Found 49 collections related to African Americans -- Civil rights

The all-Black 99th Pursuit Squadron was created by the U.S. Army in 1941, with the proviso that the pilots would be strictly segregated. The airfield at Tuskegee, Alabama, was chosen as their training site, thus they became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen Trainees: Freeman Field Mutiny collection consists of documents relating to a case of racial discrimination that resulted in the arrest of over a hundred African American officers and their subsequent exoneration. less

The Ross Thalheimer papers consist of materials related to Thalheimer's activities as a civil rights supporter from the 1940s to the 1970s. Files relate primarily to the funding and presentation of the Thalheimer Award to the National Urban League, including the prize winning essays written by students, and the Thalheimer Awards he funded for the NAACP, including information about the recipients and associated programs, 1942-1976. The collection also contains letters from Kenneth B. Clark and Lester B. Granger; typescripts of interviews given by Thalheimer; copies of an advertisement placed in The New York Times in 1964 by the Psychologists' Committee on Interracial Relations concerning violence and race relations; and telegrams to Thalheimer from Martin Luther King, Jr., inviting him to join King on what would become known as the Selma to Montgomery March on March 9 and 21, 1965. Also included are an address that Thalheimer delivered in 1940 called "The Need for Equal Educational Opportunity in a Democracy"; an article that he wrote entitled "What Can the Church Do About Juvenile Delinquency", 1954; biographical information about Thalheimer prepared by his widow; and expressions of sympathy upon his death. less

Research files on organizations, individuals, and subjects collected for Kennedy's books, I RODE WITH THE KU KLUX KLAN (1954) and SOUTHERN EXPOSURE (1946), and newspaper and magazine articles. Includes correspondence, transcripts of articles, first person accounts of Klan meetings, notes, newspaper and magazine clippings, and printed material including publications. Subjects include the Klan in Georgia and Tennessee; Klan leaders such as J.B Stoner; the Columbians, a Georgia white power group; the Christian Americans and the right-to-work movement in the 1940s; and Georgia politics, including Eugene and Herman Tallmadge. less

Claudia Cumberbatch Jones rose through the ranks of the Communist Party-USA to become one of its leaders. Between 1948 and 1955, she was arrested several times and imprisoned for violations of the Smith Act. She was deported to England in December 1955. Jones spent the last fourteen years of her life actively participating in the struggles of oppressed and poor people throughout the world. At the end of her life, Jones had earned the titles of "political theorist" and "activist" nationally and internationally. The Claudia Jones Research collection consists of material compiled by author Marika Sherwood during her research for a biography on Jones entitled Claudia Jones: A Life in Exile. less

This collection consists largely of correspondence; included are letters from Joel E. Spingarn to Amy Spingarn written during the 1914-1915 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) speaking tour; letters to Amy Spingarn regarding researcher access to the Joel E. Spingarn collections at the Moorland Collection at Howard University and the James Weldon Johnson Collection at Yale University; and letters to W.E.B. Du Bois. Additional material includes information regarding the opening of Joel E. Spingarn High School in Washington, D.C.; a 1898 speech; NAACP printed material; articles by and about Arthur Spingarn, Joel's brother; a typescript by Jacques Roumain on Vodun (voodoo); and other printed material. less

The J. Alfred Smith, Sr. Papers primarily document Smith's roles as author, pastor of the Allen Baptist Temple Church (ATBC) and his activities with the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc (PNBC) as well as other church organizations. Over half of the papers document Smith's career during the 1970s and '80s as pastor of ATBC and president of the PNBC. Smith's papers include very little documentation on his career and professional activities during the 1950s and '60s, his vice presidency and presidency of the Progressive State Baptist Convention of California and Nevada headquartered in Los Angeles, or his first and second vice presidencies of the PNBC. less

A former editor of the Daily Worker and member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party, U.S.A., James E. Jackson was educated at Howard University, Goddard College, and Moscow University. A former trade-union organizer and co-founder of the Southern Negro Youth Congress, he participated as a field researcher in the Carnegie-Myrdal study, "The Negro in America". He was indicted under the Smith Act in the 1950s, and lived for several years as a political refugee, until the reversal of the verdict against him and his co-defendants. He contributed many theoretical articles to the literature of the communist world, especially on issues of labor, the civil rights movement, and the national question as it related to Blacks in the United States. This collection consists of speeches, articles and essays on communism, world politics, and the civil rights movement in the United States, published mainly in Political Affairs, the theoretical organ of the Communist Party, USA. Also includes are Jackson's master's thesis, "The Dialectics of National Liberation" (1973), and "Stalin's Thought Illuminates: Problems of the Negro Freedom Struggle", written under the pseudonym of Charles P. Mann. (1953). less

