(From Left to Right) State Rep. Andre D. Carroll, Supreme Dow, Theodore Erwin, and Shanina Dionna standing inside the newly dedicated Theodore & Elsie Erwin Archives. (Photo: Rasheed Z. Ajamu)

Drums and a libation ritual opened last Friday afternoon’s gathering at the Black Writers Museum.

“It’s traditional history in our culture, for millennia, to recognize our ancestors, upon whose shoulders we ourselves stand,” said museum founder and curator Supreme Dow. After consecutive pourings and group calls of “Asé,” the program began.

Community members gathered at the first museum of its kind for a celebration of Blackness and books, but most importantly, for an honoring.

About four years ago, a married couple of retired Black school teachers were looking to downsize from their home in Mt. Airy. But they had a bit of a problem — more than 75 boxes holding over 1,500 books, to be exact.

“I’m sitting [in the back room]… I’m saying, my gosh, we made a down payment on a new home. And we have to get rid of these books… So it dawned on me. I said, ‘Supreme, the Black Writers Museum,’” recalled the husband of the married couple.

“I was immediately stuck, overwhelmed with joy,” Dow said, recalling standing in that same back room. “I said that day, ‘We’re going to name a room after them.’”

And the rest was history — The Theodore & Elsie Erwin Archives, named after the retired couple, was born.

Alongside the books were also 200 jazz CDs, plus African artifacts, photographs, and ephemera.

For Dow, the donation was transformational for the museum’s survival and growth. He says that over the years, the museum has struggled due to necessary repairs, fire damage, operational challenges, personal issues, and more.

He notes that without any major grants or endowments, the museum relies on supporters like the Erwins.

Ninety-two-year-old Mr. Erwin says he and Mrs. Erwin, who was ill and absent during the dedication, are “pleased” the books will be useful, especially for young people.

Speakers and guests used the momentous occasion to underscore the value of access to Black literature and history, framing it as transformative and essential.

Dow’s former Latin teacher, James Villarreal, M.A., was in attendance. He called back to harsh but real pasts. “Years ago, if you taught a Black person one letter of the alphabet, you went to prison,” he told the room.

“And now, because of this man, my student, one of the best students I ever taught out of 18,000. And because of him, we don’t have anybody getting punished for teaching.”

Dow traces back to his childhood, saying he was raised in a home full of Black books and Black history. That presence is what prepared him for his role with the museum.

201st District State Rep. Andre Carroll talked about the importance of blending legacy and access, deeming The Erwin Archives as an example.

“I’m excited to have a museum of this magnitude in a district, in the neighborhood in which I serve and live,” he said.

Guests reflected on the significance of the event in today’s climate, where book bans are more prevalent than ever, particularly those targeting Black stories.

Jacqueline Wiggins came to the event after hearing about it on the Solomon Jones show on WURD Radio. As a preservation worker, she emphasized the magnitude of this moment.

“These books are books that our young people need to know of,” she told GIH.

Executive Director of Historic Germantown, Tuomi Forrest, zoomed in further, locally, to even more recent events.

He said, “It’s more critical now than ever. If we see what’s been happening at the Independence National Park and the exhibits around the President’s House being removed… It’s not an exaggeration that this history is being attacked directly.”

Forrest says the Black Writers Museum is a shining example of the “commitment” Germantowners have in “creating cultural institutions that tell stories that weren’t being told elsewhere.

Artist Shanina Dionna made her way to the dedication by way of West Philly. She calls the local institution “necessary,” as it situates Black literature as activism and cultural power.

“It’s so valuable,” she said. “Especially in our inner city public school systems where — due to the lack of budget — they’re pulling arts and culture from our inner city public school core curricula.”

Mr. Erwin gave his final thoughts to GIH before the museum cleared out.

“I think that Black folks need this more now than ever. They need to be in touch with themselves and in touch with their history and accept their identity, who they are.”

Right now, Supreme Dow is working on renovating the space of the archive and cataloging the collection. However, the Black Writers Museum’s other collections are on view on Fridays and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.