CLIR Hidden Collections Grant

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.

Many know journalist Stone Phillips from his work on NBC’s “Dateline.”  However, many people don’t know that in the summer of 1977, he worked for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  Following his graduation from Yale University, Phillips received a grant from the United Methodist Church to plan and implement a summer reading program for juvenile probationers aged 13-15.  The grant project was sponsored by the SCLC, and inspired by Fulton County Juvenile Court Judge Romae Powell who believed that there was a connection between reading deficiencies and juvenile delinquency.  The goals of the program were “to help each participant improve his or her reading skills, and…to promote self-confidence and positive self-awareness in each individual.”  Phillips and his supervisors believed that improving literacy among these teenagers would increase employment opportunities and foster an “understanding of the rights and obligations of citizenship.”[*] 

By Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Andrew J. Young Papers, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History

"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.

In the midst of President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference addressed poverty and its effect upon civil rights. The Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) in 1968 was an effort to raise awareness of the variety of issues associated with poverty. Participants spoke with government departments and requested a living wage, secure income, access to land and capital, and a role in government programs for citizens.

By Nika B. Carter, Graduate Assistant, CLIR Hidden Collections Grant, Amistad Research Center at Tulane University

"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.

My name is Nika and I’m a graduate student in Museum Studies at Southern University at New Orleans. For the past nine months, I have worked as a graduate assistant at the Amistad Research Center in the processing department.  When I first started here, I spent most of my time writing biographical notes and inputting data into Archon, the searchable archival database.  I found it to be interesting because I would get the chance to research a historical figure or organization.

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.

Following Emory's commencement ceremony on May 10, 2010, Reverend Joseph and Mrs. Evelyn Lowery visited MARBL to view the exhibit "One Who Disturbs the Comfortable and Comforts the Disturbed:  Joseph E. Lowery and SCLC."  The couple was accompanied by their three daughers, Yvonne, Karen and Cheryl, as well as two grandsons and several other family members.  The group appreciated the opportunity to see exhibit and learn about the work being on the SCLC records, and the visit was enjoyed by all.

By Courtney Chartier, Assistant Head, Archives Research Center, RWWL Atlanta University 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 contributes regular blog posts about their progress.

The processing team for the Voter Education Project (VEP) Organizational Records is using Archivist’s Toolkit (AT) for the creation of the VEP finding aid, XTF to provide search functionaliy, and CONTENTdm (Cdm) to store, manage and display of digitized images from the collection. All of these programs were in the early stages of implementation at the start of the VEP project.

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

In honor of Reverend Joseph Lowery receiving an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Emory University, the Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library is pleased to announce an exhibit documenting Lowery’s career with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  “One Who Disturbs the Comfortable and Comforts the Disturbed”:  Joseph E. Lowery and the SCLC will feature photographs, letters and writings by Lowery that chronicle his 40 year involvement with the organization, both as Chairman of the Board of Directors and as President. 

The Directors and staff of the Amistad Research Center are saddened to announce the death of Warren Q. Marr, II.  Mr. Marr passed away on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, after devoting a significant portion of his life to preserving the legacy of the Amistad Event. He was instrumental in the founding of the Amistad Research Center, helped found Amistad Affiliates and the creation of a replica of the schooner La Amistad, and was a member of numerous other organizations, including the NAACP.