The Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library will introduce its new curator of African American collections at an online Black History Month event Feb. 23 at 4 p.m.

Clinton Fluker, an Emory alumnus who has worked in the Rose Library and the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship, begins his duties Feb. 8.

“I'm thrilled to return to Emory University in this new role as the curator of African American collections at the Stuart A. Rose Library,” Fluker said. “I am especially honored because of my respect for the position that was previously held by my dear friend and colleague, the late Pellom McDaniels III.

“I’m looking forward to working with our team to build vibrant communities around the collections, both on and off the campus, aimed at nurturing a diversity of research, pedagogy and public programming based in African American history and culture,” Fluker added.

Fluker was previously the assistant director of engagement and scholarship at the Atlanta University Center’s Robert W. Woodruff Library, where he supervised the Archives Research Center and the GLAM Center for Collaborative Teaching and Learning. He was the outreach coordinator and open educational resource specialist at the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship, and prior to that, a curatorial assistant in the same African American collections in the Rose Library over which he now assumes the leadership role.

Fluker earned his BA in philosophy from Morehouse College and his MA and PhD in American Studies from Emory University. He has completed multiple fellowship programs and is a graduate of the LEAD Atlanta leadership program.

He takes over the position of curator of African American collections from McDaniels, who passed away suddenly in April 2020 and for whom Fluker served as curatorial assistant from 2014-2017. 

“We’re very excited to have Clint rejoin the Libraries,” says Yolanda Cooper, university librarian and dean. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with archives, digital scholarship and community outreach and engagement. We look forward to the new directions of growth he has planned and his strategy to enhance Pellom’s work with the African American collections in the Rose Library.”

“In addition to Clint’s exceptional background and qualifications for the position, it is his warmth and passion for building community and commitment to teamwork that stand out,” says Jennifer King, director of the Rose Library. “The search committee deserves recognition for their role in helping Emory to appoint Pellom’s successor and for ensuring that the African American collections are in capable and caring hands.”

“Preserving Black History in the Archives” event on Feb. 23

Fluker will discuss his curatorial vision and his plans for building on the Rose's legacy at “Preserving Black History in the Archives: The Legacy and Future of Rose Library’s African American Collections.”

The online event, set for Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 4 p.m., will celebrate Black History Month; the growth of the Rose Library’s African American collections into one of the premier collections of its kind; and the future plans for the archive. 

To attend the event, please register here.

Guest speakers will include Valerie Babb, Andrew Mellon Professor of Humanities in African American Studies and English at Emory University; Carol Henderson, Emory’s vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer; and Christell Roach, a poet and 2019 graduate of Emory University.

The program will be moderated by Crystal Edmonson, an Atlanta Business Chronicle broadcast editor, Emory alumna and Emory Board of Trustees member. Other speakers may be added prior to the event. 

Speakers will discuss what Black History Month means to them personally, for Emory and for the Rose Library collections. They also will talk about the Rose Library’s African American collections as a whole: its legacy and how it has grown under the work of former curators Randall K. Burkett and Pellom McDaniels III; and its future, delving into the vision and plan for Fluker and how the collection will be used by students, faculty, scholars and the Atlanta community.

The program also will include music, poetry readings and the unveiling of a pen-and-ink portrait of McDaniels created by artist Keef Cross. 

This event is co-sponsored by:

• Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
• Arts at Emory
• Emory Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Emory Black Student Alliance
• Emory Department of African American Studies
• Emory Department of English
• Emory Department of Music, Orchestral Studies
• BronzeLens Film Festival
• AJC Decatur Book Festival, presented by Emory University