About the Archive
The Cedric J. and Elizabeth P. Robinson Archive Project is a collaborative initiative hosted by the University of California, Santa Barbara, supported by the University Library, the Division of Social Sciences, the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts, the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, and the Department of Black Studies. The archive contains a collection of research and teaching papers, ephemera, and digital materials related to the Robinsons' careers, renowned for their seminal scholarship and activism. The Robinson Archive Project creates a living archive that uses participatory and community-based strategies to develop an international network of scholars and activists to carry out research, writing, and teaching centered on key topics encompassed in the Robinsons’ life work. The archive serves as an important anchor for the larger project and will enable global research, teaching, scholarship, and sociopolitical and cultural activism for future generations.
The bulk of our work was done in this community, though we lived and moved several times globally,” said Elizabeth P. Robinson. “Having our archives here reflects that. Both Santa Barbara and UCSB are often thought of as white middle class communities, when in fact, they are not. Too much of the work we do and others like us do is made invisible. We put our archives here so that this can be a place where people can find themselves. For me, this conference is a gathering of our far flung families. It will be like having many friends and children come home.