b'A Historic GiftRoy and Cheryl Copeland have dedicated the past 30-plus years to preserving and uplifting the stories of African American history.Believing African American history matters to everyone, the Copelands have built a legacy of encouraging people of all ages and all ethnicities to examine, explore, and analyze the innovative, creative, and intelligent contributions of African Americans throughout historyand to remember, recognize, and celebrate those contributions all year along. Its a legacy the couple continues today at Valdosta State University. African American history, and the preservation thereof, is near and dear to my heart. Roy CopelandThe Copeland African American Museum collection spans more than 150 years of history and features more than 75 pieces, which the Copelands began collecting in 1989 when Cheryl Copeland surprised Roy Copeland with a set of autographed Muhammad Ali boxing gloves for Christmas. She continued to select a unique piece of history for him every year, and soon the couple began collecting even more African American memorabilia at live auctions, online auctions, garage sales, antique houses, and more.In 2016 Roy and Cheryl Copeland gifted their entire African American memorabilia collection to VSUs Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration. African American history, and the preservation thereof, is near and dear to my heart, Roy Copeland said. My wife and I decided that VSU was the best place to house the collection. Its local, and I think we need a place where local folks have access to this material. SPRING 2021 27'