Presbyterian Historial Society begins work on Katie Geneva Cannon digitial archive
The Presbyterian Historical Society has embarked on a collaborative effort to create a digital archive of more than 1,600 pages of womanist theologian Katie Geneva Cannon’s personal records.
Working alongside the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, and the Cannon family, PHS—which serves as the national archives for the Presbyterian Church (USA)—hopes to create a single, online location where people can find Cannon’s writings, interviews, and records.
According to PHS, staff members are currently in the process of making images of Cannon’s writings. Throughout the next year, they will be adding gigabytes worth of her public appearances, lectures, and PowerPoints.
Cannon, the first Black woman ordained in the United Presbyterian Church, died of acute leukemia in 2018. She is considered to be one of the foundational influences on womanist theology.
In a blog post, David Staniunas, PHS’s lead archivist, said that financial support for the project has been provided by donations to the denomination’s African American Leaders and Congregations collecting initiative.
