BMRC Welcomes New Program Manager: Gabrielle Banks

The Black Metropolis Research Consortium is elated to welcome Gabrielle Banks as its new Program Manager/Archivist. Gabrielle will support the BMRC’s seasonal research and internship programs, stewardship of the Archives Portal, and support member relations for our growing consortium. She is committed to advancing access to Black archival materials and fostering collaboration across communities and institutions.

You may recognize Gabrielle who was a member of BMRC's first cohort of community archives interns for the Faculty Organizing Community Archives Support (FOCAS) Grant supported by the Mellon Foundation. As a FOCAS graduate student intern, Gabrielle worked with oral histories at BMRC member institution, The National Public Housing Museum.

Gabrielle received her Master’s of Library and Information Science from Chicago State University (2025) and served as the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's Rights and Images Coordinator. A native to Chicago's South Side, Gabrielle brings to this work not only her professional experience, but a lifelong connection to the histories, people, and communities that the BMRC exists to amplify.