Henry C. Bunton's papers consist of personal papers, writings, chaplaincy records, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church records, and correspondence. These papers principally document Bunton's role as a bishop with the C.M.E. Church. Church records consist of copies of sermons, office files, correspondence, denominational records, pamphlets and related material from his years in the ministry. Denominational records include correspondence with other bishops from the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church such as J. Claude Allen, Norris S. Curry, Chester Kirkendoll, Elisha P. Murchison, P. Randolph Shy, and P. Julian Smith regarding plans for meetings, annual conferences, expansion of the church and other church activities. There is also correspondence with individual pastors, and officers from the many member churches in Bunton's district regarding requests for assignments and transfers, securing property and other church business, as well as financial reports. Among the churches represented are Israel Metropolitan Church in Greenville, South Carolina; Mount Olive Cathedral in Memphis, Tennessee; and Russell Memorial Church in Durham, North Carolina. less

The James S. Watson Papers, 1913-1991, document his career as a judge, his legal decisions and opinions, his numerous civic and community activities, and his personal and family life. The Papers consist of correspondence, legal documents, minutes, writings, financial records, clippings and printed material. The Personal Papers include biographical material and correspondence to and from family, friends, and acquaintances, both in Jamaica and the United States. Letters from son James to his parents while serving during World War II are located in the Personal Papers and the Family Papers series where additional family correspondence is filed. Although material prior to 1930 is sketchy, the Professional Series documents the entirety of Watson's working career and his electoral campaigns. Of special interest in this series are two files located in the General File sub-series which deal with cases filed by the Newspaper Guild of New York against The New York Amsterdam News in 1936 and 1937, respectively, regarding the firing of city editor Ted Poston and reporter Henry Lee Moon in 1936 and editor Obie McCullum and sports writer and theater critic Roi Ottley in 1937. On both occasions Watson acted as arbitrator. Watson's professional life is further documented in the Speeches and Writings series, as is his role in the Harlem and West Indian communities which is also recorded in the collection's Civic and Community Activities series. Overall, the Civic and Community Activities series contain correspondence, requests for aid, meeting notices, minutes and reports from the Harlem Branch of the Young Men's Christian Association, the Harlem Adult Education Committee and various labor and civil rights groups. The General File series contain requests for immigration and financial assistance as well as correspondence from Claude McKay and editor A.M.Wendell Malliet with whom Watson consulted regarding a projected autobiography. less

Victoria (Vicki) Garvin was an African-American trade union and political activist as well as a pan-Africanist and internationalist. The Vicki Garvin papers document aspects of Garvin's work as a trade union organizer, especially among African-Americans in the 1950s; her teaching experience in Shanghai (1964-1970); and her support of communism both in the United States and China. less

James Reese Europe, Jr., son of the well-known African-American musician James Reese Europe (1881-1919) and dancer Bessie Simms, was a seaman in the Merchant Marines during World War II. In 1942 the Marine Firemen's, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers Association attempted to have Europe discharged in direct violation of Presidential Order 8802 of the Fair Employment Act. With the support of the War Manpower Commission and many on board the ship, Europe was permitted to continue in his position. Over time he moved up from wiper (entry-level position) to deck engineer, and with his captain's recommendation he attended officer's candidate school and returned to sea as an ensign in the U.S. Maritime Service. By the time of his discharge in 1946, Europe had been promoted to lieutenant and had received recognition for his work in the Middle East, Pacific and Atlantic war zones. The James Reese Europe, Jr. Papers consists primarily of photocopies of documents related to a case of discrimination during World War II in direct violation of Executive Order 8802, involving James Reese Europe, Jr. and the Marine Firemen, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers Association in San Francisco (1942). Several documents provide the details of the case from the perspective of the Bay Area Council Against Discrimination, which assisted Europe in presenting his case to the Committee on Fair Employment Practices and to the War Manpower Commission. The union's viewpoint is also represented. Included are originals and copies of certificates, awards, and discharge papers, in addition to letters and documents dealing with his termination from the New York City Police Department on charges of alleged subversive activities related to the aforementioned discrimination case. less

