Ann Arbor: African-Americans
The following collections include personal papers of prominent African-American citizens; local residents active in the abolitionist movement of the mid-nineteenth century; records of organizations and churches serving the local African-American community; and collections associated with Ann Arbor school desegregation efforts in the 1960s.
Ann Arbor Community Center membership drive (BL005316)
African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County.
- African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County records, 1993-2000.
- 0.5 linear feet.
Organization established in 1993 to research, collect, preserve and exhibit cultural and historical materials relating to the life and work of African Americans in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
Record book containing minutes, program files, newsletters, correspondence, financial records, and constitution and by-laws; also scrapbook of clippings, programs, brochures, and other informational items.
Ann Arbor Community Center
- Ann Arbor Community Center records 1920s-1988
- 0.5 linear ft.
Organization established to promote civic, cultural, and recreational interests and activities of Ann Arbor's African American community.
Administrative reports, informational brochures, collected information, and photographs.
Morris, Mildred
- Ann Arbor Desegregation Pattern: Mirror of Urban Education (dissolution of Jones School), by Mildred Morris, 1973
- 1 v.
Ann Arbor Public Schools
- Ann Arbor Public Schools records, 1833-1994 bulk 1838-1976
- 19 linear ft. and 192 v.
Administrative offices of the public school system of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Minutes and agenda exhibits from meetings of the Ann Arbor Board of Education, 1939-1994. Correspondence of school superintendent and other school administrators, largely 1969-1970, special study reports, committee minutes, budget material, and historical materials on individual Ann Arbor schools; files relating to local school desegregation and race relations, 1965-1969; and local school records, especially Pittsfield Township, Ann Arbor Township, Webster Township, Scio Township, and Superior Township.
Beckley, G. (Guy), 1805-1847
- Guy Beckley letters, 1839 and 1847
- 2 items
Guy Beckley, Methodist minister and abolitionist in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Letter, Nov. 7, 1839, to his brother-in-law Ralph Walker of Weathersfield, Vt., describing his journey to Michigan, conditions in Ann Arbor, and his thoughts on the death of his wife and abolitionism. Letter, Nov. 20, 1847, also to Ralph Walker, describing family affairs; letter completed after Beckley's death by his wife and children. Transcriptions of letters in collection.
Burgess, John M.
- A study of the Negro in Ann Arbor, Michigan, [ca. 1931]
- 1 item (55 p.)
Student at the University of Michigan.
Byrd, David R.
- David R. Byrd papers 1930s-2000 bulk 1965-1973, 1981-1983
- 2.6 linear ft. (in four boxes), 1 portfolio, and 9 oversize folders
David R. Byrd (1921-1987) was an African-American architect of churches, residential homes, offices, and schools in Washington, D.C. and Ann Arbor, Michigan. He served on the Board of Commissioners of Washtenaw County (1968-1972), and was an advocate for civil rights and affordable housing for the poor. This collection includes architectural drawings, reports, photographs, and personal and professional correspondence.
Byrd, Letitia J.
- Letitia J. Byrd papers 1970-2004
- 1 linear ft.
Letitia J. Byrd is an African-American local community leader and a counselor for Huron High School in the Ann Arbor Public School system. She is also very involved with other Ann Arbor community organizations. This collection includes photographs, professional correspondence, and documents recording her involvement with numerous local organizations and with the Ann Arbor School System.
Carpenter, Charles William, 1886-1971
- Charles William Carpenter papers 1909-1970
- 1 linear ft. and 2 oversize folders
Graduate of Tuskegee Institute in 1909, later pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Correspondence, including letters from Mr. and Mrs. Booker T. Washington, 1909-1915; and miscellaneous sermons, prayers, church bulletins, reports of the Second Baptist Church and other materials concerning his work with the Ann Arbor Human Relations Commission, the Citizens Advisory Committee for a Workable Program, and the Ann Arbor Bus Committee.
Carr, Marian
- Marian Carr papers 1957-1963
- 0.3 linear ft.
Member of the Ann Arbor Human Relations Commission; minutes and other materials relating to race relations in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Fields Family
- Fields Family papers, 1900s-1950s
- 0.3 linear ft.
Ann Arbor, Michigan African American family.
Scrapbooks on African American history compiled by an Ann Arbor High School class, 1934-1935; and photographs.
Foster, Theodore, 1812-1865
- Theodore Foster papers, 1835-1862
- 1 linear ft. (3 boxes)
Co-editor of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Signal of Liberty; Superintendent of State Industrial School for Boys, and editor of Lansing State Republican.
Scrapbook and anti-slavery papers of Foster including manuscripts on the Liberty Party, the Colonization Society, the slave trade and other aspects of slavery; also account books which include subscription lists for the Signal of Liberty; additional papers on philosophical, sociological and religious topics.
Hultquist, Donald E.
- Donald E. Hultquist papers, 1962-1999 (bulk 1979-1987)
- 1.3 linear ft.
Professor of biochemistry at the University of Michigan.
