Cleveland, Ohio’s Karamu House, whose Swahili name means ‘place of joyful gathering’, is recognized as the oldest African American theater in the United States. Since its inception in 1915, Karamu has leveraged the performing arts to foster educational artistic experiences in an ethnically-complex community. Thanks to founders Russell and Rowena Jeliffe - a young couple willing to take risks and defy segregational odds - its legacy endures today, showing how the performing arts can bring together individuals from different backgrounds, setting a model not only for a city, but an entire country.
This poster will explore the Karamu story in light of Case Western Reserve University’s recent acquisition of the Karamu archives. At present, the archival collection is not fully processed; therefore, the aims of this poster will focus instead on the potential for this collection to be indexed alongside other local institutional repositories. Future work could involve collaboration between CWRU and external partners to make the Karamu legacy more accessible. Given the joint meeting between MLA and TLA, poster content will appeal to both audiences, and attendees will be introduced to a significant cultural icon from a city whose Playhouse District tends to dominate the theatrical spotlight.
