African American Male Congress Records
An inventory of its records at the Syracuse University Archives
Summary |
|
| Creator: | African American Male Congress. |
| Title: | African American Male Congress Records |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1903-2008 |
| Bulk Dates: | 1998-2008 |
| Size: | 2 boxes (3.5 linear feet) |
| Abstract: | Records belonging to Syracuse University student organization the African American Male Congress |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: |
University Archives, Special Collections Research Center Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Ave., Suite 600 Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center/university-archives |
Historical Note
The African American Male Congress (AAMC) is a student organization at Syracuse University, founded by Larry Thomas in 1998. The first Congress began with a six-week leadership training program of Thomas’s devising called the Talented Tenth Leadership Institute. Invited freshmen completed the program and afterwards were inducted into the first Congress at a banquet. The ten men inducted were recognized as the founding members. The following year, the AAMC adopted a constitution and held elections to fill positions.
The African American Male Congress was notable during its first ten years for the academic excellence and leadership abilities of its members. In 2004, the Congress held its first annual Martin Luther King Symposium.
Notable honorary members of the African American Male Congress include Cornell West (inducted 2005) and Jesse Jackson (inducted 2006).
Larry Thomas served as the Syracuse University Associate Director of the Office of Graduation Preparation Programs and later as the director of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program from 2002-2009. Additionally, he has a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration from Syracuse University.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains the records of the African American Male Congress from its inception in 1998, including papers from the inaugural Talented Tenth Leadership Institute, to about 2008. Materials include photocopied publications distributed to members, programs, brochures, posters, awards, notes, agendas, and photographs. These materials encompass both the internal operations of the Congress as well as its more public-facing events and publicity.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Related Material
A November 11-17, 2004 issue of the student publication The Student Voice was removed and placed with the Archives' Student Publications Reference Collection. Additionally, materials related to CSTEP, an academic opportunity program created by Larry Thomas, were removed and placed in the School of Education Records.
A series of architectural drawings completed by professor and alumnus Kermit J. Lee, Jr. were found among these materials. These drawings were separated to create the Kermit J. Lee, Jr. Papers.
The University Archives has a clippings file on the African American Male Congress.
Selected Search Terms
Names
Subjects
Types of material
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
African American Male Congress Records,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
Larry Thomas donated these materials to the University Archives in 2003. Additional materials were donated by Jerry Augustin in 2004.
Processing Information
Materials were rehoused in archival folders and boxes.
Finding Aid Information
Created by: Erin Gravley
Date: 2018
Revision history: