African American Collections

Carlin Integration Case Records, 1950-1997 The Carlin Integration Case Records include nearly three decades of court proceedings and research for Kari Carlin et al v. Board of Education, San Diego Unified School District. The records include court transcripts, briefs and court orders, correspondence, maps and charts of ethnic imbalance, various committee reports, court exhibits and depositions, declarations, interrogatories, enrollment statistics, student testing result studies, trial notes, news clippings, and information concerning similar court cases. The collection is divided into two series: Research Files and Court Records.
School Integration Task Force Records, 1974-1983 The School Integration Task Force Records document the Task Force's research and findings concerning the San Diego Unified School District's integration plan. These records contain correspondence, monitor applications and logs, school assignments, student testing results, enrollment statistics, court orders and charges, task force reports, race/human relations materials, and surveys. The collection dates from 1974-1983, and is divided into two series: General Files and Reports and Surveys.
Citizens United for Racial Equality (CURE) Records, 1962-1990 The Citizens United for Racial Equality (CURE) Records (1962-1990) document the organization's activities and interests as well as the larger struggle for equality and integration in San Diego. The collection includes correspondence, meeting minutes, membership lists, newsletters, pamphlets, project files, questionnaires and surveys, news clippings, reports, and more. The majority of material dates from 1968 to 1976 and is divided into two series: Administrative Files (1964-1990) and Related Organizations Files (1962-1976).
Leon Williams Papers, 1961-2006 The Leon Williams Papers document three decades of William's public service career, and includes news clippings, photos, correspondence, invitations, public appearance forms, public opinions, campaign information, reports, ordinances, plaques, certificates of achievement, various committee files, and conference minutes. During his time on city council, Williams advocated land use programs, revitalization of older neighborhoods, and the use of public transportation. The majority of the material dates from about 1970 to the late 1990's, and highlights these aspects of Williams' career. The collection is divided into five series: Campaign Files (1969-1994), Conference Files (1974-2000), Professional Files (1966-2003), Personal Files (1961-2006), and News Clippings (1969-2002).
Reverend George Walker Smith Papers, 1950-2000 The Reverend George Walker Smith Papers document Smith's ministerial career in San Diego at the Golden Hill United Presbyterian Church and Christ United Presbyterian Church, as well as his political, social, educational, and religious achievements. The collection includes sermons, church announcements, correspondence, Board of Education scrapbooks, news clippings, accolades, plaques and certificates of achievement, Kiwanis Club Information, and newsletters. The collection is divided into three series: Personal Files, Scrapbooks, and Awards/Plaques.
Alpha Pi Boulé Records,1965-2003 The Alpha Pi Boulé Records document the history and activities of Alpha Pi Boulé, chapter 39 of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. Filed alphabetically in a single series, it documents the chapter's foundation, its social action programs, partnerships with community schools, as well as Alpha Pi Boulé's relationships with other community organizations including the San Diego DX International Association / DX San Diego Club and the San Diego Amateur Radio Club. Included are meeting minutes (1985-2001), Executive Committee meeting minutes (1992-2000), bylaws, constitutions, financial records, membership reports, correspondence, and a few artifacts. The collection also contains photos from some of the Alpha Pi Boulé's meetings and events in the 1990s, and photos from the San Diego Metropolitan Radio Club. A video tape from one of the Pacific Coast Regional Conventions (1999) is also included in the collection
Harold K. Brown Papers, 1956-2000 The Harold K. Brown Papers (1956-2000) document Brown's participation in the local Civil Rights Movement, his dedication to community economic development, and his professional life, with a heavy emphasis on the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Brown's role in the School Integration Task Force, and his involvement with the Black Economic Development Task Force. Highlights include the Congress of Racial Equality's actions against the employment practices of the San Diego Zoo, SDG&E, Montgomery Ward, and Bank of America. Filed alphabetically by folder description, the collection consists of correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, slides, reel-to-reels of the "Viewpoint" program on KSDO Radio, and photographs. In addition, the collection's extensive newspaper clippings include articles from and full issues of The Voice, The San Diego Light House, the San Diego Monitor, and Logan Heights' Independent.
Judge Earl Ben Gilliam Papers, 1945-2011 The Earl B. Gilliam Papers document five decades of Gilliam’s career as a judge in San Diego County. The collection includes news clippings, photos, correspondence, invitations, federal bench nominations, court cases, class notes, scrapbooks, award certificates, court dockets, and judicial questionnaires. The majority of the material dates from around the 1940’s to the late 1990's, and highlights Gilliam’s community service, as well as his appointments to local, state, and federal judgeships. The collection is divided into five series: Personal Files (1945-1999), Professional Files (1956-2011), Memorial Files (2001), Scrapbooks (1945-2001), and Video Files (1979-2004).
