A massive collection of books, films, and documents; photos; pieces of our past that were well hidden, are among thousands of artifacts devoted to America’s Black history and found in the garage of Mayme Agnew Clayton (1923–2006) just after her death. Her son, Avery Clayton, worked to create “a museum and research institute that would bring this collection out of the garage and into public view,” according to the New York Times.
A retired librarian, Clayton spent most of her adult life consumed with African-American history. The artifacts, pulled from the garage behind Clayton’s residence in the West Adams district of Los Angeles, her home since the late forties.
According to the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum website, “The garage was set up as a library for local adults and children, with tables and chairs, bookshelves, and a card catalog. By 2002, however, many of the materials suffered damage due to inadequate storage and lack of proper environmental controls.”
About the collection, Sara S. Hodson, curator of literary manuscripts for the Huntington Library in San Marino, told the New York Times: “There is no doubt that this is one of the most important collections in the United States for African-American materials… It is a tremendous resource for all Americans, but especially African-Americans, whose history has largely been neglected.”
Clayton’s collection began with her work as a librarian at the University of Southern California and subsequently the University of California, Los Angeles. She had been instrumental in the group that founded the Afro-American Studies Center Library (UCLA). After 15 years at UCLA, she worked for Universal Books in Hollywood until it went out of business. Before leaving, Clayton took on every book related to Black culture. This amounted to more than 4,000 volumes.
The collection represents the core holdings of the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum. The museum, located in Culver City, Calif., is known to boast the largest and most academically substantial independently held collection of objects, documents, and memorabilia on African-American history and culture.
Born in Van Buren, Ark., Clayton graduated high school at age 16. She later earned her bachelor of arts from the University of California, Berkeley; a masters in Library Science from Goddard College, Vermont, and doctorate in humanities from Sierra University, Los Angeles.
Clayton collected more than 30,000 rare and out-of-print books over the course of 45 years. This collection is considered “one of the most important for African-American materials and consists of 3.5 million items,” according to UCLA Magazine.
“The centerpiece of the collection that grew this way is a signed copy of Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, from 1773. First published by an American of African descent, the book was acquired for $600 from a New York dealer in 1973. In 2002 it was appraised at $30,000,” the New York Times reported.
Clayton passed away in 2006, just hours after a press conference announcing the establishment of the Culver City home for her collection.
Tamara Shiloh
Tamara Shiloh has published the first two books in her historical fiction chapter book series,
Just Imagine…What If There Were No Black People in the World is about African American inventors, scientists and other notable Black people in history. The two books are
Jaxon’s Magical Adventure with Black Inventors and Scientists and
Jaxon and Kevin’s Black History Trip Downtown. Tamara Shiloh has also written a book a picture book for Scholastic,
Cameron Teaches Black History, that will be available in June, 2022.
Tamara Shiloh’s other writing experiences include: writing the Black History column for the Post Newspaper in the Bay area, Creator and Instruction of the black History Class for Educators a professional development class for teachers and her non-profit offers a free Black History literacy/STEM/Podcast class for kids 3d – 8th grade which also includes the Let’s Go Learn Reading and Essence and tutorial program. She is also the owner of the Multicultural Bookstore and Gifts, in Richmond, California,
Previously in her early life she was the /Editor-in-Chief of
Desert Diamonds Magazine, highlighting the accomplishments of minority women in Nevada; assisting with the creation, design and writing of a Los Angeles-based, herbal magazine entitled
Herbal Essence; editorial contribution to
Homes of Color; Editor-in-Chief of
Black Insight Magazine, the first digital, interactive magazine for African Americans; profile creations for sports figures on the now defunct PublicFigure.com; newsletters for various businesses and organizations; and her own Las Vegas community newsletter,
Tween Time News, a monthly publication highlighting music entertainment in the various venues of Las Vegas.
She is a member of:
- Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
- Richmond Chamber of Commerce
- Point Richmond Business Association
- National Association of Professional Women (NAPW)
- Independent Book Publishers Association (IPBA)
- California Writers Club-Berkeley & Marin
- Richmond CA Kiwanis
- Richmond CA Rotary
- Bay Area Girls Club
Tamara Shiloh, a native of Northern California, has two adult children, one grandson and four great-grand sons. She resides in Point Richmond, CA with her husband, Ernest.
www.multiculturalbookstore.com
