About Mayme A. Clayton

(1923 - 2006)

Founder

Western States Black Research and Educational Center

                                                      

    

  Mayme Agnew Clayton was born in Van Buren, Arkansas.  She received a Bachelor of Art Degree from the

  University of California, Berkeley; a Master’s Degree in Library Science from Goddard College, Vermont and  

  a Doctorate in Humanities from Sierra University, Los Angeles.

In 1952 Mayme Clayton began her career as a librarian at Doheny Library at the University of Southern California (USC).  In 1957 she went to work as a law librarian for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).  During her tenure at UCLA Dr. Clayton was a consultant and founding member of the Afro-American Studies Center Library.

Inspired at an early age by the life of Mary McLeod Bethune, Dr. Clayton felt compelled to preserved the scattered and often neglected history of Americans of African heritage.  In the early 1950’s with single-minded purpose Mayme Clayton began collecting rare and out-of-print books written by or about blacks.  The collection evenutally branched into rare documents, films, music and other areas to become the world's second largest and most subtantial collection of African Americana..

When asked what motivated her, she replied, “I wanted to be sure that children would know that black people have done great things and at the time I didn't see anyone else saving the history ”

Want to know more about what motivated Mayme Clayton?  How did she assemble such an amazing        

collection?  Read Dr. Clayton's answers to some of those questions in a recent interview.  Click here:  

mac extended bio(click on the PDF tool bar arrows).

 

  Avery Clayton    

Executive Director

Western States Black Research and Educational Center  

  Avery is a native of Los Angeles.   He attended Dorsey High School.  Avery is a working artist and teacher, 

  having taught for Los Angeles and Pasadena Unified  School Districts. At UCLA he majored in     

  painting, sculpture and graphic arts and minored in art history where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree.

In 2001 Avery took an early retirement from Pasadena School District to devote full attention to the preservation and sharing of the collection.  In 2002 Avery assumed the directorship of WSBREC and is leading the effort to save the collection and establish the Mayme A. Clayton Library & Cultural Center as a world-class institution in Los Angeles dedicated to African American intelligence and creativity for all people.

Avery Bio

 

 

Avery Bio