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Elma Ina Lewis

Preserving the Legacy of Elma Lewis: A Digital Preservation Update

This post is co-authored by Project Archivist Joy Zanghi and Head of Digital Production Services Sarah Sweeney.

The archival collections documenting the life and work on Elma Lewis — educator, arts advocate, and cultural leader — represent an extraordinary record of Boston’s cultural history. In May 2025, the library received nearly $460,000 from Boston’s Community Preservation Act (CPA) to improve access to these collections. Just over a year into the project, we’re celebrating a major milestone and kicking off two new areas of work.

Milestone: Digitalization Complete!

Black and white image of a Black man sitting on the far left. In the center is a large black canvas with lighter and gradient arcs and squares
Bill Hutson photographed by Carol Hobbs in 1977, shown with his work “The Black Painting.”

The project’s first phase was to digitize materials from all four Elma Lewis collections held in the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections. The digitization work spanned audio, video, photographs, and textual materials across four archival collections:

We’re thrilled to announce that the digitization phase of the project is now complete. Vendor digitization of approximately 120,000 pages of text documents and photographs, 51 videos, and four audio recordings began in October 2025 and finished in March.

What’s Available Now in the Digital Repository

With digitization complete, we are now adding the files to the Digital Repository Service (DRS). All audio and video files, which originate from more delicate formats like film reels and were once in accessible to a reading room visitor, are now accessible. Text documents require additional post-digitization processing before they can be deposited, but they are being uploaded as that work is completed. Photographs have been deposited with minimal metadata and enhancements are forthcoming.

While most photographs and documents are available to everyone, not all of the other file types are publicly accessible. Some documents containing sensitive personal information and audio and video files with copyright restrictions are only accessible to the Northeastern community.

Screenshot of a video. A person is speaking with their hand up and the words "A STORY FOR ALL SEASONS" is is in the center.
Still from A Story for All Seasons, one of the digitized films from the collection that is available to the public.

Upcoming Work: Cataloging

The next phase of the project, item-level description, has just begun. Four part-time Digital Project Assistants are performing the cataloging work, which will continue through the end of the project. Text documents will be the focus of the cataloging work. Item-level metadata will improve access to the newly digitized materials by making the archival collections searchable in the DRS and beyond.

Upcoming Work: Community Engagement

An important aspect of this grant is engaging with members of the Boston community who knew Elma Lewis, including family, friends, artists, and alumni of the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, as well as members of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists community. The project team has a lot to learn about the digitized items being catalogued, so gathering community members’ knowledge of people, events, dates, and context will help us create more accurate and meaningful descriptions of the collection. The grant includes funds for these community consultations, which we hope will both give back to the community and enrich the archival record.

Get Involved

This project is ultimately about ensuring that the legacy of Elma Lewis and the communities she built remains accessible for generations to come. Everyone is welcome to contact archives@northeastern.edu to arrange a visit to view the photographs and documents in person.

Also, if you have a connection to Elma Lewis, the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, or the National Center of Afro-American Artists — or if you have information, memories, or context that could help us better describe these collections — please reach out. Your knowledge is an invaluable part of telling this story.

Issue and Inquiry and Urban Confrontation: Two Radio Programs Covering Urban Issues in Uncertain Times

Two radio program collections available in the Digital Repository Service (DRS) — Issue and Inquiry and Urban Confrontation — document social progress and unrelenting difficulties within American cities in 1970-71. Airing on Northeastern University’s radio station WRBB, the programs were produced the university’s now-defunct Division of Instructional Communication. (Urban Confrontation noted that it ended in 1971 for financial reasons.)

Black and white image of two students sitting in a recording studio. They are wearing headphones and sitting at a table while surrounded by 1960s-era recording equipment
Students working in the WRBB (then WNEU) radio station in 1969. Photo courtesy of Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections.

Episodes were primarily hosted by Joseph R. Baylor and feature interviewees from across the United States discussing wide-ranging topics. From the threat of nuclear warfare to the farm labor rights movement, from the “longhair” youth subculture to de-facto school segregation, these episodes present a sweeping view of both common anxieties and optimistic ideas about the future of city life.

As a metadata assistant in Digital Production Services, I performed a survey of the episodes and their associated metadata records. This helped me understand how descriptive information should appear in the DRS. For example, I investigated how titles, creators, subjects, and abstracts should be recorded for each episode. Next, I created an editing plan, performed batch edits, and carefully listened to each episode. As I listened, I recorded accurate information about the episodes so it could be updated in the DRS.

I selected two interesting episodes to highlight here, but be sure to check out the full collection for more episodes.

