Abstract
Developing theological collections from the African-American perspective requires a penetrating investigation of diverse issues that not only identifies the unique context for this study, but also lays the foundation upon which to build the discussion. This is a demanding task! Any attempt to undertake this formidable challenge immediately acknowledges that collecting and preserving "the documentary and cultural heritage of people of African descent" has been unrecognized and therefore unhonored."... [T]here is a kind of intellectual chauvinism that permeates the academic world [which 1 says that grassroots people are marginal. . . . Understanding this bias, a new frame of mental reference is required, and empowerment strategies which affirm the diversity of the Black Experience and ameliorate the consequences of contemporary racism (racialism) can then be engaged. This approach demands that we look from the inside out, not from the outside in—the African-centered perspective. The process employed develops action initiatives to identify lacuna in documenting Black history and also retrieves vital sources of history to generate African-American collections which preserve a common culture.