The Gwendolyn Blackburn Collection reflects the life and work of a photojournalist and an involved church and denominational leader. Dr. Gwendolyn Blackburn documented African American church life in song and sermon, primarily, but not exclusively, in the Baptist denomination in Kentucky.  The Collection contains photographs, film, videos, recordings and related print items and ephemera, including bulletins and printed programs, of a variety of religious and non-church events Blackburn has covered since 1997. The sacred materials relate to conventions, installations, milestones, pastoral funerals, special church services, and related activities, including those of gospel artist Jason Clayborn. Coverage of secular occasions involves dedications, civic activities, academic lectures, local situations, and inaugurations among others.

Gwen Blackburn lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where she is a long-time member of the historic St. Stephen Baptist Church and serves as Sports Information Director for Simmons College, an Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) school. She attended Santa Monica College and LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis. She considers photojournalism and recording history a “ministry of love and devotion.”