Files related to civic activities and participation in University-wide debates on issues of public policy; include files from work on Citizens' Advisory Committee on Racial Balance and Equal Opportunity in Ann Arbor Schools, 1979; also papers dealing with debate within the University over classified and non-classified research sponsored by U.S. Department of Defense, 1968-1986.
Jones, Lola M.
- Lola M. Jones videotapes 1983-1995
- 96 videotapes (U-matic and VHS) in 8 boxes
Producer of local Ann Arbor, Michigan, cable television programs highlighting achievements of African Americans in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area.
Videocassette copies of television program, "Another Ann Arbor" that featured interviews with local area and national African American public figures.
Lockett, Harold J., 1924-1994
- Harold J. Lockett papers, 1969-1994
- 0.4 linear ft.
Ann Arbor, Michigan African American psychiatrist; member and president of Ann Arbor Board of Education; board member of the Ann Arbor Black Theatre; psychiatrist and director with the Hawthorn Center in Northville, Michigan.
Biographical and personal materials; minutes of the board, clippings, and promotional materials for the Ann Arbor Black Theatre; and miscellaneous relating to the Hawthorn Center.
Morris, Mildred
- Ann Arbor desegregation pattern: mirror of urban education (dissolution of Jones School), 1973
- 1 v.
Student at the University of Michigan.
Ragland, John, 1905-1981
- John Ragland papers, ca. 1930-1944
- 14 items
Ann Arbor, Michigan, attorney.
Miscellanea relating to the Colored Welfare League and other Ann Arbor, Michigan, Black community organizations.
Saturday Academy for African American Students
- Saturday Academy for African American Students records 1963-1996 (bulk 1970-1996)
- 1 linear ft.
The records of the Saturday Academy of African American Students covers the non-profit organizations efforts to promote academic achievement, inspire a love of learning, and close the achievement gap of African American students in the Ann Arbor Public Schools.
Sinclair, John, 1941-
- John and Leni Sinclair papers 1957-1999
- 60.5 linear ft. (76 boxes), 1 oversize folder (UAl), and 1 oversize v.
John and Leni Sinclair were leaders of the counterculture movement in Michigan, organizers of radical social, political, and cultural endeavors primarily in the areas of music, poetry, graphic design, and community welfare projects.
Papers and photographs (1957-1979) relating to all phases of their careers, including participation in the Artists' Workshop in Detroit, the Rainbow Multi-Media Corporation, the White Panther Party and its offshoot, the Rainbow Peoples Party; also materials concerning the legalization of marijuana, radical politics, and prison reform. Also material, 1979-2000, relating to John Sinclair's work as a writer, performer, radio show host and music promoter.
Thomas, Charles, 1937-1994
- Charles Thomas Jr. papers 1965-1994 (bulk 1968-1980)
- 4 linear ft.
Ann Arbor, Michigan civil rights activist known for his confrontational style and advocate of black economic development, welfare rights, affordable housing and other causes, and a founder of the Washtenaw County Black Economic Development League.
Papers, primarily documenting his work with the WCBEDL, include correspondence, scrapbooks, trial transcripts, and photographs.
University of Michigan, Programs for Educational Opportunity
- Programs for Educational Opportunity (University of Michigan) records 1969-1996, 1970-1986
- 22 linear ft.
A race desegregation assistance center based at the University of Michigan, the Program for Educational Opportunity was established by funding through the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The program was expanded to encompass race, gender, and national origin equity in public schools in the Great Lakes region. Administrative files, topical files, workshop and task force material, handbooks, and material pertaining to desegregation and equality in public schools in Ann Arbor, Detroit, and elsewhere in Michigan and the Great Lakes region. Includes reports from school districts and histories of desegregation.
Wheeler, Albert Harold, 1915-1994
- Albert H. and Emma M. Wheeler papers, 1938-1993, (bulk 1960-1977)
- 6 linear ft.
Albert and Emma Wheeler were community and civil rights leaders from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Albert Wheeler was also professor of microbiology and dermatology at the University of Michigan. In addition, he and his wife helped to establish the local chapter of the NAACP. Albert Wheeler served as mayor of Ann Arbor, 1975 to 1978.
The series in the collection are Personal/Biographical; NAACP/Civil Rights Activities; Mayoralty Files; University of Michigan; and Photographs. The collection documents the Wheelers' devotion to the cause of civil rights and their involvement with numerous civil rights and community organizations. The collection also includes Albert Wheeler's mayoralty files.
Wickliffe, Letty M., 1902-
- Letty M. Wickliffe papers ca. 1860s-ca. 1992 (bulk 1960s-1976)
- 0.5 linear ft. (2 boxes)
Teacher; Ann Arbor, Michigan, community activist; member of the North Central Property Owners Association in Ann Arbor.
Articles written for the local newspaper, awards, scattered correspondence, biographical information, and photographs.
Woods, John A., 1914-1989
- John A. Woods papers 1932-1989 (bulk 1970-1989)
- 1.5 linear ft.
AME pastor with churches in Albion and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sermons, biographical materials, scattered correspondence and minutes, newspaper clippings, and photographs.