Found 17 collections related to African Americans -- Social conditions

The Walter White Papers consists of writings, letters, contracts, printed matter, reports and financial records. The bulk of the collection consists of White's writings, including two published articles "Negro Segregation Comes North" (1925) and the "Negro and the Supreme Court" (1931), and two manuscripts entitled "Crossing the Color Line" and "Over the Color Line," which focus on "passing." There is also an unpublished manuscript, research material, notes and character sketches for "Blackjack" a work of fiction that deals with African Americans in the sport of boxing; and a description of the tableaux scenes for "Batoula", possibly based on the novel by René Maran, which was cast in Dahomey. There are also poems written by White's friend, Grace Mott Johnson (1928-1929). less

Lillian Wise Ross married World War I veteran, Ira Eugene Ross, in 1919. Their daughter, Dorothy Eleanor Ross, was married to Walter Franklin Anderson, an accomplished musician and the grandson of freed slaves. The Lillian Ross Letters consist of a few personal letters between Ross and her daughter, Dorothy, and son-in-law, Walter Franklin Anderson. Written in 1946, they concern shortages of household items in the village of Yellow Springs, Ohio, during the post-war period. There is a letter written by Anderson to his future mother-in-law explaining that he is the director of music at Karamu House; a flyer advertising his performance in 1942; and correspondence regarding Ross's claims for financial compensation as a veteran's widow. less

The W.E.B Du Bois collection consists of a small body of speeches, articles, correspondence, and related material primarily authored by Du Bois. Of special interest is a typescript, with editorial comments, of the first two chapters of Du Bois's autobiography Dusk of Dawn: An Essay Toward an Autobiography of a Race Concept (1940-1942). The collection also includes a typescript of an article entitled "Miscegenation" (1935). There are thirteen speeches and a book review, ranging in subject matter from "The Talented Tenth", a tribute to Dr. Carter F. Woodson, race relations, labor issues, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Mahatma Gandhi. One of the speeches, "What the Negro Wants in 1948", was delivered at a meeting of the NAACP. 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

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

The Hosea Hudson Papers document this labor leader and communist organizer's political activities in Alabama and the Communist Party's attitude toward labor and the rights of African Americans. The bulk of the collection, dating from 1952 to 1958, consists mainly of Communist Party material: reports, memoranda, resolutions and printed matter. Subjects reflected in these papers are labor-unions, farm labor, unemployment, industrial workers, segregation, and the right of African Americans to vote. Hudson's writings are represented by drafts of two books: "Black Worker in the Deep South: A Personal Record" Written by Hudson (1972) and "The Narrative of Hosea Hudson: His Life as a Negro Communist in the South" written by Nell Irvin Painter (1979), and of several unpublished works, in addition to book reviews, notes and some correspondence. Hudson's intensive trade-union involvement at the Wallwork Foundry of the Tennessee Coal and Railroad Company and the Jackson Foundry in the 1930's and 1940's are sparsely documented. 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 T. Thomas Fortune Scrapbook consists primarily of clippings of Fortune's articles from the "New York Age," 1890-1898, in which he discussed events and issues affecting African Americans nationwide as well as overseas. There are also articles from other newspapers such as the "Evening Telegram, the "New York Sun," the "Texas Morning News, the "Galveston Daily" and the "Brooklyn Daily Eagle," some of which he authored, and articles written about him by fellow journalists, 1889-1904. 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

This collection consists of ten letters from George Padmore (1903 - 1959) to his friend and confidant Cryil Ollivierre, MD, a fellow Trinidadian. The letters are informal and warm, summarizing some of the major events taking place in Padmore's life at that time. His views of the world and people are also expressed in his letters. The collection includes a booklet, The Voice of Coloured Labour: The Speeches and Reports of Colonial Delegates to the World Trade Union Conference, 1945. 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

Lyonel C. Florant, an African American economist, was employed by the Carnegie Corporation's "Study of the Negro in America" project. Florant authored several documents for the project, and he, along with others, completed the report, "Negro Population Movements, 1860 to 1940: In Relation to Social and Economic Factors". The Lyonel C. Florant papers consist of reports and some research files Florant prepared and gathered primarily regarding African American migration and population studies across the country, mostly for the Negro in America study. less