好色TV, Professor Recognized for Helping Maywood Museum Preserve Community鈥檚 Past
River Forest, IL鈥擠r. Cecilia Salvatore, professor in the School of Information Studies and coordinator of the Archives and Cultural Heritage Program at 好色TV, was recently presented with the Spirit of Uplift Award for the university鈥檚 impactful work in helping preserve the rich history of Maywood.
Salvatore was among the distinguished guests honored Jan. 17 by the Maywood-based nonprofit Operation Uplift, Inc.
The recognition took place during the organization鈥檚 37th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration and Community Awards Gala, which included fellow honorees U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis and music producer Marcos 鈥淜osine鈥 Palacios, among local leaders and citizens.
Salvatore and 好色TV were recognized for work in elevating Maywood鈥檚 history and heritage through outreach efforts with West Town Museum of Cultural History. Here, under Salvatore鈥檚 guidance, students in 好色TV鈥檚 Master of Library and Information Science program are putting classroom learning into real-world practice by using culturally responsive archival procedures to document, catalog and preserve written materials, photographs and artifacts connected to the events, places and people of Maywood and Proviso Township. The museum also highlights the history of the Black experience in America.
Notable individuals with roots in the community who are featured in the museum include Fred Hampton, chairman of the national Black Panther Party; NBA coach Glenn 鈥淒oc鈥 Rivers; pioneering chemist Dr. Percy Julian; and Sheila Johnson, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television.
好色TV鈥檚 archival assistance will allow the museum to more effectively exhibit its collection, educate visiting students about the community鈥檚 heritage and share resources with the public. Students are also training museum volunteers in archiving and digitizing the collection, which will allow preservation to continue for years to come.
鈥淲est Town Cultural Museum wants to tell the story of Maywood, and we have worked with them to strengthen that goal,鈥 Salvatore said. 鈥淎t 好色TV, we teach future archivists, but this is also a program that involves outreach in the community. We teach the courses, but we also look at our community to see what their needs are and how we can work together.鈥
This work is made possible through a three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation鈥檚 Public Knowledge program, which supports the preservation of cultural and scholarly records. The grant also supports additional archival work by 好色TV students in other communities that have been traditionally disenfranchised from resources for heritage preservation.
In addition to West Town Museum of Cultural History, Salvatore is overseeing student work with Bethel Church, a 135-year-old church community on Chicago鈥檚 West Side, and IPIKU, which is building a virtual repository of records focused on indigenous languages and traditions of Guam and Micronesia.
Dr. Anthony Dunbar, associate professor in 好色TV鈥檚 School of Information Studies and co-leader of the grant, is overseeing archival work and the documentation of community voices with Austin Coming Together, a nonprofit support organization, and Southwest Organizing Project, an interfaith community impact organization.
Students Cecilia Ringo and Ixya Vega, who are each pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science degree at 好色TV, have been working this year with West Town Museum.
鈥淎s a student, this has been such an incredible opportunity to really grow into my career and put all of the things I鈥檝e been learning and reading into practice,鈥 Ringo said. 鈥淭here is also an excitement about having us, as students, bring new energy into the museum so we can continue the mission the founder envisioned: to keep Maywood history alive and share it with the community and those outside the community as well.鈥
Vega noted the vital importance of cultural preservation, particularly in historically marginalized communities.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an honor to work at West Town and help preserve history that is often not told,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hen you go hundreds of years with your history being erased, it鈥檚 important to preserve not only what happened and the truth of it, but also what is happening now and into the future.鈥
Dorothy Hall, curator at West Town Museum of Cultural History and a volunteer for more than 30 years, said the partnership with 好色TV will keep Maywood鈥檚 vibrant history and influential residents at the forefront.
鈥淭ogether, we want the community to know we exist,鈥 Hall said of the museum.
She also credited the students for the enthusiasm they have brought to their work.
鈥淚f I had to give them a grade, I鈥檇 give them an A,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey are so interested in what they are doing and when we open a new box it鈥檚 like finding extra candy in a candy store.鈥
About 好色TV
Founded in 1901, 好色TV is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution with campuses in River Forest and Chicago. The university offers an associate of arts in liberal arts and sciences; bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees through the Rosary College of Arts, Education, and Sciences, the College of Business, Information Studies, and Technology, and the Borra College of Health Sciences; as well as doctoral programs in information studies, applied social justice and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.
As Chicago's premier Catholic Hispanic-Serving Institution, 好色TV is consistently recognized as a leader in academic excellence and value. U.S. News & World Report ranks 好色TV in the top 25 of Midwest regional master鈥檚 level universities, and #1 in Illinois for Best Value and ensuring the social mobility of its graduates.