Found 22 collections related to Black author

The Harlem Writers Guild was established in 1950 and is the oldest organization of African-American writers in the United States. Originally founded as the Harlem Writers Club by John Henrik Clarke, Rosa Guy and John Oliver Killens, it was created as a forum for emerging African-American writers in New York City who felt alienated from the white literary mainstream. The Guild helped nurture African-American literary talent since its inception. Prominent members include Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Terry McMillan, and Louise Meriwether. The Harlem Writers Guild Press was established in 2000 as an imprint to publish the literary works of its members. The Harlem Writers Guild Records collection consists of the work of two Guild members, Grace F. Edwards and K.C. Washington. The collection contains nine manuscripts of published books and unpublished material, including three annotated manuscripts, spanning circa 1998 to 2009. Edwards is the author of the popular Mali Anderson Mystery series. The collection contains three annotated manuscripts: A Toast Before Dying (1998), Do or Die (2000), and The Viaduct (2003). It also includes the manuscript for No Time to Die (The Cereal/Serial Killer) (1999). The collection also includes a manuscript of Washington's debut novel Mourning Becomes Her, which was first published by Harlem Writers Guild Press in 2006, as well as two unpublished manuscripts: "Beauty" (2009) and "Mad River" (2000-2005). less

The Gay Men of African Descent, Inc. records (1986 - 1998) document the development of the largest black, gay-run, educational, social and political organization in the United States. Records include board of directors materials, a fairly comprehensive collection of newsletters, and information on GMAD's funding sources. Documentation on the organization's earliest years are augmented by transcripts of oral history interviews with both early and active members. less

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was one of the most renowned and celebrated voices in American literature. The Maya Angelou papers consist of original manuscripts, computer generated typescripts, galleys, and proofs of published work as well as manuscripts for unpublished work and dozens of poems. Additionally, there is personal and professional correspondence, teaching files, printed matter, and materials from public and academic appearances and engagements. less

The New Heritage Theatre Group records consists of playbills, broadsides, flyers, playscripts, correspondence and printed matter relating to the organization's productions and events from 1965-2015. Of particular note are original playscripts and production materials for the South African musical "Sarafina!" (1988-1991) and flyers and announcements for a play reading series entitled "Voices of Griots" (1991-1996). There is also a biographical file for Roger Furman. less

Anthony Horton was an African-American man who for a period of his life was homeless and lived in the tunnels beneath the subway trains. Together with author/artist Youme Landowne, Horton wrote and illustrated "Pitch Black: Don't be Skerd" (2008) which tells the story of how the two met, his background and his life underground. Horton worked with the Theater of Oppressed NYC, frequently playing the role of a police officer in the troupe's performances. He died in a fire that ripped through his underground home. The Anthony Horton Collection consists of a mock-up for the book he and Youme Landowne wrote and illustrated together, "Pitch Black: Don't be Skerd," about Horton's life in the tunnels under the New York City subway system, and letters he wrote to his co-author/friend from 2009-2010. The letters discuss their friendship and his thoughts; most were written while he was an inmate in Downstate Correctional facility in Fishkill, New York. According to Landowne, he was incarcerated because of possession of an antique knife that he wanted to sell. There are additional writings along with original artwork and illustrations. less

Arthur (originally Arturo) Alfonso Schomburg was a collector of books and manuscripts pertaining to black history and culture, whose collection formed the basis for the Schomburg Center for Black Culture. This collection includes typewritten manuscripts written by Schomburg, a memorial tribute by Alain Locke, and genealogical research conducted by his descendants. less

Ira Gollobin, an immigration rights attorney and author, served as pro bono counselor to refugees from all over the world including Nazi Germany and Duvalierist Haiti. His work with Haitian refugees, the purview of this collection, began in 1974. In this capacity he served as lead counsel on several major cases that were pivotal to the rights of Haitian refugees, the so-called "boat people." Gollobin's critical role as lead counsel was as important as his active role in developing grassroots organizations that made the public aware and active in Haitian refugee legislation issues. Through his affiliation with major organizations such as Church World Service and the communist founded American Committee for the Protection of the Foreign Born, he created channels for Haitian-American led coalitions such as the National Coalition for Haitian Rights and Haitian Refugee Center, two prominent activist organizations, to form and help steer the campaign for the rights of Haitian refugees. He organized a broad-based strategy that combined legal advocacy to secure basic freedoms for Haitians with long-term policy arguments aimed at granting thousands of Haitian immigrants the right to due process in filing asylum claims. The Haitian Refugee Collection, 1972-2004, documents Ira Gollobin's involvement in multiple legal battles related to Haitian political asylum from the 1970s to the early 1990s. The collection highlights much of the legal and organizational features of the plight of Haitian refugees entering the United States in the late twentieth century. It represents one particular U.S. immigration discourse and the different treatment accorded to some refugees. The collection consists largely of drafts and copies of legal documents, meeting summaries, public outreach material that includes petitions, flyers, pamphlets, and other galvanizing materials; administrative papers from his various organizational affiliations; and research material for refugee asylum and cases. It covers the latter part of Gollobin's legal career beginning with his tenure as a legal consultant for the National Council of Churches in 1974, and continuing through his advocacy and consultant work until 2004 on behalf of Haitian organizations. less