High school teacher and civil rights advocate in New York City. Correspondence, political files, and printed material documenting Lane's opposition to racial discrimination and war. Includes letters from World War II soldiers relating to discrimination in the military, and material on the 14th amendment, National Committee on Rural Schools, and the Socialist Party, on whose ticket Lane ran for office. less

The Lester A. Walton Papers document his diversified careers as a journalist, diplomat, and civic leader and consist of personal papers, material on his entertainment and journalistic careers, his tenure as the American representative to Liberia, his political activities, general correspondence, and printed matter. less

Personal papers, family and general correspondence, writings, field notes and research materials, working papers, office files and printed matter documenting Ralph Bunche's personal life and professional career, from his enrollment at the University of California to his retirement in 1971. less

This collection consists of photocopies of FBI documents related to Ralph Bunche, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The files include the text of his Nobel Peace Prize address, a transcription of his statements to the FBI, and summaries of interviews with former colleagues at Howard University. less

William Haywood Burns was a civil rights activist, lawyer, educator and dean of the City University of New York Law School at Queens College. He is the author of The Voices of Negro Protest in America, published in 1963. A graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School, Burns served as legal counsel to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund Inc., from 1967-1969. He was one of the founding members and became the first director (1970-1973) of the National Council of Black Lawyers (NCBL), an organization that helped to acquit Angela Davis of murder and kidnapping charges that also represented other black political activists, including Black Panther members and Vietnam War resisters. Highly recognized for his work with the Attica prison uprising in 1971, Burns spent much of his career working tirelessly to recruit more people of color into the legal field, and was committed to educating lawyers about the complexities of representing underserved communities for the public good. Also active in the anti-apartheid for a quarter of a decade, Burns was a member of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers. During one of his trips to South Africa, he was killed by a speeding lorry. The Haywood Burns Papers is organized into seven series: Personal, Correspondence, Legal, Writings, City University of New York (CUNY), Subject Files and Organizations. The majority of the Papers represent Burns' legal work and the various organizations with which he was connected including the National Council of Black Lawyers, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Community Service Society of New York, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, National Lawyers Guild, ACLU's National Prison Project, New World Foundation, Twenty-First Century Foundation, and the Vera Institute of Justice. less

Since the early 1960's August Meier has been a major force in the study of African-American history in his examination of late nineteenth and twentieth century America by his application of rigorous social and intellectual analysis. Meier was actively involved in the civil rights movement and studied its origins and development. He taught at three historic black colleges followed by twenty years at Kent State University. As editor of two major series on blacks in America, he influenced scholars and students alike. less

Collection primarily relates to Pickens' work as NAACP Field Secretary and Director of Branches, and contains a great deal of correspondence with NAACP officials. Of interest is material chronicling Pickens' and the NAACP's involvement in the Scottsboro Case in Alabama. Correspondents relating to the NAACP include James Weldon Johnson, Walter Francis White, Mary White Ovington, Arthur B. Spingarn, Joel E. Spingarn, Roy Wilkins, Thurgood Marshall, and W. E. B. Du Bois. Other correspondence is between Pickens and friends, acquaintances, fellow scholars, and business associates. There is correspondence with many organizations with which Pickens was involved, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, League for Industrial Democracy, Socialist Party of America, National Council of the Young Men's and Women's Christian Association, American Committee for the Protection of the Foreign Born, and the Council for Pan American Democracy. Correspondents include Claude A. Barnett and Percival L. Prattis of the Associated Negro Press, and other individuals in government, education, and church affairs, among them John Haynes Holmes of the Community Church of New York. Writings are primarily composed of typescripts (manuscripts and editorials), speeches, and mimeographed Associated Negro Press columns and newspaper clippings of articles and editorials written by Pickens. Subjects dealt with in these different formats cover a wide range and serve to reveal Pickens' broad interests and intellectual scope. less

Educator, writer, founder of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Material consists of letters from Washington to Emily Howland, a benefactor of the Tuskegee Institute. Letters cover a wide variety of issues, including requests for financial assistance, progress reports, and annual reports of the Board of Directors of the Institute, as well as informal reports on his activities. The letters reveal frank expressions of his feelings regarding criticism he received from blacks, 1904; his surprise at being asked to speak at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, 1895, where he delivered his now-famous accomodationist speech; and a forceful statement of support for black people's efforts to protect their constitutional rights, 1900. Also, several letters in which he discussed the administrative problems at the Kowaliga School, a school for black children in Alabama, 1896-1898, and the response to his autobiographical articles which appeared in OUTLOOK MAGAZINE. Letters to Francis Jackson Garrison, son of the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, deal with diverse subjects including the conflict between Washington and William Monroe Trotter, editor of the BOSTON GLOBE. Letters regarding the Brownsville affair, 1906, and the Atlanta riot of 1906. Also, letters from Mrs. Margaret Washington to Emily Howland. less

