Click here to see a slideshow of the visit
The owners of one of the most extensive collections of African-American culture in the United States got to view Monday a piece of history few have ever seen.
Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, owners of the Kinsey Collection, and their son, Khalil, toured the archives of the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine at the Sisters of St. Joseph Convent where they were shown the oldest Catholic documents in the continental U.S.
Among the documents they looked at were a marriage registration from 1594 and an African-American baptism record from 1606.
The Kinsey Collection is coming to St. Augustine from Jan. 20, 2014, through July 15, 2014, for the city’s 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. It will be housed in the new exhibition space at the Visitor’s Information Center as part of the city’s three-year celebration for St. Augustine’s 450th anniversary, that will begin in 2013.
The collection includes sculptures, paintings, documents, manuscripts and photographs related to African-American history from the 1600s to present. It is one of the largest private collections tracing African-American history.
Dana Ste. Claire, director of the 450th commemoration, said he is hopeful the historic documents from the convent will be included in the civil rights exhibit. The Catholic Diocese is looking into the possibility of working with the city and the Kinseys on this exhibit.
“This was really special because even though I’ve referenced these documents at least 200 times or so, I’ve never actually seen them,” Ste. Claire said.
Sister Catherine Bitzer, the diocesan archivist, led the tour, pulling off boxes and books with labels like “Baptisms White 1784” and “Baptisms Colored 1784.”
“Africans have been a part of our history from the day Menendez landed,” Ste. Claire said. “We’re trying to bring in some local context [to the exhibit] with these documents as well as artifacts from Fort Mose.”
The Kinseys live in Los Angeles, but both are native Floridians. Bernard Kinsey is from West Palm Beach and Shirley Pooler Kinsey is from St. Augustine. They both attended Florida A&M University and met during a civil rights demonstration.
Bernard Kinsey worked as an executive for Xerox for about 20 years. After his retirement, he was selected to be the chief operating officer of Rebuild Los Angeles — a movement to rebuild the city after the L.A. riots. He has worked as an international business consultant with countries including the Central African Republic, China, South Africa, Germany, England and France.
But it is Shirley Kinsey’s ties to the city — the place she grew up, went to school and witnessed civil rights events — that helped the city land the exhibit.
“We’re trying to tell the story,” said Bernard Kinsey, “the full story.”
Like the Kinseys, Ste. Claire is hopeful that this exhibit will help set the record straight on the history of St. Augustine, as well as the involvement of African-Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics in the building of America.
“This is where America began. It didn’t begin at Jamestown or at Plymouth,” he said. “This was the genesis of the American melting pot.”