This maxim reflects the bond between writer Tom Dent and his library at Amistad.
Broadcast Journalism Highlights from the Marguerite Cartwright Papers
Brenda Flora
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For Women’s History Month, we continue our look at the papers of journalist and United Nations correspondent Dr. Marguerite Cartwright, which are being processed through support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
A look at the papers of journalist Marguerite Cartwright reveal the habits of a disciplined researcher. Cartwright was a great collector of information. Much of this knowledge was funneled back into her work as a United Nations correspondent, or her stories for The Pittsburgh Courier, The New York Amsterdam News, and other publications. Some of her collected materials, however, may have been used for other purposes. The video tapes included in her papers, for example, seem to have been collected in relation to the Overseas Press Club awards. The result is a collection of some of the finest examples of international broadcast reporting.
Videos from the Cartwright collection provide an overview of international journalism from 1975 to 1980. The collection includes over six hours of award-winning deep-dive news features of the era, covering everything from the Iran Hostage Crisis to the plight of Cambodian refugees to the advances of the Polish Labor Movement amid the crisis of 1980. Most carry a focus on world economics, social unrest, and international relations with the United States.
One interesting piece follows Kansas Governor John Carlin and his delegation on a 1979 trade mission to China. The story highlights the cultural difference between the U.S. and China as the delegates tour the country, stopping in Beijing and Shanghai. They meet with Vice Premier Yu Qiuli, and tour the People’s Farm Commune in Beijing. They visit a factory, a retirement center, and they climb the Great Wall. Examining a grain elevator in Shanghai, delegates remark on the inferior quality of the Canadian grain being stored there and suggest that what they would export from Kansas would be of much better quality. On the streets of Shanghai, a crowd gathers around the film camera, and the crew snaps some Polaroid photos of the group. Finally, at the Children’s’ Palace school for the cultural arts, an accordion class regales them with their rendition of “Home on the Range,” while the delegates join in singing. The piece is an interesting look at the cultural similarities and differences of the two countries, but also an illuminating view of Communism’s influence on society in the era shortly following the death of Chairman Mao Zedong.
The “China Report” story is one of many illuminating and nuanced looks at global society selected and kept by Marguerite Cartwright, highlighting her deep understanding of the world and respect for the profession of journalism. For information about how to view the videos from the Marguerite Cartwright Papers, please contact Amistad’s Research Services Department at reference@amistadresearchcenter.org or call 504-862-3222.
The Marguerite Cartwright Papers are being processed with support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission under grant RH-102791-19.
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Kathe Hambrick is the Founder and former Executive Director of the River Road African American Museum (RRAAM), established in 1994 as Louisiana’s first African American Museum. She is a past President of the national Association of African American Museums (AAAM). She served as the Chief Curator and Director of Interpretation for the West Baton Rouge Museum for four years. Hambrick was born in New Orleans and spent half her life in California where she received an undergraduate degree in English and a minor in African American Studies from California State University Long Beach.
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She is considered an expert on the history and culture of African Americans in communities along the Mississippi River. Kathe Hambrick’s interviews include local, national, and international media, the BBC Learning Channel, CBS Morning News, National Public Radio, and the New York Times. The consulting firm, 2PRESERVE was established by Hambrick in 2021 to provide cultural resources and guidance to corporations, museums, cultural centers, government agencies, and faith-based organizations.
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Kathe Hambrick is the Founder and former Executive Director of the River Road African American Museum (RRAAM), established in 1994 as Louisiana’s first African American Museum. She is a past President of the national Association of African American Museums (AAAM). She served as the Chief Curator and Director of Interpretation for the West Baton Rouge Museum for four years. Hambrick was born in New Orleans and spent half her life in California where she received an undergraduate degree in English and a minor in African American Studies from California State University Long Beach.
Hambrick is a Public Historian with a passion for collecting, preserving and interpreting history for diverse audiences. Her thirty-one-year career as a museum professional includes expertise in program development, interpretative planning, curation, grant writing, fundraising, and board governance. She led the effort to preserve three slave cemeteries and six historic buildings in Ascension Parish.
She is considered an expert on the history and culture of African Americans in communities along the Mississippi River. Kathe Hambrick’s interviews include local, national, and international media, the BBC Learning Channel, CBS Morning News, National Public Radio, and the New York Times. The consulting firm, 2PRESERVE was established by Hambrick in 2021 to provide cultural resources and guidance to corporations, museums, cultural centers, government agencies, and faith-based organizations.
Throughout her 31-year career, Kathe has curated over one hundred exhibits, including The Rural Roots of Jazz, African Influences on Louisiana Cuisine, Creole Du Monde, and The Square Collection which featured original art by Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Richmond Barthé, and Tina Allen. Her most recent exhibit is the GU272 of Ascension: The Jesuit and Episcopal Connection to Slavery.
Kathe is the author and co-author of several books:
Kathe Hambrick is the Founder and former Executive Director of the River Road African American Museum (RRAAM), established in 1994 as Louisiana’s first African American Museum. She is a past President of the national Association of African American Museums (AAAM). She served as the Chief Curator and Director of Interpretation for the West Baton Rouge Museum for four years. Hambrick was born in New Orleans and spent half her life in California where she received an undergraduate degree in English and a minor in African American Studies from California State University Long Beach.
Hambrick is a Public Historian with a passion for collecting, preserving and interpreting history for diverse audiences. Her thirty-one-year career as a museum professional includes expertise in program development, interpretative planning, curation, grant writing, fundraising, and board governance. She led the effort to preserve three slave cemeteries and six historic buildings in Ascension Parish.
She is considered an expert on the history and culture of African Americans in communities along the Mississippi River. Kathe Hambrick’s interviews include local, national, and international media, the BBC Learning Channel, CBS Morning News, National Public Radio, and the New York Times. The consulting firm, 2PRESERVE was established by Hambrick in 2021 to provide cultural resources and guidance to corporations, museums, cultural centers, government agencies, and faith-based organizations.
Throughout her 31-year career, Kathe has curated over one hundred exhibits, including The Rural Roots of Jazz, African Influences on Louisiana Cuisine, Creole Du Monde, and The Square Collection which featured original art by Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Richmond Barthé, and Tina Allen. Her most recent exhibit is the GU272 of Ascension: The Jesuit and Episcopal Connection to Slavery.
Kathe is the author and co-author of several books: