The Frederick W. Wells Papers consist of letters, telegrams and newsclippings documenting a cross burning incident by the Ku Klux Klan as part of an effort by white students to have Wells, an African American Columbia University School of Law...
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The Frederick W. Wells Papers consist of letters, telegrams and newsclippings documenting a cross burning incident by the Ku Klux Klan as part of an effort by white students to have Wells, an African American Columbia University School of Law student, removed from his on-campus dormitory. The collection dates from January through May of 1924 and consists primarily of 61 letters of support from organizations, friends and members of the public, both Black and white. The letters came from supporters primarily in the United States, although the West Indies is also represented. Letter writers include: William M. Ashby, Executive Secretary of the New Jersey Urban League; J. B. Matthews, President of the Wilberforce Club of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Rev. John W. Robinson of St. Mark's Methodist Episcopal Church in New York City; and Jedediah Tingle, philanthropist. A letter from the Dean of the Law School, Herbert E. Hawkes, reassured Wells's father, Charles W. Wells, that safety precautions were being taken to protect his son.
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