Oil in Santa Barbara: The Pollution Tragedy (Issue and Inquiry, Episode 10)

In this episode from 1970, Al Weingand, Bob Solan, and Dick Smith discuss a Union Oil offshore drilling well explosion that occurred on January 28, 1969, expelling two million gallons of uncontrolled oil into Santa Barbara Channel off the coast of California. Topics include the oil’s effect on tourism, local economy, wildlife, fishing, and environmental safety concerns.

Weingand, a Santa Barbara resident and former California legislative member, explains that no other disasters can compare to the devastation of the oil pollution. Smith, a reporter for the Santa Barbara News Press, calls for greater investment in tourist value of beaches, saying that offshore oil well spills are dangerous both environmentally and economically. Solan, another reporter for the News Press, covers the psychological benefits of beautiful surroundings for Santa Barbara residents.

This episode was produced in a time of evolving standards for environmental safety and presents an intimate view of lives affected by oil pollution.

Afro-American Culture: The Black Artist Unchained (Urban Confrontation, Episode 11)
Elma Lewis, a Black woman with dark hair in a bun, stands in front of flowers with a huge smile on her face. Her hands are clasped over her chest.
Elma Lewis candid. Courtesy of the National Center of Afro-American Artists records (M42) at Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections.

“The business that I am about is resurrecting that dormant conscious pride that Black people have had and should have.” — Elma Lewis (4:57)

In this episode, airing in 1970, arts educator and activist Elma Lewis discusses the intertwined histories of Black labor and Black cultural impact in America. She speaks critically of modern art because she says it lacks a basis in life experience. This, Lewis explains, is why Black contributions to American culture transcend art and extend to labor and life experience, which has formed the basis of American society. Throughout the program, Baylor asks Lewis to respond to common racist comments about Black culture. Despite Baylor’s insistence that Lewis speak to his white audience, she intentionally denies this request. Laughing, she replies, “I don’t answer nonsense. I’m not in the business of answering nonsense.”

For more information on Elma Lewis, explore the DRS. More materials from the Elma Lewis collections (Elma Ina Lewis papers, Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts records) are expected to be available in the DRS in 2026.

I wanted to highlight these two episodes because they made me think deeply about both everyday problems and large socio-political injustices which continue to affect us today. “Oil in Santa Barbara” presents opinions from concerned community members in California. It focuses on their reaction to environmental pollution, showing common anxieties about business success, health, and the beauty of their local natural environment. By contrast, “Afro-American Culture” features distinguished Black arts educator Elma Lewis. She discusses fine arts movements, while also celebrating Black joy and artistry in the face of wide-scale systemic racism.

I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to help make these shows available in the DRS. Both Issue and Inquiry and Urban Confrontation hold potential research value for those interested in viewing snapshots of American life in the early 1970s.

Chelsea McNeil served as a part-time metadata assistant in Digital Production Services.

Elma Lewis, Black Art, and Black Joy

A Black woman with a large smile clutches her hands in front of her chest. She is wearing a multicolored top and her hair is in a large bun on the top of her head. Behind her is a bouquet of flowers.
“Elma Ina Lewis candid,” ca. 1981. National Center of Afro-American Artists records, Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections.

Northeastern University’s Archives and Special Collections holds many records documenting Boston’s Black history. Several of these that celebrate Black joy and creativity come from Elma Ina Lewis, a leader in Boston’s performing arts scene throughout the mid-20th century. The Elma Ina Lewis papers document her early life and her professional activities, like establishing the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts in 1950, the National Center of Afro-American Artists in 1968, and the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists in 1969.

Black and white image of a Black man playing a drum with his hands. Children sit before him with their own drums.
“Babatunde Olatunji teaches heritage and drums,” ca. 1961. National Center of Afro-American Artists records, Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections.

The Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts records document the history of the school and administrative information regarding its formation as well as productions of Blakrhythms, which uplifted Black voices and cultural concepts. The National Center of Afro-American Artists records also feature performances like those put on by the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, and the Digital Repository Service (DRS) holds a selection of photos from the Center’s performances and rehearsals, as well as scenes from everyday life to form a well-rounded understanding of the Black community and art in Boston between the 1950s and 1990s.

Become familiar with Elma Lewis’ legacy in our Finding Elma Lewis research guide.

To learn more about Elma Lewis and her work, check out the resources available through the DRS and the Archives and Special Collections.

Sources:
“Babatunde Olatunji teaches heritage and drums.” National Center of Afro-American Artists records (M042). Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections Department.
“Elma Ina Lewis candid.” National Center of Afro-American Artists records (M042). Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections Department.