Collection Guide
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White (Virginia L.) Collection
SPC.2018.054
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Virginia L. White Collection
Creator:
White, Virginia L.
Creator:
Sebastian, Jacquelyn F.
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2018.054
Physical Description:
11 boxes
Physical Description:
1 folder
(1 oversize folder)
Physical Description:
12.63 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1957-2016
Date (bulk): 1968-1979
Abstract: The Virginia L. White collection (1957-2016) contains primarily tour materials consisting of photographs, posters, programs,
ephemera, scrapbooks, and costumes that once belonged to former, long-time Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers (AMJS) members Virginia
L. White and Jacquelyn F. Sebastian.
Language of Material:
Multiple languages
.
There are no access restrictions on this collection
Availability of Digital Reproductions
If you would like to view some of the archival materials from this collection that have been digitized already, please visit
the Sacred Music Digital Collections Database site:
Virginia L. White Collection .
Please keep in mind that some of the materials in our archival collections are still in the process of being digitized and
are therefore not yet available to the public.
This collection is divided into two series in which one series features the materials that belonged to Virginia L. White and
another series features the materials that belonged to Jacquelyn F. Sebastian. Materials within most folders are arranged
chronologically.
Virginia L. White Collection Series Titles
- Virginia L. White, 1961-2016, undated
- Jacquelyn F. Sebastian, 1957-1977
Virginia White is one of the original members of the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers (AMJS). She performed with the singers
from their original concerts and tours in 1968 through the early 2000s.
The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, known as "America's foremost Negro choir," have played a significant role in the development
of African American sacred music traditions in the United States and are among the most honored singing ensembles in the world.
The AMJS was founded by choral director Albert McNeil. McNeil was inspired by the story of the Fisk University Jubilee Singers,
an all-black college choir founded in 1871, made up of four black men and seven black women who gained international fame
traveling throughout the United States and Europe giving concerts singing four-part acappella arrangements of sacred songs
called spirituals.
In 1968, the AMJS went on their first European tour. Since then, they have traveled the globe on 18 sold-out European tours,12
tours of the United States and Canada, and tours of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America. They were selected three
times to serve the U.S. State Department and USIS Cultural Exchange Program, traveling to East Germany, Hungary, Romania,
Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Iran, India, North and West Africa, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.
For information about citing archival material, please consult the appropriate style manual or see the Citations for Archival
Material guide: (https://libguides.csudh.edu/archives-citation)
An accrual of new materials was processed and added to the Virginia L. White collection by archivist Lindsay Anderson in 2022.
This collection is part the Sacred Music Collection, also known as the Georgia and Nolan Payton Archive of Sacred Music, and
is associated with the
African Diaspora of Sacred Music and Musicians (ADSMM) Program . The Sacred Music Collection is made up of smaller collections that contain various primary source materials, such as sheet
music, books, periodicals, photographs, audio visual materials, manuscripts, and more. ADSMM's mission is to facilitate research,
preserve, and make accessible collections documenting the lives of important figures within the sacred music community as
well as its influence primarily within the Los Angeles Black community.
Interested in accessing other Sacred Music collections? If you would like to view these materials in-person, please make an
appointment through the
Gerth Archives and Special Collections website . If you would like to view these materials online, please visit the the
Sacred Music Digital Collections Database website . Please keep in mind that some of the materials in our archival collections are still in the process of being digitized and
are therefore not yet available to the public.
The Virginia L. White collection (1957-2016) contains primarily tour materials consisting of photographs, posters, programs,
ephemera, and costumes related to Virginia White's tenure as a member and administrator of the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers
(AMJS). The collection also contains several scrapbooks compiled by fellow Jubilee Singers member, Jacquelyn F. Sebastian,
which documents AMJS' domestic and international tours.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from the collection must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African Americans -- California -- Los Angeles
African Americans -- Music
African American choirs
Jubilee singers
African American musicians
Church music
Gospel Music
Sacred music
Spirituals (Songs)
McNeil, Albert
Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers
Hairston, Jester, 1901-2000