Photo courtesy of The New York Times
A Staten Island woman who has collected more than 20,000 artifacts documenting African-American history has decided to auction her collection.
Elizabeth Meaders, 90, has acquired these timeless pieces over the last 60 years and stored them in her modest Staten Island home. The former teacher has partnered with Guernsey’s Auction House to sell what she calls the “African American History Trust Collection,” CBS Saturday Morning reported.
The 90-year-old revealed she was “obsessed with collecting African-American history.” Meaders said it “soothed her soul” while preserving the entire African American experience.
During the interview, Meader said she wanted to create a “patriotic healing and teaching instrument, to compensate for the fact that as a teacher and just as an ordinary citizen,” she knows that “African-American history has been completely omitted from American history.”
Meaders’ collection includes thousands of books, posters, clothing, photographs, and other artifacts stored in nearly every part of her home. “I have 14 museums in my house,” Meaders said as she walked through her home, explaining the history of certain pieces of memorabilia.
She pointed out a rare photograph in her collection of “slaves being branded” while showing off a “bronze statue of Joe Lewis” and “Mohammad Ali’s shoes.”
“Everywhere, every day, Black history is being made,” Meaders said. “So it’s up to us to embrace it, respect it, and promote it.”
Arlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey’s Auction House, praised Meaders’ collection, saying, “There’s never been an auction of a large collection being sold as a collection like this.”
While Meader has prepared to give her timeless artifacts a new home, she questioned the monetary value of Black people.
“$2 million for a baseball card. $5 million for Marilyn Monroe’s dress. What is the value of the story of a people? That’s the question that this collection is trying to answer,” Meaders said.
Ettinger, who is hosting the auction, hopes the new buyer will keep the collection intact and in New York City.
“Hey, Mayor Adams, come on. New York City, with all its greatness, does not have a full-blown African American Museum, and you’ve got one sitting here on Staten Island,” he said.
When asked how she would feel when the day came, and her home was empty, Meader said, “Well, I’ll just send it on its way with a blessing and a prayer.”
The auction was held on March 15 at 2 p.m., and the bidding started at $1 billion.
Watch the full interview with Meader and CBS reporter Aundrea Cline-Thomas below.