May 28th,
2013 [Tuesday]
Dear Molefi Kete
Asante and Jannie Blackwell:
Good Afternoon. I am writing you
both today concerning a very important matter.
It is something most people don’t think of or understand, but people
like myself, who have been writers and researchers for years, think about it
all the time. I am writing you about the
established book collection at the Lucian E. Blackwell Library in West
Philadelphia. My concern is that the
rare and important books on reserve there become a part of a permanent
collection there in West Philadelphia and not get tossed around from library to
library until they get old, battered and withered. I recently took out a copy
of the Classic By Ralph Ellison, ``The
Invisible Man,’’ and it was in fairly bad shape. I hate to see such a formidable book not have
at least two copies that are part of a permanent collection at the library that
cannot be handled in the rough and tumble manner some patrons handle books. I am writing because I want to ask you both as
to how such a book and even artifact collection that might be housed at
Blackwell becomes more accepted, popular, stoic, scholarly and academically
enshrined. If we had such a collection
at Blackwell, it might even mean getting Federal Dollars that would mean
building an addition onto the Blackwell Library and expanding it into something
like the Schomburg Center for Research
in Black Culture in Harlem, but more accessible and readily available right
here in Philadelphia. Having such a collection right here in West Philadelphia
would mean bringing top flight researchers, academicians and high-level
teachers and students here to examine and use the collection and would increase
the importance, visibility and viability of our City as an education
center. As you know I have advocated for
Philadelphia to become the Education City because we have so many stellar and
accessible schools here such as Community
College, Temple, Lincoln University and Chaney University right here in the
area. If there is anything I can do to
make this Real Dream of mine become a reality, I hope you will let me know. I
will enlist the considerable assets
of my research, development and advocacy firm [``Brother Tracy Gibson and Associates, Inc.’’] in the work of
achieving such a worthwhile and attainable goal. The
Peace of the Lord Be With You,
Brother Tracy Gibson,
Founder, President and CEO OF:
Brother Tracy Gibson and Associates, Inc.
Building Better Tomorrows So
Formerly Oppressed People Can Take Back Their Power Through a Non-Violent,
Peaceful Yet Radically Effective Process.
CC: Education Secretary
Duncan; State Senator Shirley Kitchen; State Senator Vincent Hughes.
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