Library Trailblazers
Introducing couple of very inspiring women as we celebrate Black History Month.
Annie Lou Watters was born on February 22, 1908, in Berwin, Georgia. She grew up in Rome, Georgia. “Reading was one of my favorite subjects…. I met the poets and committed many of their verses to memory. I also met real people in my history books, and travelled to other lands in my geography texts.” Curiosity propelled her to seek knowledge through new resources at libraries; however, because public libraries throughout the South were segregated during these years, African Americans were often denied services and resources.”
Annie attended high school in Atlanta and earned her undergraduate degree in English Literature from Atlanta University in 1929. She earned a degree in Library Science from Hampton University in 1933. In 1936, she became the librarian at the Auburn Carnegie Library in Atlanta, Georgia, where she was head librarian during the 1930 and 1940s. Annie created the Negro History Collection and helped organize educational groups.
Annie completed a postgraduate degree in library science at Columbia University in 1947. She was a member of the Helen A. Whiting Society, the Utopian Literary Club, and the Alpa Kappa Alpha sorority. In 1940, Annie married Alphonso McPheeters, professor of education, whom she met at Clark University.
Annie was the first African-American professional librarian with the Atlanta Public Library System. Her work was in the Negro Department, where she was responsible for the oversight of three segregated library branches. These branches led educational programs for their Black Patrons on topics such as politics, how to use the voting machines, and discussion groups about civics and government. Some of her young patrons included Martin Luther King Jr. and Maynard Jackson. Annie campaigned vigorously for library desegregation in Atlanta, which she finally saw in 1959.
From 1966 to 1975, Annie worked as a librarian at Georgia State University, making her the first African-American faculty member there.
Augusta Braxton was born on April 1, 1911, in Baltimore, Maryland. Both of her parents were schoolteachers who instilled in her a love of reading. When she was very young, while both parents were at work, her grandmother Augusta Fax (her namesake) cared for her, reading and telling her captivating stories. Augusta loved these stories, a love she carried with her throughout her entire life.
Augusta knew how to read well before she began elementary school. She went to the Black high school where her father taught and graduated at the age of 16. She then studied at the University of Pittsburgh. At the end of her second year, she married James Baker. The couple relocated to New York and Augusta attempted to transfer to Albany Teacher’s College (now the State University of New York at Albany. She instantly met with opposition from the college because of her race.
Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Franklin, who was then the Governor of New York, was on the board of the Albany Interracial Council (now the Albany Urban League). Mrs. Roosevelt ardently advocated for Augusta’s transfer. It was a dilemma for the college. They clearly did to want to admit Black people, yet they certainly did not want to oppose the very strong wife of the Governor. They admitted Augusta. While studying there, she discovered something about herself; “I discovered I loved books, but I didn’t love teaching.” She completed her education and earned a BA in education in 1933 and the following a BS in library science. Augusta was the first African-American to earn a master’s degree in librarianship from that institution. A trailblazer for other Blacks who wanted a career in library science.
Augusta taught for a few years, but she applied for a position as children’s librarian in the New York Public Library System. Although they ignored her first application, her tenacity secured her the position of head of children’s services after a third try. Appalled by the depiction of black characters in the fiction then available to black children, Baker struggled to amass a collection of books that would provide inspiring black role models, while at the same time presenting an accurate view of African-American life to young Americans of all races and backgrounds. This effort led to the publication of the first of a number of bibliographies of books for and about Black children in a favorable light.
In 1953, Augusta became the Storytelling Specialist and Assistant Coordinator of Children’s Services. When asked about her approach to working with children and storytelling, she replied, “I tell them what I’ve always said. Let the story tell itself, and if it is a good story and you have prepared it well, you do not need all the extras – the costumes, the histrionics, the high drama. Children of all ages do want to hear stories. Select well, prepare well, and then go forth, stand tall, and just tell.”
By 1961 she was the Coordinator of Children’s Services, becoming the first African-American librarian in an administrative position in the New York Public Library System (NYPL) While in this position she oversaw children’s programs for the entire NYPL system and set policy. During this time Augusta was also a leader in the American Library Association’s Children’s Services Division, serving as president. In addition, she chaired the committee that awarded the Newbery and Caldecott Medals.
Many children’s actors and illustrators, such as Maurice Sendak, Madeline L’Engle, Ezra Jack Keats, and John Steptoe, were influenced by Augusta Baker. She was also a consultant for the then newly created children’s television series, Sesame Street. In 1980, the University of South Carolina appointed her storyteller-in-residence, a position she held for over a decade.