About the Mayme Agnew Clayton Collection

of African American History & Culture

The Mayme A. Clayton Collection of African American Culture & History is maintained by Western States Black Research and Educational Center (WSBREC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, public interest organization.  WSBREC's primary objective is to share the collection enthusiastically with all people.

The Clayton Collection is the largest and most academically substantial privately held assemblage of its kind in the world.  It is second in size and scholarly scope to the renowned Schomburg Collection in the New York City Public Library.

The collection was assembled over a 40-year period by Mayme A. Clayton (1923 - 2006), a career librarian at the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).  Dr. Clayton’s singular commitment to preserve African American culture and history was inspired by her desire to ensure that children would know the richness and diversity of African American contributions to the world.

The Mayme A. Clayton Collection of African American History & Culture is comprised of seven main components.  They are as follows:  rare and out-of-print books, manuscripts, documents, films, music, photographs and memorabilia. 

  The collection is a remarkable cultural treasure with a vast ability to educate and delight.  It is our hope

  that you will explore this web site to learn more about the collection, how and why Dr .Clayton

  assembled it; and the goals of Western States Black Research and Educational Center (WSBREC). 

  WSBREC was founded in 1981 by Dr. Clayton to collect, preserve; exhibit and disseminate the unique

  history and cultural heritage of Americans of African descent and allow the expressions of intelligence

  and creativity and nobility to serve as a cultural compass to a more complete understanding of American

  history.   

Above, clockwise:  From the MCL Vintage Movie Poster Collection, "Carmen Jones," 1959 Starring Dorothy Dandridge; from the Photograph Collection, George Washington Carver, photographer unknown; studio portrait of a young girl by James Van der Zee, c. 1922; WSBREC's rare signed copy of Phillis Wheatley's "Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral,"1773.  Thought to be the first book publish in America by an author of African descent;  James Van der Zee photo of a gentleman with his Bible; and photo of 1950s tennis phenom, Althea Gibson