Philip J. Merrill

Philip J. Merrill

Philip J. Merrill contributes to

Port of Harlem's"Praising the Past" department.

Dr. Philip J. Merrill is a nationally recognized expert in African American history and material culture. His specialties include African American historical research, oral history and collecting and interpreting cultural artifacts. An appraiser with the PBS television show Antiques Roadshow for six years, he lectures extensively on African American history.

The owner of an extensive and eclectic collection of Black Americana, Merrill has exhibited widely at museums, schools and universities, national conferences and a variety of other settings. His presentations emphasize the accomplishments and positive contributions that African Americans have made to American society over the course of its history.

Merrill has authored two books, The Black America Series: Baltimore and The Art of Collecting Black Memorabilia, and edited a third, The Black Battalion That Built the Alcan Highway, by William E. Griggs.

Merrill founded and owns Nanny Jack & Co., which produces lectures and exhibits pertaining to African American history.