>>> KIMBERLY ANNECE HENDERSON’s curatorial work can be seen in many digital formats, print publications, and site-specific exhibitions; anchored by professional practices that aim to elevate the viewer experience through thoughtful, research-based, curatorial storytelling and digital engagement.

In 2020, she created the popular Instagram project, @emalineandthem that highlights archival photography of everyday ancestors from the late 1800s and early 1900s. She also curated the photography featured in the New York Times' 1619 Project Book (2021), and her debut picture book, entitled Dear Yesteryear (2023).

She earned a Master's in Library + Information Sciences from Syracuse University, and currently serves as the Digital Curator for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

She’s lived and worked in New York City for over a decade, but is a proud native of North Carolina.

“I’ve spent years researching my family history, and still find time to do so today.

My mother has an ancestor who fought in the American Revolutionary War, and much of her lineage is rooted in the Martin family, of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina (OBSN.org).

In contrast, my father’s roots reveal many ancestors who were enslaved on plantations in South Carolina. Most of whom descended from Nigeria according to my DNA results.

“I’ve spent years researching my family history, and still find time to do so today.

My mother has an ancestor who fought in the American Revolutionary War, and much of her lineage is rooted in the Martin family, of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina (OBSN.org).

In contrast, my father’s roots reveal many ancestors who were enslaved on plantations in South Carolina. Most of whom descended from Nigeria according to my DNA results.

These findings inform so much about my life, and my archival practice.”

— Kimberly Annece Henderson