Bertha Mae Winborne Edwards (1920-2009), was the librarian of Portsmouth (Virginia) Colored Community Library for its entire existence, 1945 – 1963, moving to the integrated Portsmouth Public Library in 1963 as part of an integrated staff. She is also known for her writings on the history of Blacks in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Bertha Edwards | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bertha Mae Edwards [1] |
| Other names | Mrs. George Isiah Edwards[2] |
Early life
editEdwards was born on June 8, 1920 in Portsmouth, Virginia.[2] She graduated in 1942 from Hampton Institute where she majored in social studies and library science.[3] After graduation she worked first at the Naval Supply Depot and then was a kindergarten teacher at the Zion Baptist Church from 1944 until 1945.[2]
Career
editEdwards was hired by the City of Portsmouth to serve as librarian at the 900 square foot brick building beginning in 1945.[4] She formed the library into a community resource, successfully making the case to city officials that because Black people made up one third of the Portsmouth population at the time, her library should receive one third of the funding supplied to the Whites-only library.[5][6] Although the Portsmouth Public Library had a Whites-only policy prior to 1960, the Colored Community Library welcomed people of all races. The White librarian at Portsmouth Public Library collaborated with Edwards while the two libraries were segregated, sometimes ordering duplicate copies of reference books and giving one to Edwards for the “Colored” library. As an exchange, Edwards shared her collection of Portsmouth Black history documents.[5] As of 2013, this scrapbook is considered an endangered artifact.[7]
In 1960 a judge ordered the Whites-only Portsmouth Public Library to desegregate. In 1963, the library moved into larger quarters in a remodeled post office with an integrated staff and library board. Edwards became part of the staff at the integrated library.[8] In 1960 the state of Virginia began to require licenses for librarians, and retroactively conferred them on staff currently serving as library directors except for Edwards, apparently due to her race.[9]
Edwards was also a historian and archivist, and collected documentation of Black history and Black community members of Portsmouth.[10] She wrote several books including books on the history of blacks in Portsmouth, Virginia, photos of blacks in the area, and a history of black baseball in Portsmouth.[11][better source needed]
Awards and honors
editIn 1997, Edwards received the "Excellence in Librarianship Award".[12] In 2015, the American Library Association dedicated the Portsmouth Community Library and Edwards as a literary landmark.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ Clayton, Cindy (2013-08-21). "Portsmouth group wants to save librarian's scrapbook". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ a b c Who's who of American women. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1959. p. 292.
- ^ McCall, Nathan J. (27 April 1979). "Black libraries had rough beginning". Spartan Echo. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ Rodgers, Lee F. (1945-07-19). "Colored library on South Street to open soon". The Portsmouth Star. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ a b LaPierre, Suzanne (2022-02-08). "Bertha Winborne Edwards: An Icon of Library Black History - Public Libraries Online". Public Libraries Online - A Publication of the Public Library Association. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ "Remarkable Portsmouth: Episode 1, Bertha Winborne Edwards". PCTV Channel 48. 2020.
- ^ Stevens, Connie (2013-09-17). "Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts". WVTF. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ "2 join staff at new library". The Virginian-Pilot. 1963-03-09. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ Mildred and Dean Burgess Holladay (2007). HISTORY OF PORTSMOUTH VIRGINIA. Portsmouth Historical Commission. pp. 330–331. ISBN 978-0-9792491-0-5.
- ^ Rollings, Virginia H. (1991-02-09). "Black records in Portsmouth underused". Daily Press. p. 34. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ "Bertha Edwards Obituary (2009) - Norfolk, VA - The Virginian-Pilot". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
- ^ "She'll be honored ... She organized Portsmouth's 1st black library". New Journal & Guide ; Norfolk, Va. 9 Apr 1997. pp. 1:2 – via Proquest.
- ^ SHAYNASIMPSON (2017-05-11). "Literary Landmark: Portsmouth Community Library - Bertha Winborne Edwards". United for Libraries. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ "Portsmouth's Colored Community Museum Library now a literary landmark". The Virginian-Pilot. 2015-12-27. Retrieved 2023-12-09.