Center for Community Economic Development Records, 1963-2006 The Center for Community Economic Development Records document the establishment, operation, and curriculum of the Center's thirteen-year existence. The collection includes correspondence, reports, power point presentations, student projects, photographs, certificates, awards, seminar handouts, class curricula, real estate research files, and student rosters. The majority of materials date from 1996 to 2005, and highlight the CCED's efforts to promote and foster community economic development through classes, seminars, and student projects. The Collection is divided into three series: Administrative Files (1963-2006), Student Community Project Files (1996-2005), and Multimedia Files (1996-2006).
Citizens Interracial Committee Recordings of Citizens Interracial Committee community dialogue sessions regarding race relations in San Diego.
Radical Ephemera and Underground Publications Collection, 1966-2013 This collection covers social issues of the late 1960s to mid 1970s in the United States, especially as manifested on the San Diego State University (College) campus and in San Diego County. These issues include women's rights, civil rights, Marxism, Socialism, Vietnam war protests and other issues related to military conflicts, prisoners' rights, and counter-culture or alternative lifestyles.
RADICAL EPHEMERA AND UNDERGROUND PUBLICATIONS (SDSU digital) This collection covers social issues of the late 1960s to mid 1970s in the United States, especially as manifested on the San Diego State University (College) campus and in San Diego County. These issues include women's rights, civil rights, Marxism, Socialism, Vietnam war protests and other issues related to military conflicts, prisoners' rights, and counter-culture or alternative lifestyles.
People's Temple Collection,1942-2019 The Peoples Temple Collection (1942-2015) documents portions of the history of Peoples Temple, before and after the mass-suicide and murders in 1978. The collection consists of litigation materials derived Freedom of Information Act requests, copies of original unclassified documents, publications, audiovisual materials, artifacts, and artwork and pays particular attention to the events that unfolded for survivors and relatives after the tragedy. The collection is divided into six series: Peoples Temple Christian Church, Audiovisual Materials, Investigation Files, Jonestown Institute Files, Publications, and Original Works of Art.
Alternative Considerations of Peoples Temple and Jonestown Much of the Peoples Temple story is in large collections of audiotapes which are available to researchers and the general public. The tapes offer an immediacy that other media do not: they include the voices of the people of Peoples Temple and Jonestown; they represent a contribution to the history of the Temple in its own words; they present events in their original form rather than forcing us to rely on faulty memories; and – most important – they remind us of the complexity of Peoples Temple with its creative and destructive forces, its principled stands and its ethical lapses, its passion for life and (at least for some of its leaders) its passion for death.
Inter-Faith Prayer Fellowship Records, 1957-2017 The Inter-Faith Prayer Fellowship Records contains records of more than six decades of church activity that include handwritten speeches, event programs, newspaper clippings, photos, publications, audio and video recordings, personal papers, organizational documents, and related church records. During this time, Martha S. Featherston organized women’s groups, founded the Inter-Faith Prayer Fellowship, spoke at various like-minded organization’s events, and traveled for ministry and pleasure with her husband and church. Most of the materials in this collection range from the founding of her prayer fellowship in 1983 to the last 2010s with some of her earlier life documents going back as far as 1957, before she wed Kenneth Featherston. There are thirteen series in this collection: Martha Featherston Files (1957-2013), Kenneth Featherston Files (1988-2013), Mamie Leonard Files (1997-2001), Inter-Faith Prayer Fellowship (IFPF/ IPF) Files (1983-2017), Newspaper Clippings (1977-2008), Twin Ministries Files (1983-2012), Shut-In Ministries Files (1996-2006), Church of God in Christ (C.O.G.I.C.) Files (1975-2012), Related Religious Organization Files (1965-2007), Related Religious Event Files (1985-2009), Related Religious Writing Files (1970-1999), Photo Files (1981-2012), and Audio and Video Recording Files (1984-2004).
John and Jane Adams Postcard Collection, 1880-2007 The postcards document over 100 years of history and communication. The collection includes over 4,000 postcards of San Diego County, and over 200,000 cards from all over the world.

Vince Meades Sheet Music Collection (unprocessed) [ MS-0004 ]

Creating Community: African Americans in San Diego: includes interviews with prominent local African Americans generously funded by the President’s Leadership Fund

Heart of San Diego Video Interviews: in-depth interviews with notable African American San Diegans conducted by host Fred Lewis on his weekly TV show

Representations of the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter in Comics
May 2020
Harold K. Brown Civil Rights Collection
July 2016
Peoples Temple at Jonestown

2014-2015

The San Diego Civil Rights Movement: Spotlight on the Harold K. Brown Papers

March - June, 2012

Creating Community: African Americans in San Diego Online Exhibit

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Civil Rights & Communities of Color in San Diego - Primary Sources in Special Collections

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African American Collections