CLIR Hidden Collections Grant

by Brenda Tindal, Graduate Processing Assistant, Auburn Avenue Research Library and MARBL Woodruff Fellow

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

If the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” were of literal value, then, Andrew Young’s photograph collection far exceeds the American lexicon. Indeed, the Andrew J. Young, Jr. Papers at the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American History and Culture consists of thousands of photographs. This generous catalog of images captures the tender moments he shared with his family and friends, and it traces his illustrious career as clergyman, civil and human rights advocate, congressman, UN ambassador, Mayor of Atlanta, gubernatorial candidate, and businessman. While the task of processing a series of such breadth was a challenge, it was, nonetheless “an easy burden.”

By Laura J. Thomson, Director of Processing

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

Last month’s blog entry for the Amistad Research Center highlighted the collection of oral history interviews with Andrew Young in the Tom Dent Papers. The final processing of the entire audiovisual holdings in the Dent Papers and the posting of this information in the ">online finding aid has just been completed and the reality of the breath and scope of Dent’s pursuit of documenting the modern Civil Rights Movement has now been revealed. Thanks to the grant that Amistad received from the Council on Library and Information Resources, the Center’s creation of its online finding aid database is allowing the Center to reveal its rich, yet previously hidden holdings, on the Civil Rights Movement.

by Rebecca Sherman, Graduate Processing Assistant, Southern Christian Leaderhip Conference records, MARBL

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

SCLC began airing Martin Luther King Speaks, a weekly thirty minute radio program, in early 1967.  The program, which initially aired speeches and sermons by Martin Luther King, Jr., was an innovative expansion of SCLC’s public relations efforts.  Following the assassination of King in April 1968, SCLC continued to broadcast the program.  The leadership of SCLC used MLK Speaks as a platform for publicizing campaigns and direct action efforts, with Ralph David Abernathy, Andrew J. Young, and other staff members frequently appearing on the air. 

By Christopher Harter, Director of Library and Reference Services, Amistad Research Center

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

The Andrew Young Oral History Collection, found within the papers of New Orleans writer and oral historian Tom Dent at the Amistad Research Center, encompasses 50 individual interviews conducted from 1980 to 1985 as part of Dent’s work on the autobiography of his childhood friend, Andrew Young.  As early as 1979, Dent was working on the autobiography, though he wasn’t officially hired as a consultant until 1981-1982, and he continued to work on the book until 1986. Dent traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to conduct a series of interviews with Young before beginning to research Young’s early days in New Orleans and civil rights era history for the draft of the book, with the working title “An Easy Burden.”

By Sarah Quigley, Project Archivist, Southern Christian Leadership Conference records, MARBL

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

The records of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference were acquired by Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL) in 2007.  When MARBL received the CLIR Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant in 2009, I was hired to manage the processing of the collection.  Over the past year, my team has made great strides toward fully arranging and describing this significant collection.  I’ve been fortunate to spend these months working with an amazing group of graduate students who have dedicated themselves to making this collection available for research:  Becky Sherman, Michael Hall, Danica Tisdale and Brenda Tindal.

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

By Allison Hughes, Archival Assistant, Voter Education Project Collection

Vernon Jordan took control of Voter Education Project while it was finding its place in a changing society. Though the project was still under the Southern Regional Council, VEP became responsible for educating citizens and leaders after Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. VEP also began expanding the scope of VEP activities.

By Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Auburn Avenue Research Library

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

After winning the 1976 Presidential election, Jimmy Carter said he had one person in particular to thank – Andrew Young, and appointed him to United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Winning Senate approval with an 89-3 vote, on January 30, 1977, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall swore him into his new position. As Carter joked Young was the first Cabinet member to receive more applause then the President, Young became the highest ranked and, at times, the most controversial African-American in the country.