Session 20. Conflict in the Commonwealth: Discovering and Disseminating Racist Content in Virginia College Yearbooks

Abstract

In 2019, the Commonwealth of Virginia found itself amidst controversy with the discovery of racist photographs in the college yearbooks of Governor Ralph Northam and other high-ranking officials. As a result, many colleges and universities in Virginia initiated audits of their yearbooks. In this breakout session, the panelists will begin with presentations highlighting the motivations behind the audits at their institutions, how they accomplished their tasks, what they discovered, how they presented their findings to the public, and how this controversy may have caused archivists to question their own collection management decisions. The session will continue with a discussion about how others have conducted yearbook audits and what they discovered and learned.