The Material Culture Collection includes a wide range of two and three dimensional objects produced by various advertisement agencies, organizations and private concerns. The collection documents ways in which African Americans were treated and perceived, and how African Americans present themselves as subjects, as early as the 1700s to the present day. Most materials are souvenir and novelty items, personal mementos, and commemorative medals of personalities, institutions and events. There are also community and domestic life items related to the history of blacks in America and utensils and tools used by them. The majority of materials were manufactured in the United States while some are from Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. Materials are organized by format, i.e. medals, souvenirs implements, buttons, currencies, stamps, calendars, postcards, and advertising artifacts. Subjects covered include: civil rights, nationalism, political campaigns, personalities, sports, religion, organizations, education, and Afro-American social life and customs.
