Making Space at the Center
The Archie L. Buffkins Legacy Archive
Recovering a Hidden Chapter of Black Arts Leadership
A living archive documenting the work, vision, and national cultural impact of Dr. Archie L. Buffkins and the Chairman’s National Commission to Expand the Scope and Constituency of Black Participation at the Kennedy Center.
“The arts of the minority people must be preserved and promoted if those people are to prosper and leave their legacy to aid in humanity.”
~Archie Buffkins, National Public Policy Agenda for Black in the Art, 1979
About My Father
Dr. Archie Lee Buffkins
Educator. Cultural leader. Advocate. Visionary.
Dr. Archie Lee Buffkins was an educator, arts advocate, administrator, and cultural leader whose work helped expand conversations around equity, representation, and participation in the arts and higher education during a pivotal period in American history.
My father’s work spanned education, music, public broadcasting, leadership, and cultural equity. Among many roles throughout his career, he served as Director of Cultural Diversity Affairs at the Kennedy Center, where he worked to expand representation, access, and participation within the arts.
Over the course of his career, he also served as Chancellor of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. His academic and administrative work extended across institutions including Jackson State University, Kentucky State University, Texas Southern University, Rhode Island College, and Morristown College.
His influence reached classrooms, institutions, performances, conversations, and communities across generations.
Dr. Buffkins believed deeply in the importance of preserving culture through the arts.
“The arts are the driving forces of a people when all has been tried and all has been said.”
This legacy project is an effort to preserve both the public record and the personal stories behind that work.
As archival materials, writings, photographs, proposals, and memories continue to surface, this project will continue evolving — documenting not only one man’s accomplishments, but the broader cultural impact connected to his life and leadership.
Recent
Discoveries
December 13, 1976
Acceptance Letter
In this December 13, 1976 letter, Dr. Archie L. Buffkins notes to Roger Stevens his gratitude for the confidence as he formally accepts the appointment to lead the newly formed National Commission connected to the Kennedy Center.
February 4, 1977
Press Conference Announcement
Issued by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on February 4, 1977, this press conference announcement formally invited the public and media to witness the launch of a groundbreaking initiative focused on expanding Black participation in the arts.
The announcement positioned Dr. Archie L. Buffkins alongside Kennedy Center Chairman Roger L. Stevens in introducing the Commission and its national vision.
February 5, 1977
Letter To Roberta Flack About National Commission
A formal invitation asking artist Roberta Flack to join the newly formed National Commission focused on expanding Black participation at the Kennedy Center.
The letter reveals the Commission’s national ambitions and the intentional effort to bring artists, educators, and cultural leaders into direct conversation about equity, access, and representation in the performing arts.
February 8, 1977
National Commission Established
This February 8, 1977 Kennedy Center press release formally outlines the purpose, activities, and national scope of the newly established National Commission on Blacks.
The document reveals how expansive the vision truly was: identifying Black artistic talent nationwide, increasing participation both onstage and behind the scenes, engaging communities through public forums, and building national partnerships across education, government, and the arts.
It also lists an extraordinary group of commission members and cultural leaders connected to the initiative, including artists, educators, administrators, performers, and national figures such as Quincy Jones, Roberta Flack, Billy Taylor, and Katherine Dunham.
In His Own Words
Originally aired June 9, 1982, this interview with Maryland Public Television features Dr. Archie L. Buffkins in conversation with Rick Breitenfeld.
At the time, he was serving as a consultant to the Chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Roger L. Stevens, and as president of the National Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Performing Arts.
Follow the Journey….this project is still unfolding.
As archival materials are reviewed, interviews are gathered, and new pieces of Dr. Archie L. Buffkins’ story come forward, this page will continue to grow.
Please check back for updates, discoveries, and reflections as we continue preserving and sharing this important legacy.