Seen, Not Saved: Preservation as an Act of Resilience, Resistance and Visibility

Tamar Evangelestia-Dougherty is an American librarian, curator, educator and cultural heritage administrator. She most recently was appointed as Deputy Commissioner of Visual Arts for the City of Chicago in 2024 and is the former director of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives in Washington, DC. With extensive experience across academic, public and museum library sectors Evangelestia-Dougherty previously served as Associate University Librarian for Rare and Distinctive Collections at Cornell University, Director of Collections and Services at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at New York Public Library, and Executive Director of the Black Metropolis Research Consortium at the University of Chicago. A respected leader in the library and museum community, Evangelestia-Dougherty concurrently teaches cultural heritage administration at California Rare Book School at the University of California Los Angeles and serves as a member of the American Antiquarian Society and the Caxton Club.

Evanglestia-Dougherty holds an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons University, where she studied archives, collective memory and historic and cultural documentation and preservation.  For Evangelestia-Dougherty’s distinguished service and contributions to the profession, she received an honorary doctorate of library and information science from Simmons University in 2023.

In addition to cultural heritage work, writing and teaching, Evanglestia-Dougherty has served as a consultant to libraries, museums, and educational centers. She has presented and consulted on collaborative cultural heritage projects including the IMLS funded Diversifying the Digital Historical Record (2017), keynote speaker for Digital Preservation Coalition (2024), serving on the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) board of directors (2022-2024) and most recently contributed to the Morgan Library and Museum publication: Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy (2024) and the Andrew W. Mellon funded Chicago Monuments Project for the City of Chicago.

Evangelestia-Dougherty’s professional ethos aims to embed holistic advocacy for libraries and museums into civic culture through preserving, interpreting, and making natural and cultural heritage accessible thus activating common narratives of purpose for research in a global context.

Sherry Williams cofounded the Bronzeville / Black Chicagoan Historical Society with her three daughters in 1999. They each were eyewitnesses to the destruction of African American cultural sites, historic buildings and Chicago Public Housing. In 2002, The Society became a family led 501(c)(3) educational institution to preserve historic sites and history. Public support grew when Civil War era guided tours began.

In 2011, the Society received a grant from the Chicago Architecture Foundation to conduct the Underground Railroad / Chicago Freedom Tours. Williams soon took on the roles of historian, curator, collector, and museum director.

In her role as a community activist, Williams advocates for more inclusive use of publicly funded spaces. She is currently challenging the use of parking meters at City of Chicago parks and beaches. From 2009 to 2017, Williams was a resident historian at Pullman State Historic Site and Sen. Stephen A. Douglas Tomb Site. Williams also developed an African Heritage Garden at Douglas Tomb Site, and a migratory bird oasis at both Pullman and Douglas Site locations. Williams recognized how these spaces did not include culturally competent programs. She continues her work at universities, places of worship, back yard barbecues, family reunions, cemeteries, and vacant lots across the city.

She is a founding member of the Chicago Cultural Alliance, President of Board of the Burnham Park Advisory Council, President of Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War (DUVCW) (Tent 103 Illinois); and member of the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago, Inc.

Williams holds a BA in Education, and a Master’s in Library and Information Sciences. For 25 years, Willams has managed the Bronzeville Historical Society’s public programs, guided bus and walking tours, mentored students and supervised volunteer staffing. Visitors and guests enjoy storytelling portrayal experiences on the Underground Railroad Tours.

Her successes include the 2025 Olivet Baptist Church – Community Citizenship Award; the 2024 Illinois Humanities Council – Public Humanities Award along with 4 others; and she is a 2023-2024 Mellon Foundation grant awardee for training tour guides. Williams also received a 2022 City of Chicago Commission on Landmarks – Landmarks Advocacy Award, and the 2021 University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign Distinguished Alumni Recognition Award. She is also the recipient of the 2017 Northeastern Illinois Outstanding Student Award.

Williams led the effort to place a headstone on the grave of Mrs. Nancy Green, the Original Aunt Jemima pancake product icon, raising awareness and more than $7 thousand in donations. She successfully placed the headstone on September 5, 2020.

For more information visit https://bronzevillearchives.com/.