Bronx Historian's Archives Left to Fordham

Notes on back of photo read "Pucho Band" and "Black Catskills." 

Morgan Powell’s book collection arrived at the Fordham University Archives this morning, buttressing the late historian’s already substantial contribution to the Bronx African American History Project.

Powell was just 40-years-old when he died last month and the Medical Examiner’s Office is still investigating the cause.

Morgan Powell

Much to the surprise of University Archivist Patrice Kane, Powell donated a significant portion of his archives late last year. The archives were chock-full of research in his two primary interests: African American history and local ecology.

“We don’t usually get archives donated from someone so young,” said Kane, leafing through one of Powell’s meticulously annotated binders. “But he definitely understood archival standards.”

Much of the material donated is not necessarily from an original source, but the thousands of copies of receipts, photos, maps, articles, and even an undertaker’s notice with a Post-it marked “traces of slavery,” represent an amalgamation of disparate sources pulled together for the free tours he gave to Bronx residents. Powell never charged for the tours.

One of Powell's tour maps.

“He knew that the Bronx was the poorest borough in the city and people wouldn’t be able to come if he charged,” said Mark Naison, Ph.D., professor of African and African American Studies. “He understood the people very well and that’s why he’s revered.”

Naison said that despite Powell’s limited academic training, his research was rigorous and presented some highly original connections.

Powell’s tour guide binders have an almost jazz-like quality with their loose associations. Maps act almost like music bars that anchor the process, archival materials providing the notes, and marginalia dropped in like riffs on the theme.

Powell's archives include the undertaker's notice of the"faithful servant" whose grave sits beside Augustus Zerega.

Some of the notes are pretty straightforward, but others include detailed stage directions for the tour guide, like this instruction for the Bronx Zoo: “discuss on lowest grade near waterfall so that the echo of the presenter’s voice bounces off the retaining wall immediately behind tour-goers.” Then there are investigative notes, like this one: “Connect the dots. The Bronx was part of Lower Westchester during every census conducted during the slavery epoch so there is a way to find out where our ancestors worked and in whose bondage. 8.29.2010 M.P.”

“Not everyone thought of linking African American history to the rivers, waterways, and parks,” said Naison. “The tours he led were totally original. I’ve never known an independent scholar that created as much excitement as Morgan Powell.”

An unidentified photo.

Powell's archive includes recent history.

— Tom Stoelker

A Half-Century and a Half-Million Books Later

After a half-century of cataloging approximately a half-million books, Carole Lazarou retires today.

With over 2 million books spread among three main branches, Fordham University Libraries is the fourth largest system in New York State. All of these books must be processed, of course, and since 1964 about 30 percent of them passed through the hands of Carole Lazarou in the cataloging department.

Now, after 50 years, Lazarou is calling it a day. Her retirement starts today.

Linda LoSchiavo, the director of libraries, said that it’s astonishing to think about the changes that Lazarou has witnessed. She noted that Lazarou is one of the last people in the library who actually knows how to type out a catalog card—on a manual typewriter, no less. From manual to electric typewriter, and from DOS computer systems to today’s sleek digital systems, Lazarou has done it all with steadfast efficiency.

“She’s made the changes seem natural,” said LoSchiavo. “There was never any resistance. It was always ‘This is the way it is’ and she very quietly went about her work.”

 
Lazarou, a native of Yonkers, said she remembers being nervous on her first day work; at the time, she was stationed in the basement of Keating Hall. She said she loved the Christmas parties because it was a time when “you see everybody,” something of a treat for someone whose job required the processing of volumes of materials and which was often a solitary undertaking. Her favorite books were the art books, with Michelangelo being her favorite artist.

When John Williams became director of cataloging in 2010, he said that when he contemplated all the many details of running the department, his mind was put at ease when Lazarou said: “I'll do that.”

Always early to the office and rarely missing a day of work, Lazarou said she has no intention of slowing down. She’s very much looking forward to spending more time at her Yonkers fitness club.

“She leaves with a smile on her face, on her own two feet, and with a building full of friends,” said LoSchiavo.

--Tom Stoelker

New Social Work Journal Takes Cross-Disciplinary Approach

Social workers often find themselves on front lines of where the hard numbers of economics meet people's complex social and emotional needs. Yet, many students venturing into the field of social services often eschew the literature of other disciplines, like economics, that directly affect their clients. Now, a new journal supported by the Graduate School of Social Service (GSS), titled 21st Century Social Justice, seeks to merge social work research with that of neuroscience, economics, and law.

“During my research into social work, I have found it impossible not to wander into the literature of other fields,” said Zachary Alti, GSS ’14, the founder and editor of the inaugural issue.

“But neuroscience can seem intimidatingly scientific, and the cold realism of economics can be perceived as antagonistic to social justice.”

Alti approached Tina Maschi, Ph.D., an associate professor at GSS, with his concerns that there was a knowledge gap in social work research that needed to be filled. With the support of Fordham University Libraries, Maschi helped facilitate the message and the mechanics, while Alti recruited fellow students.

He issued a call for papers and wrote the opening statement. An editorial board of fellow students was formed so that papers could be peer reviewed. Maschi said that developing a student-led journal was already a goal at the school, but it was Alti’s initiative that brought together a “convergence of ideas.”

“This is a beyond the classroom learning experience,” she said. “Students need to realize their  own knowledge and their power, and know  that they have something to offer the other sciences. They’re the scholars. They have a valid, expert role in sharing their views with these other fields.”

Getting the various disciplines to join a scholarly endeavor led by social workers can to be a challenge, she said. But she added that social workers play a vital role in translating the science and economics to communities that are directly affected.

“Social work is a psycho-social-spiritual medicine,” she said. “It’s important to recognize that social work plays a primary role in preventing illness and promoting health and well being. The journal is just another step towards social workers being accepted as full and equal partners in knowledge generation.”

The inaugural issue highlights several topics, including little known social problems related to families caring for a fragile infant, breastfeeding women in the workplace, conditional cash transfers among women in Columbia, and the effect of climate change on vulnerable populations.

“Psychologists are often perceived as the industry standard for therapy,” said Alti. “I wanted to strengthen the view of social work as different from psychology, in that it has a distinct framework. We’re a much more externally oriented field, always looking at the environmental factors at play. We want the journal strengthening that distinction with knowledge from other fields.”

With Alti recently graduated and in private practice, student Merritt Juliano will take up the role of editor. Juliano is accepting papers for the next issue at mjuliano3@fordham.edu. All disciplines are welcome to submit.

-Tom Stoelker