Middleton "Spike" Harris Civil War and Reconstruction collection

1861-1914

Middleton A. "Spike" Harris was born January 22, 1908, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended local schools where he earned the nicknamed "Spike" from participating in track and field events. He graduated from Howard University with a B.A. in Sociology in 1931, and in 1965, he earned a master's degree in social work from Fordham University. From 1931 until July 1935, Harris worked for the Boys Club, YMCA, and the Emergency Welfare Administration of New York City. In 1937, he was employed by the New York State Executive Department, Division of Parole, as a parole officer and supervisor, and retired in 1972. During World War II, Harris served as an American Red Cross Field Director in the Southwest Pacific.

Harris's interest in African American history was stimulated by his family's history, which dated to the colonial period. Propelled by his discoveries, Harris began to research the African presence in North America and began collecting original documents, books, prints, and newspapers. Over the years, Harris put together a substantial collection documenting the contributions of peoples of African descent to American history. Using these original materials and photocopies of original documents gathered from his research at the National Archives, historical societies, and libraries, he created exhibitions, slide shows, manuals, and monographs, primarily under the auspices of the Negro History Associates, an organization that he helped to establish.

Negro History Associates

In 1963, Harris and fellow-collectors of Afro-Americana founded the Negro History Associates (NHA). Among those present at that meeting were Glenn Carrington, Thomas Feagens, Clarence Holte, Levi Hubert, and Marvin Warren. Like Harris, they wanted to include the contributions of African Americans into American history books and hoped that by creating the NHA they would be able to disseminate the information.

Harris was the driving force of the organization, and he persuaded the other associates that the best approach was to use an audiovisual format to teach young people about the history of African Americans. He presented his idea to the Human Relations Bureau of the New York City Department of Education, and encouraged by the Bureau and his fellow collectors, he produced, at his own expense, a pilot filmstrip entitled Meet Some Great Americans. After receiving positive commentary from the Bureau, Harris began work on the Great American Series, which would eventually include filmstrips and booklets on scientist Lewis Latimer, inventor Granville Woods, and physician Dorothy L. Brown.

Harris and Levi Hubert incorporated the NHA in 1964, via a partnership agreement, with Harris as the principal stockholder. The NHA Board consisted of the founding members and others, including Jean Blackwell Hutson, chief of the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature, History and Prints; Martin Jacobwitz, a collector of anti-slavery coins; and author/actress Gertrude McBrown. Each member brought his/her knowledge of Afro-Americana and/or technical skills to the enterprise, which included research; consulting; and artistic, photographic, and printing skills.

From 1964 to 1969, its most active period, the NHA produced filmstrips; erected commemorative plaques on city buildings (most of which are no longer there); produced exhibitions; published books; and sold photographic prints of persons, places, events, documents, and newspapers. Income was generated by the sales of the filmstrips and photographs, which together with Harris's financial contributions (from his savings and salary) kept the NHA afloat.