Civic leader of New York City and a major figure in local Democratic Party activities. Official correspondence, minute books, press releases, photographs, invitations, annual convention and activity programs, printed material, and news clippings, chiefly relating to Adams' participation in various social, political, and civic organizations in New York, including the Aeolian Ladies of Charity, Democratic Club, Friends of the Northside Center, a child guidance center for the prevention of delinquency and maladjustment, Harlem Cooperating Committee on Relief and Unemployment, Harlem Hospital Chaplaincy Committee, Nannie H. Burroughs Philanthropic Club, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, National Committee for the American Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Liberia, National Council of Negro Women, New York State Committee on Discrimination in Housing, New York Urban League, New York World's Fair Committee of Negro Women, and the Utopia Neighborhood Club, a nursery center for small children, as well as several local New York City organizations. Also included are personal papers and memorabilia. less

Curtis Powell, African-American scientist and Black Panther Party member, was born in Orange, New Jersey in 1935, and died in Queens, New York in 2002. After serving in the military, he studied Chemistry, first at Seton Hall University, then abroad before receiving his PhD from the University of Stockholm in 1968. Upon his return to New York, Powell joined the Black Panther Party (BPP). A year later, despite limited evidence, Powell and twenty other BPP members (eventually known as the "Panthers 21") were jailed for over two years before being acquitted. Following his release, Powell moved to Africa and developed a vaccine for Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). He returned to the United States in 1994 to try to bring his vaccine into production. The Curtis Powell Papers contain letters, research data, scientific reports (most in several drafts), published articles, presentations, and patent documentation for his vaccine, as well as copies of Black Panther Party documents and publications, including organization and planning documents for the BPP's 25th Anniversary Celebration. less

The National Negro Congress was established in 1936 to "secure the right of the Negro people to be free from Jim Crowism, segregation, discrimination, lynching, and mob violence" and "to promote the spirit of unity and cooperation between Negro and white people". It was conceived as a national coalition of church, labor, and civil rights organizations that would coordinate protest action in the face of deteriorating economic conditions for blacks. Executive secretaries were John P. Davis, 1935-1942; Edward Strong, 1943; and Revels Cayton, 1945-1947. This folder contains a National Negro Congress (NNC) constitution; a proclamation of the "Negro History Week in Chicago"; a memo; and general correspondence to delegates and constituents. Letter writers include NNC President Max Yergan and Edward E. Strong. less

Sammy Price was a recording artist, house pianist, recording supervisor, and band leader at Decca Records in New York. Additionally, he was the Executive Director of Neighborhood Board no. 2. The Sammy Price Papers, 1929-1992, consist of materials pertaining to his musical and political career. less

Richard F. Parrish papers (Additions 2) include personal materials and subject files for the following organizations: American Federation of Teachers (Executive Council Proceedings, the 1968 New York City teachers' strike and decentralization), the United Federation of Teachers (Black Caucus), the National Afro-American Labor Council, and the Community Teachers Association. There is also printed matter including newspapers, magazine clippings, and material from the American Federation of Teachers and National African-American Labor Council conventions. less

The Bureau of Social Science Research (BSSR), which existed from 1950-1986, was a non-profit research agency created to conduct research in basic and applied social science. Albert E. Gollin (1930-l999), a media sociologist, was a research associate of the BSSR. The Bureau of Social Science research files are comprised of materials from the two sociological studies for which Albert Gollin was the principal investigator, the March on Washington (l963) and the Poor People's Campaign (l968). less

Harry Haywood was an African American member of the Communist Party who became a leading proponent of the theory that Blacks in the South, who were oppressed by Jim Crow laws and a system of serfdom (sharecropping), constituted a separate nation and had the right of self-determination. The Harry Haywood papers, 1948-1981, consist of typescripts of articles, speeches and book manuscripts; correspondence; photocopies of journal articles; and materials related to the Communist Party USA and several of its offshoots. less