PHS is excited to spotlight some developments made in an inter-institutional effort to publish the personal records of the founding voice of Womanist/feminist/mujerista theology, Katie Geneva Cannon. Researchers can now view the first installment of records from the Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary (Columbia University Libraries) in New York City in the Katie G. Cannon Digital Collection.

The new batch of digital content consists of 2,900 pages of records, ranging from 1955-2018. It traces Katie Cannon’s time as an elementary student in Kannapolis, North Carolina, through her formidable career as an educator and writer.

These recently added materials help illustrate the early beginnings of Dr. Cannon’s passion for learning, with teachers at George Washington Carver School commenting that she “contributes greatly to classroom activities and discussions” and that she is “an excellent student.”

We’ve also made available records from Katie Cannon’s decades-long career as an educator, working at various institutions and seminaries such as Temple University, Union Theological Seminary, and Episcopal Divinity School. Most poignantly, the collection includes Katie G. Cannon’s course projections for then-upcoming academic years of 2018-2020, which she assembled before her passing on August 8, 2018, and demonstrated her passion and her plans to not stop doing what she truly loved--teaching others.

The newly added records from the Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary (Columbia University Libraries) join the records from the Center for Womanist Leadership, Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. Be sure to check back in for more additions to the Katie G. Cannon Digital Collection in the near future!