Jill Nelson papers

1985-2002

Jill Nelson was born and raised in Harlem and has been a journalist for over twenty years. She is the author of the memoir, "Volunteer Slavery: My Authentic Negro Experience" (1993), "Straight," "No Chaser: How I Became A Grown-Up Black Woman" (1997), "Sexual Healing," (2003), "Finding Martha's Vineyard: African Americans at Home on an Island" (2005) and editor of "Police Brutality: An Anthology" (2000). Nelson's work has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Essence, The Washington Post, The Nation, Ms., The Chicago Tribune and the Village Voice. The Jill Nelson papers document Nelson's career as a writer and editor and press agent for C. Vernon Mason's campaign for Manhattan District Attorney. There is also promotional material and reviews for Nelson's books, as well as research notebooks and other materials, and articles she wrote for various publications. Additionally, there is a file containing information about Nelson's stint as a press agent, and her involvement with the Mike Tyson Parade in Harlem after his release from jail in 1995; the protest of the police killing of Amadou Diallo in 1999; and a file of correspondence created by Nelson while she was an adjunct professor at City College of New York.