Preserving Local History

I would like to commend the Princeton Alumni Weekly for its wonderfully informative article on Princeton’s African American community (“Across Nassau Street,” April 26). The article by Deborah Yaffe draws on the work of Kathryn Watterson and three dozen University students who did oral-history interviews between 1999 and 2002 and mentions “dozens of photographic collages” by Romus Broadway.

PAW is pointing the way forward for a much larger project that should be undertaken immediately. Mr. Broadway, an outstanding photographer and lifelong Birch Street resident, has 30,000 negatives taken over 50 years that focus on Princeton’s African American community, the University’s African American students from the early 1960s on, and the University’s multiracial Princeton community workforce. He has a remarkable memory and can name, and provide background for, individuals he has photographed.

Now is the time to approach Mr. Broadway regarding his collection and to encourage a new group of students to utilize and develop their oral-history skills in a project vital to a fuller understanding of the University’s history.