Debra Newman Ham

Debra Newman Ham (born August 27, 1948) is an American archivist and retired professor in the field of history. She received a BA in history from Howard University in 1970 and received her Masters from Boston University in 1971. She also completed a PhD at Howard University. In 1972, Ham began work as an archivist and Black History Specialist at the National Archives. While there, she helped co-found the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society in 1977. She also compiled and prepared finding aids for the Social Security Administration, the Office of Economic Opportunity and the Department of Labor. Her special interests include the study of African Americans, women, public history and archival methods. She commands her classrooms and even takes students on visits to local archives and museums. She is passionate about putting African Americans in the narrative and not treating them as victims. Instead, "I plan to focus on African Americans as overcomers.” The guide lists many examples of pieces at the Library of Congress that examine African-American life, including "government documents, manuscripts, books, photographs, recordings and films." Ham also includes work on African Americans, or by African Americans, from other notable historians. Many archivists and historians use her guide in the study of African American history.

When asked about her impact on the archival profession, she responded:I would say that I honestly believe that the resources that I have provided in these 30 years of my doing historical work, the resources that I have identified have deepened and broadened the scope of African-American history … because my people didn’t know about the availability of these resources. During her career, Ham served on a number of professional bodies. She was a member of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, and served on the executive council from 1989 and was national secretary from 1992. She was on the editorial board of the Society of American Archivists from 1989 and she was publications director of the Association of Black Women Historians from 1986-1990. Ham was also involved with the Oral History Association.

Recognition In 2011, Ham received an Avoice award from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, for excellence in historical research. Her publication Black History: A Guide has won several awards, including awards from the Society of American Archives and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference.

Publications

The African-American Mosaic: A Guide to Black History Resources in the Library of Congress (1993) Black History: A Guide to Civilian Records in the National Archives (1984) Catalog Guide for Exhibit, 'The African American Odyssey' (1998) "African-American Activist Mary Church Terrell and the Brownsville Disturbance" (Trotter Review: Vol. 18 : Iss. 1, 2009) "Resource Guide," Columbia University Guide to African American History since 1960 (2006) "Government Documents, in the Harvard Guide to African-American History (2001) "Jesus and Justice: Nannie Helen Burroughs and the Struggle for Civil Rights," in Humanity and Society (1988) "Black Women Workers in the Twentieth Century," in Sage: A Scholarly Journal on Black Women (1986) "Black Women in Pennsylvania in the Era of the American Revolution," in the Journal of Negro History (1976) "The Emergence of Liberian Women in the Nineteenth Century," (Howard Doctoral Dissertation, 1984).