Over two days in April 2026, CSUSB History students completed an archival research project and advanced the processing of archival materials in the Pfau Library’s department of Special Collections and University Archives (https://www.csusb.edu/special-collections). This unique, hands-on learning opportunity grew out of an ongoing collaboration between Dr. Marc Robinson (Associate Professor, History) and Eric Milenkiewicz (University Archivist, Pfau Library).

Students in Robinson’s spring 2026 course, HIST 3460 Women in the Black Freedom Movement, completed approximately five hours of training, led by Milenkiewicz. The students learned about archives, as well as archival processing and analysis. In addition, they practiced drafting and revising document-level and box-level archival descriptions, guided by feedback from Milenkiewicz, Robinson, and peer editing. As the crowning achievement of the project, the students' final box-level descriptions were published online, giving the students a clear accomplishment and aiding future research.

The students examined archival records in the Wilmer Amina Carter Papers, which focus on African American history in the Inland Empire. Carter is a longtime community leader and outstanding alumnus of CSUSB. In groups of two to three, the students completed descriptions for five boxes of archives.

• National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) Inland Empire Section
• Rialto Business and Professional Women's Club
• Inland Empire Kwanzaa Group
• Kutania People and Black Athlete Hall of Fame
• Checkmates Program of the NCNW