' presentation encouraged her to take the initiative to delve deeper into the past.
"He talked about things that are obscure; you're often just told things without background. But here, we didn't just have a talk, we had artifacts," she said. "I'm definitely going to check out stuff about the Freedman's Bureau."
Collins said he hopes to set an example for others, especially for the younger generation, and to help people realize the value of studying black history.
"I encourage everybody: Get in those libraries. I've been to the Library of Congress, the National Archives, because I wanna know," he said. "If there's something out there, I wanna know it and verify it and be able to talk about it with authority."
USC Libraries Special Collections is in the midst of talks with Brian Turner, the collection's current owner, about acquiring the collection for USC's archives, Anderson said.
