Kinsey Collection Owners to Speak at MSU

STARKVILLE, Miss.–As the national conversation continues about how African Americans are portrayed and treated in modern-day America, Mississippi State University prepares to showcase 400 years of achievements and accomplishments by African Americans.

“African American Treasures” from The Kinsey Collection, one of the world’s largest private collections of African-American art, artifacts, documents and manuscripts, will be displayed March 21- June 20 in MSU’s John Grisham Room at Mitchell Memorial Library.

Following the opening reception on March 21 at 6 p.m., also to be held in the Grisham Room, owners Bernard and Shirley Kinsey of Los Angeles will speak on March 22 at 3 p.m. in Bettersworth Auditorium at Lee Hall.

He and his wife allow pieces in their collection to visit public venues because the couple wants to share an expanded, positive interpretation of African American history. The collection establishes a tradition of black achievement and accomplishment, he explained.

“The Kinsey Collection shows the stories of African American men and women who overcame their circumstances,” said Bernard Kinsey, former vice president of Xerox Corp. “We are just delighted to bring the collection to the people of Mississippi–a whole different community and another generation of young people.”

The collection does not focus on slavery, though artifacts and manuscripts do not ignore it, said Shirley Kinsey, a former teacher. Instead, The Kinsey Collection emphasizes African American triumphs despite the barriers the group has faced.

“What we’re doing is showing that African American history is American history,” she said. “We’re sharing part of the complete history of America by sharing our collection. This is an uplifting history that motivates, inspires and educates.”

The collection is presented by the Bernard and Shirley Kinsey Foundation for Art and Education. Its mission is to close the societal and cultural gaps between African Americans and other populations and erode stereotypes that undercut equality by highlighting blacks’ accomplishments over time.

The national response from numerous venues around the country, including Epcot Center at Walt Disney World and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, has been overwhelmingly positive, Bernard Kinsey said. To date, more than four million people have viewed the collection.

“We want the students in Mississippi to understand this vital part of history–to see how proud and accomplished African Americans are in this country,” he said. “A lot of African Americans don’t feel they’re worthy of being seen in a positive light, but when they begin to see that they are valuable, they change how they treat themselves.

“That’s what we hope to do at Mississippi State University, and not just with the young people or just with African Americans. We want everyone to embrace a new story, a new ethic, about how to treat people and how they’d like to be treated,” he said.

The exhibit is made possible by MSU Libraries and African American Studies through grants from Visit Mississippi, Starkville Visitors and Convention Council, and the Mississippi Humanities Council with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the exhibit do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Mississippi Humanities Council.

Learn more about The Kinsey Collection’s visit to MSU, as well as the Kinseys’ upcoming presentation, at http://library.msstate.edu/kinsey/.

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