We had some special visitors in the Library on Thursday, led by the Australian Ambassador to the United States, the Hon Kim Beazley, AC, who was here to tour the USS Houston Exhibition. Located on the second floor of the library, the exhibition features original letters and artifacts from the World War II-era ship and POW camps, an American flag made by prisoners-of-war in Saigon, and vintage photographs of USS Houston crew members. Paintings of the ship are also on display, as well as a newly restored model, ship’s bell, two uniforms, and – of particular interest to the Ambassador – several items related to the Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth. As a native of Perth, Ambassador Beazley has long had a keen interest in the story of the ship and her crew.

Pictured, L-R: Capt. Carter B. Conlin, USN (Ret.); the Hon Kim Beazley, AC; and librarian Julie Grob

The Perth joined the Houston as part of an ABDA (American, British, Dutch, Australian) fleet in the Battle of the Java Sea. The two ships’ fates were tied together, as both the Perth and the Houston survived that battle but found trouble the following night when passing through Sunda Strait, where they encountered a large Japanese force. Outnumbered and outgunned, both ships were sunk.

Mr. Beazley and his party toured the exhibit with curator Julie Grob and other University representatives. Attendees included Ambassador Beazley and his wife Susie Annus; Australian Consul General to the USA, Mr. Mauro Kolobaric, and his wife Silvana Kolobaric; Australian Honorary Consul General to Houston, Ms. Nana Booker; Capt. Carter B. Conlin, USN (Ret.) of the Naval Order of the United States; Don Kehn, Jr., Historian for the USS Houston Survivors Association/Next Generations; Dr. Marshall Schott, Associate Vice Chancellor/Associate Vice President for Outreach and Planning, University of Houston; Michelle Buhr, Director of Stewardship, University of Houston; and Julie Grob, Coordinator for Digital Projects and Instruction, Special Collections/Curator of Cruiser Houston Collection.

HMAS Perth

Grob presented Ambassador Beazley with a copy of Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR’s Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of her Survivors by James D. Hornfischer on behalf of the University of Houston Libraries.

Materials for the exhibition were drawn from the Cruiser Houston Collection, which contains over 70 boxes of archival material related to the history of the ship and her crew. The collection forms part of the USS Houston and Military History Archives. For more information about what is contained in the collection, be sure to take a look at the finding aid. The original materials can be viewed in the Special Collections Reading Room.

Librarians from Special Collections and the University of Houston Libraries are looking forward to attending the 16th Annual Table Talk Luncheon. Hosted by the Friends of Women’s Studies, Table Talk will take place on Wednesday, February 27th from 12-1:30pm at the Hilton Americas Hotel Downtown.  The event provides a unique opportunity for guests  to meet and talk with Houston women who have forged their own paths in various disciplines. Among the conversationalists at the tables will be Houston’s Mayor Annise Parker,  Dr. Mae Jemison, former NASA Astronaut and the first African American woman to travel in space, and Dr. Monica Perales, UH History Professor and author of Smeltertown: Making and Remembering a Southwest Border Community. Proceeds benefit the Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies Program at the University of Houston and the Carey C. Shuart Women’s Archive and Research Center in Special Collections at the University of Houston Libraries.

The Shuart Women’s Archive will once again prepare a display of highlights from the Barbara Karkabi Papers,  honoring the memory of one of the Archives’  long-time supporters and journalist for the Houston Chronicle.  Don’t  forget to stop by our table and say hi to the Shuart Women’s Archivist, Vince Lee. We look forward to seeing you there!

Rapper Bun B telling a story at A Screwed Up History event

In March, the UH Libraries copresented a day-long conference event called A Screwed Up History during which rap legends like K-Rino, Willie D, Lil’ Keke, ESG, Bun B and more spoke in-depth about the history and culture of Houston hip hop. For those who were not able to attend Awready! The Houston Hip Hop Conference, or those who would like to re-watch the enlightening presentations and frank and funny panel discussions, the UH Libraries has uploaded six hours of footage from the event. The videos are available on the conference web site, on YouTube, and on the DJ Screw… exhibit web page.

A Screwed Up History web page with embedded videos

Lanetta Dickens is majoring in English and minoring in African American Studies. She served as an intern in Special Collections during Spring 2012, working on preservation of the DJ Screw Sound Recordings and assisting with the exhibition DJ Screw and the Rise of Houston Hip Hop.

Awready! The Houston Hip Hop Conference, presented by the University of Houston Libraries, the HERE Project at Rice University, African American Studies at UH, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at UH, was a recent set of events honoring DJ Screw. I attended the Grafitti, B-Boy and B-Girl Exhibition opening, and the panels/presentations of A Screwed Up History. The art show showcased local Houston artists and their artwork in original display. The event was a success, with free food and fun entertainment.

