Abstract: Michelle “Mama Jahra” McKinney is DSC’s director and head archivist. She is also a musician, griot, educator, and multi-instrumentalist whose collection chronicles her wide skillset and amazing impact on Detroit’s musical community. The collection includes papers related to her work as a musician and storyteller, as well as work she completed with her late husband Harold McKinney, whose legacy she preserves and shares through her work as an archivist. Also included in the collection are books on African music and instruments, archival practices, and Black history. The collection contains lyrics and sheet music for music of all genres, but well-represented are spirituals and jazz. There is also an oral history conducted in 2024.
Donor(s): Michelle Jahra McKinney
Dates: ca. 1980s-2024
Extent: 2 LF
Collection Type: Physical, Digital
Subjects: African music, shekere, archives, Black history, jazz, spirituals, Harold McKinney
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