The Frederick O'Neal Papers document the theatrical, labor, and civic activities of this actor and labor leader, mostly from the 1940s through the 1990s. The collection consists primarily of personal papers, correspondence, speeches and addresses, writing, and information about the theatrical productions in which he appeared. There are also research materials about the 19th century African-American actor, Ira Aldridge, and files pertaining to the many organizations with which O'Neal was associated. less

The Joseph A. Boromé papers consists of his published and unpublished writings on Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian revolution, the island of Dominica, the English and African-American abolitionists John Candler and Robert Purvis, the Underground Railroad, the First Vigilant Committee of Philadelphia, and the African-American spiritualist lecturer and trance medium Paschal Beverly Randolph. The collection also includes research correspondence, notes, copies of historical documents and scrapbooks. One of the scrapbooks contains news clippings about Boromé's early career as a librarian at Columbia University and as the recipient of two research fellowships (1943-1953), as well as reviews he wrote for library journals. The other scrapbook documents his research trip to Dominica in 1953. Additional material in this collection include lists of Dominican and Barbadian organizations in New York City, his doctoral dissertation The Life and Letters of Justin Winsor, letters written to his mother Edith Boromé from 1947 to 1971, several drawings by Boromé, and family memorabilia including materials pertaining to the Dominica Benevolent Association and to his father Louis J. Boromé (1888-1922). less

The Cyril D. Tyson Papers consist of documents Tyson compiled for the publication of his three monographs. The first of the books is "The 'Unconditional War' on Poverty and the Use of Computer Technology by Community Action Agencies, 1965-1972. As this book covers the use of computer technology by community action agencies between 1965 and 1972 in New York City, Boston, Hartford, St. Louis, Missouri, Harris County in Texas, the Ozarks in Missouri, and Wisconsin, the files pertain to these geographic localities. Included are interviews, many case study drafts, correspondence with administrators from other agencies during the period Tyson served as the deputy administrator of Community Relations in New York City's Human Resources Administration, reports he prepared, and office memoranda, 1970-1972. 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

Personal and professional papers, writings, office files and printed matter documenting Preston Wilcox's dual career as an educator and community organizer. Included are biographical and autobiographical narratives; some correspondence and organization files; an extensive writings series; proposals, minutes, reports and other documents dating from 1958 to 1965 pertaining to the East Harlem Project, the East Harlem Summer Festival, and the Massive Economic Neighborhood Development (MEND); confidential files from the 1964 Princeton Summer Studies Program, the pilot project for the pre-college Upward Bound program; compilations of material on public schools, decentralization and community control; and Afram's surviving records. Some of the main themes explored in the writings are: decentralization and parental decision-making, community organization and economic development, Black Power versus integration, social policy and white racism, empowering the poor, and black studies and black schools. The Afram files comprise the following subseries: Administrative, Publications, Parent Participation in Follow Through, Malcolm X Lovers Network and Vertical Files. The latter two categories are compilations of articles and other printed matter, with editorial notes by Wilcox, on Malcolm X, and on selected topics and personalities, including education, community control, reparations, Harlem, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Jr., Kwame Toure (Stokely Carmichael) and Leonard Jeffries. less

The Ann Petry papers document the professional, social, and family life of writer Ann Petry (1908-1997). With the publication of her 1946 debut novel titled, The Street, Petry became the first US black woman author to sell over a million copies. The collection consists of personal and professional correspondence, manuscripts, clippings and printed matter, and personal memorabilia. less

Archie Smith, Jr. was the James and Clarice Foster Professor of Pastoral Psychology and Counseling at PSR and the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California until 2011. The Archie Smith Jr. Papers document Smith's career as a pastor, scholar, and counselor and reflect his interest in placing individual and family experiences within the context of larger social, cultural, and spiritual systems. less

Gertrude Hadley Jeannette was an actor, playwright, director, and producer. Additionally, she is believed to be the first woman to get a taxi license and drive a cab in New York City. Her papers consist of personal material, correspondence, printed matter, and drafts and manuscripts of her writing. less

Bruce Morrow (1963-) is a writer and the co-editor (with Charles Rowell) of Shade: An Anthology of Fiction by Gay Men of African Descent, published in 1996 by Avon Books. The Bruce Morrow Shade Anthology collection contains material documenting the publishing history of Shade, along with some personal papers, including writings, of Bruce Morrow himself. less

Joe Johnson (1940-2019) was a poet and writer who was a member of the Umbra Poets Workshop, a group of young Black writers who met on New York City's Lower East Side from 1962 to 1965 to conduct readings and discuss writing and politics. The Joe Johnson papers consist largely of writings—mostly poetry and fiction, with some drama and nonfiction—by Johnson, as well as notebooks, personal and professional files, and printed material. less