by Erin Anderson
On a cold January afternoon in Bethany, during a brief respite from a deluge of snow, I stood in the workroom of the archival wing, studying thirty black-and-white photographs displayed on the table in front of me. Each image captured a distinct moment: a group of boys suspended midair, leaping for a basketball; teenage girls chatting in a dormitory; a man, leaning against a brick wall, posing for his portrait with a composure of self-assuredness.
The thirty photographs come from the Southern Christian Institute collection at the Disciples of Christ Historical Society. I selected them for a particular graduate school assignment of mine, curating a small sample of material. The full collection is extensive, filled with administrative records, gradebooks, reports, and correspondence with teachers, funders, and educational institutions. Yet amid the text-rich records, I chose to focus on something different: thirty black-and-white photographs.
As archivists, it is our responsibility to view a collection in its entirety and assess its enduring value, to make sense of what is there and reveal a narrative that is discoverable to the outside world. A part of that narrative includes identifying what is missing, those whose voices are underrepresented or stricken from the record. This work is crucial to the mission and vision of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society. To celebrate our past and tell its hard truths, we must acknowledge those voices that have been silenced or excluded from the broader narrative of the Stone-Campbell movement.
The Southern Christian Institute was a Disciples mission school for African American students in Edwards, Mississippi. Throughout its years as an active organization, from 1882 to 1953, the Southern Christian Institute expanded to provide a community school for elementary and junior high students, an academy for high schoolers, and college tracks in such fields as industrial work and Christian ministry. Though established to address a need for educational opportunities for African Americans, administrative and teaching positions remained predominantly white throughout much of its history. While abundant in administrative and financial documentation, the collection’s written record largely reflects a white perspective of the Black student experience.
Photographs have the ability to add another layer of meaning. Many of the images in this collection are inscribed with the names of students or descriptions of the activities depicted, and while they may not offer the textual depth of a journal or letter, the inclusion of a name on a photograph is significant.
The voices of those whose experiences and perspectives remain underrepresented are an essential part of the Southern Christian Institute story. In this context, the age-old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” holds particular weight. When the written record may leave gaps, photographs offer something unique. These images provide an invaluable window into the daily lives and experiences of the students, offering insights into their world that written documents may overlook. Through moments of study, play, reflection, and joy, photographs can bring us closer to understanding a history that is often left untold.
We cannot project assumed perspectives onto the individuals in these photographs. However, by connecting these visual records to the existing student documentation, we can begin to construct a more complete understanding of their lived experiences within the context of the Southern Christian Institute. In time, we may look beyond the collection to trace the broader legacy of the institution and the lives of its former students. For now, though, we have these photographs, which, when carefully examined, offer a unique insight into their experiences that the written record alone cannot provide.