The panelists involved in the conference were knowledgeably aware of DJ Screw and the Screwed Up Click (S.U.C.).  Participants on the panels included rappers, artists, writers and scholars who informed the audience about the history and culture of Hip Hop in Houston. One of the scholars, Dr. Ronald J. Peters, Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center, managed a discussion on the effects of syrup with rapper ESG and DJ Lil’ Randy of the S.U.C. The topic was first introduced with a definition of the drug, how rappers and individuals were using it, and the results of using the drug.

“Syrup” is a recreational drink based on prescription cough syrup made with codeine promethazine. Both S.U.C. members considered syrup an addictive drug, the use of which was a secretive act initially. However, due to the spread and popularity of syrup, consequences soon emerged, and law enforcement began investigating the drug. Lil’ Randy and ESG expressed their feelings and reactions, saying that they were somewhat surprised by the spread of its popularity. This type of information about the evolving culture of hip hop is important for understanding the African American community and the individuals who have shaped that community.

The Hip Hop conference was an experience that I will remember for a lifetime. I was enlightened by the conversations and discussions that were associated with the growing music empire.  As a minor in African American Studies, I have learned to appreciate and acknowledge the Hip Hop culture that has extended throughout the world. Hip Hop has made a contribution to our society as a means of expressing and documenting the truth about ourselves.

On March 28, 2012, the University of Houston Libraries, African American Studies, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at UH played host to a group of scholars, rappers, DJs, and other members of Houston’s hip hop community for the event “A Screwed Up History.” This day-long affair featured a series of short presentations and in-depth panel discussions on topics related to the late DJ Screw and the history of Houston hip hop. Over 300 guests attended, including students, faculty, community members, and visitors from other cities and states. It was part of the larger Awready! The Houston Hip Hop Conference, which was held in conjunction with the HERE Project at Rice University.

ESG freestyling

ESG, a member of DJ Screw’s rap collective the Screwed Up Click, started the day off with a freestyle, spontaneously rapping about people in the audience and the posters of fallen rappers and DJs behind him.

The opening panel kicked off with a presentation on The Origins of Houston Hip Hop by Texas Southern University history graduate student Maco L. Faniel. Panelists K-Rino, Willie D of Geto Boys, groundbreaking club DJ Steve Fournier, and Ricky Royal of Royal Flush discussed the emerging hip hop scene of the 1980s, and the national influence of Houston’s battle rappers.

Willie D, Ricky Royal, and Maco Faniel

The second panel featured a presentation on DJ Screw and the Rise of the Screwed Up Click by journalist Lance Scott Walker. This was followed by a lively conversation about DJ Screw and the genesis of the Screwed Up Click held by Meshah Hawkins (wife of the late SUC member HAWK), rappers Lil’ Keke, ESG, and Big Pokey of the SUC, and DJ Screw’s childhood friend Shorty Mac.

Meshah Hawkins, Lil' Keke, Lance Scott Walker, Shorty Mac, and ESG

Over lunch, attendees were treated to a DJ set of H-town favorites by SUC member Lil’ Randy and DJ Screw’s longtime friend DJ Chill.

Lil' Randy

After lunch the focus changed to the culture around Houston hip hop. Langston Collin Wilkins, a graduate student in Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University, spoke about slabs, or customized cars that became popular on the streets of Houston, and Dr. Ronald J. Peters, Associate Professor at the School of Public Health of the University of Texas Health Science Center, spoke about “syrup”, or codeine promethazine cough syrup sipped recreationally. Panelists Lil’ Randy, ESG, and (for the slabs segment) Eddie Kennedy of Third Coast Customs shared their experiences.

Langston Collin Wilkins, Eddie Kennedy, ESG, and Lil' Randy

The final panel of the day was led by Matt Sonzala of SXSW, and featured rappers Chingo Bling, Paul Wall, and Bun B, along with DJ and Swishahouse co-founder OG Ron C. The varied group discussed The Legacy of DJ Screw, and how his music and his approach influenced them in their careers.

The event closed with remarks from Dr. Anthony B. Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University, and founder of the HERE Project. Pinn discussed the launch of the collaborative Houston Hip Hop Archives Network, a partnership developed by the HERE Project and the University of Houston Libraries for preserving the artifacts of Houston hip hop.

For more accounts, please see the Houston Chronicle‘s article “City’s hip-hop pioneers get props” and the Houston Press‘s informative piece “10 Things We Learned at the Awready! Houston Hip Hop Conference.“