Found 17 collections related to Civil rights -- United States

Maxwell T. Cohen was an attorney who represented South African singer, Miriam Makeba (1932-2008) in the late 1950s, when she was married to musician Hugh Masekela. By 1966, Cohen no longer represented Makeba, but remained friendly and continued to correspond with the family. Makeba separated from Masekela and later married Stokely Carmichael, the former head of Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). The collection consists of copies of 35 letters and items written primarily by Maxwell Cohen to Miriam Makeba, Sibongile "Bongi" Makeba, her only daughter from a previous union, and her two former husbands, Stokely Carmichael (aka Kwame Ture) and musician Hugh Masekela. Subjects of the letters are business-oriented in nature, but there are a few personal letters Cohen penned to Makeba's daughter, "Bongi," urging her to stay in school. The majority of the letters refer to Makeba's business interests in Nassau, The Bahamas, and consist of exchanges between the lawyers and suppliers who were working with her to open a boutique. In response to Carmicheal's anti-Zionist rhetoric (reportedly in 1967, Carmichael publicly proclaimed that "the only good Zionist is a dead Zionist" when Israel was attacked by the armies of several Arab nations), Cohen wrote a three-page letter to Carmichael specifically addressing a clipping (not in the collection) featuring an anti-Jewish Carmichael quote on the involvement of Jewish people in the Civil Rights movement and other human rights struggles. In addition, Cohen wrote letters of a general nature to Masekela, whom he also managed at one point. This collection contains no letters written by Makeba, her daughter, or Carmichael or Masekela. 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

Papers covering Smythe's professional career centering upon research, writing, and university teaching in the fields of sociology and anthropology, with special emphasis on East Asian and African studies. Correspondence including that written about his fieldwork in Nigeria. Smythe's manuscripts for articles, books, book reviews, and speeches pertaining to Africa, Nigeria, Japan, and race relations in the United States. Preliminary data relates to Hugh and Mabel Smythe's book, THE NEW NIGERIAN ELITE (1960). Material relating to Smythe's professional interests and activities includes syllabi, bibliographies, and lecture notes pertaining to his teaching at Yamaguchi National University (Yamaguchi Daigaku) in Japan and Brooklyn College. Also included is material illustrating Smythe's extra-academic interests including United Nations affairs, Crossroads Africa, and civil rights activities. The papers of Mabel Smythe (Hugh Symthe's wife) include a scrapbook, manuscripts, and some correspondence. Of particular interest is her research material on segregation in education, which was used by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People legal staff in the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education barring segregation in public schools. Also, manuscripts of articles and speeches, and some correspondence by W.E.B. Du Bois including "Economic Illiteracy," 1947, and "Race Relations in the U.S.," 1948. 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

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

James Alexander (1691-1756) was counsel for John Peter Zenger during his trial for libel, 1734-1735, in Mount Vernon, Westchester County, New York. The collection consists of papers relating to the trial of John Peter Zenger, written or collected by Alexander. Papers contain letters, notes, articles, legal documents, drafts written by William Smith, Zenger's second counsel, and related papers. less

Author/historian William Loren Katz is the author of "Eyewitness: The Negro in American History" (1967), "The Black West" (1971), "A History of Black Americans" (1973), "Black Indians: a Hidden Heritage" (1986), and other titles about African-American history. The William Loren Katz Manuscript and Research collection contains Katz's research files, drafts, and correspondence related to the research, development and publication of: "Eyewitness: the Negro in American History," "The History of the Black West," "A History of Black Americans," and "Black Indians: a Hidden Heritage." For "The Black West" there are a large number of photographic negative prints. 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

Personal papers including biographical statements, and correspondence with other scholars and African political leaders including E.U. Essien, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, and Nnamdi Azikiwe of Eastern Nigeria. Correspondence, court summonses and subpoenas, petitions, press releases, and printed matter related to Hunton's imprisonment for refusing to submit the records of the Civil Rights Bail Fund to the Dies Committee on Un-American Activities. Other papers concern his teaching activities. Hunton's work for the Encyclopedia Africana Project is represented by administrative files, personnel records, correspondence with Dr. J. Yanney-Wilson, Secretary of the Ghana Academy of Sciences, area editors, and Africanist scholars, and minutes, administrative reports and memoranda. Correspondence with Kwame Nkrumah, 1962-1970; and a clipping file on Nkrumah. Material pertaining to the National Negro Congress consisting mainly of press releases and printed matter relating to the Labor Committee of the Washington Branch of the National Negro Congress, and to the Dies Committee allegation that Hunton was a communist. Hunton's involvement with the Council on African Affairs is represented by correspondence, administrative and financial records, legal and financial documents, and printed matter. less

Records document the varied activities of the National Council of Women, chiefly its executive committee meetings, annual and biennial meetings, conferences, seminars, and other events, and the work of its ad hoc and standing committees, especially the International Hospitality Committee. Collection consists mainly of letters to and from executive committee members and standing committee chairmen; programs, agendas, minutes, and transcripts of meetings and conferences; printed matter, including NCW's newsletters and annual reports; audio tapes; and photographs. General and historical files, 1888-1973, include records relating to the objectives and operations of the NCW, histories of the organization, brochures, and copies of the newsletter. Executive committee meeting files, 1888-1970, include minutes, correspondence, press releases, reports, and other related materials. Executive committee correspondence, 1914-1970, consists of memoranda, form letters, telegrams, and other correspondence to and from committee members and executive directors. Committee files, 1943-1976, contain minutes of meetings of committee chairmen and individual committees, correspondence, annual reports, membership lists, and materials relating to standing, ad hoc and affiliated committees. International Hospitality Committee files, 1949-1973, are made up of minutes of meetings, correspondence, subject files, information sheets and other items. 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

Case files from the Louisiana Civil Rights Congress including pamphlets, legal transcripts and briefs, press releases, news clippings, and correspondence which documents the legal activities of the Congress, particularly its attempt to secure justice for Paul Washington and Ocie Jugger, both sentenced to death on rape charges. Material from Johnson's hearing before the House Un-American Activities Committee, 1957; and manuscripts and materials from his research for several writing projects, including "Marxism and the Negro," "Mask of Justice," and a "Glossary of Twenty-five Historic Civil Rights Cases." Also, notes, source materials, and manuscripts of his extensive writings on civil liberties and segregation, together with material concerning a trip through the South in 1957. 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

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." This collection includes the files of executive secretaries John P. Davis, Edward Strong, and Revels Cayton, as well as financial records. less