The Black Americana Collection is a collection of photographs, printed materials, textiles, and three-dimensional objects related to the African American experience in northern California, and collected by Ted Sahl, a photo-journalist who practiced in San Jose.

Theodore (Ted) Sahl is an award-winning local photographer in San José, California. Sahl spent over 30 years documenting social and political events in the Bay Area through photojournalism. Although best known for his involvement with the Santa Clara County lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, Sahl photographed other social movements in the region, including the anti-nuclear demonstrations at the Lawrence Livermore Radiation Laboratory, Cesar Chavez and the Farm Labor Strikes in the 1970s-1980s, and the African American community in Santa Clara County. A champion of social justice, Sahl, used photography to document and empower marginalized communities.

3.0 boxes (4.5 linear feet)

Copyright has been assigned to San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections & Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

The collection is open for research.