Florence Borders facts for kids

Florence Edwards Borders (born February 24, 1924 – died September 7, 2018) was an amazing American archivist, historian, and librarian. She worked hard to save important historical items and documents, especially those about African American history in Louisiana.

Early Life and Learning

Florence Borders was born on February 24, 1924, in New Iberia, Louisiana. When she was about a year and a half old, her family moved to New Orleans. She went to McDonogh #35 High School. Then, she studied English at Southern University in Baton Rouge, which was also her father's old school.

She later earned another bachelor's degree and a master's degree in Library Science from Rosary College. This school is now called Dominican University. Florence loved learning! She continued her studies at many places across the country. These included Louisiana State University, the Ohio Historical Society, and even the National Archives.

Florence and her husband, James B. Borders III, had two sons, James IV and Sylvanus Edwards. They also had one daughter, Thais.

Her Career Journey

In the 1940s, Florence Borders started working at the University of Chicago library. She was the first African-American librarian hired there. This was a very important step!

Later, she became a librarian at Bethune-Cookman College. There, she met her husband, James B. Borders III, who was a musician and teacher.

She also worked as a librarian at Tennessee State University and Grambling State University. Then, she trained to become an archivist. An archivist is someone who collects and preserves historical records. In 1970, she moved back home to New Orleans.

From 1970 to 1989, Florence worked at the Amistad Research Center. She was a senior archivist and one of the first staff members there. Even after retiring, she returned to work just five months later! She became the head archivist for the Center for African and African-American Studies at Southern University (SUNO). She worked there for almost 20 more years. Florence was very active in sharing and celebrating the culture of New Orleans and South Louisiana.

The Amistad Research Center keeps many of Florence Borders' personal papers. These include her essays, interviews, and research from 1933 to 2007.

She also helped create and organize many exhibits. One big project at Amistad was organizing the Thomas C. Dent Papers. She started attending meetings for the Society of American Archivists in the 1970s. In the 1980s, she helped create a special group for minority archivists. This group is now called Archivists and Archives of Color.

Books and Media

Florence Borders helped start a scholarly journal called Chicory Review. This journal focuses on African-American history and culture. She also wrote many articles for other journals like Callaloo and the Black Music Research Journal. She was also the editor of her own journal, Chicory Review.

She often gave talks at events and conferences. She also helped as a research expert for several films and oral history projects. For example, she researched for The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow. She also appeared in a film called Liberty Street Blues. Filmmaker Marlon Riggs asked for her help for his documentary "Black Is, Black Ain't." She also helped with the film "House Divided." She even organized many interviews for a project called "Behind the Veil: The Jim Crow Era," which collected stories from the time of segregation.

Her Passing

Florence Edwards Borders passed away on September 7, 2018, in New Orleans.

Groups She Joined

Florence Borders was part of many important groups:

• She was a founding member of the Society of American Archivists since the 1970s.
• She was a member of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority.
• She was the President of the B Sharp Music Club in New Orleans.
• She started the Chicory Society of Afro-Louisiana History and Culture.
• She was the Vice President of the Our Lady of Lourdes School Board.
• She helped review grants for the Arts Council of New Orleans.
• She was a consultant for the Neighborhood Revitalization Project.
• She was a consultant for the Afro-American Pavilion at the Louisiana World Exposition.
• She was on the Executive Board of Directors for the Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association.
• She was part of the Greater New Orleans Archivists.
• She was a founding member of the Academy of Certified Archivists.
• She was also part of the Third World Archivists.

Awards and Honors

Florence Borders received many awards for her important work:

• Unsung Heroes Plaque from the Crescent City Chapter of Links, 1987
• Mayor's Certificate of Merit from the City of New Orleans, 1987
• The Callaloo Award from the University of Virginia, 1988
• Vital as a Heartbeat Award from the Urban League, 1988
• Certificate of Appreciation from the Society of American Archivists, 2000