Results 1 to 25 of 61
Irma Cayton Wertz papers
Irma Cayton Wertz, a graduate of Fisk University, married Chicago sociologist Horace Cayton and moved to Chicago in the late 1930s. During World War II, she served as an early African American WAC officer.
Chicago Public Library, George Cleveland Hall Branch Archives
Dr. George Cleveland Hall (February 22, 1864 – June 17, 1930) Dr. George Cleveland Hall, physician and humanitarian, was born on February 22, 1864 to James W. and Emmaline Buck Hall in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Hall received his primary and secondary education in Ypsilanti public schools. In 1882 he matriculated at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with honors
Joan S. Wallace papers
Joan Wallace, daughter of painter William Edouard Scott and widow of anti-poverty federal official Maurice Dawkins, was an assistant secretary of agriculture during the Carter administration. Her papers contain correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, photographs and memorabilia. The paper span the years 1901-2006, with the bulk of the material from 1977-1994.
Rev. George Martin papers
The papers of Rev. George Martin, D.D., an A.M.E. minister originally from Kansas City, Missouri, were donated by his daughter, Chestine Warfield Allen. Martin was sent to serve A.M.E. congregations in the Pacific Northwest in 1916, and was a pastor in Portland, Seattle and Spokane. He later returned to Kansas City as a pastor, and was influential in the A.M.E.
Reverend Addie Wyatt and Reverend Claude Wyatt Papers
Addie Wyatt was born Addie Loraine Cameron on March 8, 1924, the second child to Ambrose and Maggie Cameron in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Ambrose Cameron, born either in Mississippi or Louisiana, was a tailor in a pressing shop. Her mother Maggie Cameron, a teacher, was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Ambrose’s mother, Adeline Cameron, a mid-wife, also lived with the family and
Ishmael Flory papers
Ishmael Flory’s career in civil rights, labor and radical activism began with student protests at Fisk University in the 1930s. Flory served as a leader in the Communist Party’s organization on Chicago’s South Side from the 1940s through the 1980s. He was also co-founder of the African American Heritage Association. A friend to Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois and Langston Hughes,
Melva Williams papers
Melva L. Williams was born in 1925 in Chicago, Illinois. After attending DuSable High School in Chicago, Williams attended several colleges and ultimately received her Bachelor of Education from Chicago Teacher’s College (later Chicago State University) and her Doctorate in Education from Nova Southeastern University. Over the years, Williams worked as a gospel music performer, choir director, music teacher, stage
Theodore Charles Stone papers
Theodore Charles Stone served as president of the Chicago Music Association (CMA) for more than 50 years and as president of the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM). His papers include correspondence, programs, photographs, clippings and memorabilia documenting his career as a concert baritone, his work in the CMA and NANM, and his work as a music writer for several
Illinois Writers Project / "Negro in Illinois" papers
This Illinois Writers Project study of the African American experience in Illinois from 1779-1942 was destined for the ""Negro in Illinois,"" an unfinished book on which more than 100 researchers from the Illinois office of the Federal Writers Project collaborated. The study was supervised by Arna Bontemps and Jack Conroy. Among the writers who participated were Richard Wright, Fenton Johnson,
Dungill Family Papers
The Dungill Family, a touring band based in Chicago from the 1930s through the 1960s, achieved success as a family band in which each member played a different instrument. The papers include scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs, press clippings and memorabilia.
Jeanne Boger Jones papers
The Jeanne Boger Jones papers contain materials that document the history of African Americans in the Midwest, including religious, military, occupational, and recreational endeavors, from the Civil War to the present. The records highlight such issues as equal opportunity in employment and housing, fair administration of veteran's benefits, and the history of African-American participation in the armed forces. Venues of
Marion Perkins / Perkins Family papers
Arkansas-born and Chicago-based Marion Perkins was an acclaimed sculptor, whose works are held at the Art Institute of Chicago and at DuSable Museum. From the late 1930s until his death in 1961, Perkins was a radical activist whose art reflected his perspectives. One of his sons, Useni (Eugene) Perkins, is an accomplished poet and essayist who was a leader in
Charles Walton Papers
Charles Walton was a jazz drummer, music educator, and author of "Bronzeville Conversations," a research and oral history project that documented the jazz and blues world in Black Chicago. Walton was born in Selma, Alabama and moved to Chicago's South Side as a child. Following high school, Walton joined the United States Navy and later attended Kentucky State College and
Alva Beatrice Maxey-Boyd papers
Alva Beatrice Maxey (1913-2009) was a social worker and educator. This collection is largely representative of Maxey’s educational and work history, especially her time as a Professor of Sociology at Northeastern Illinois University and her work as the Community Organization Director for the Chicago Urban League in the 1950s. Also well represented is Maxey and Charles Boyd’s battle to preserve
Mildred Johnson papers
Mildred Johnson was an educator, poet, children’s book author, principal of Howalton School (1982-1985), and director of “Say! Children’s Theater.
Chester Commodore Papers
Chester Commodore was one of the most influential and acclaimed African-American cartoonists of the twentieth century. During the nearly 50 years his cartoons appeared in the Chicago Defender, Commodore used his art to advocate for racial justice, human rights, and equality of opportunity.
Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago records
The Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago (AAGHSC) was created to preserve and perpetuate the records of African American history and to encourage the study of African American genealogy. AAGHSC is a volunteer organization whose society members are experts in the field of African American genealogical research. AAGHSC helped family historians overcome challenges in African American ancestry research resulting
Clementine Skinner papers
Clementine Skinner was a Chicago Public Schools assistant principal, teacher and librarian. She was active during four decades in the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and served as president of the Chicago branch. She was also active in the YWCA, the NAACP, and in genealogical organizations.
Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church archives
The oldest African American congregation in Chicago, Quinn Chapel A.M.E. was founded in 1844.
Era Bell Thompson papers
Era Bell Thompson, author of American Daughter and Africa, Land of My Fathers, was a pioneering photo-journalist for Ebony and international editor for Johnson Publishing Company for over thirty years. She was also an important figure in the Chicago Renaissance; her ties to the Vivian G. Harsh Collection span nearly 50 years.
David Kellum papers
David Kellum was a leading figure at the Chicago Defender from the 1920s through the 1950s. He is credited with the invention of the Bud Billiken character and was an early coordinator of the Bud Billiken Parade.
St. Edmund's Episcopal Church archives
The Church of St. Edmund, King and Martyr was founded in 1909, and is one of the oldest predominantly African American Episcopalian churches in Chicago.
Richard Durham Papers
Richard Durham was a radio and television scriptwriter trained by the Federal Writer's Project of the WPA, a poet, and editor for the Chicago Defender. His prolific writing career would span four decades; Durham edited Mohammed Speaks, the official publication of the Nation of Islam in the 1960s; he created the television series Bird of the Iron Feather in the
Cyrus Colter Papers
Cyrus Colter, a distinguished African-American writer, lawyer and professor, was born on January 8, 1910, in Noblesville, Indiana. Colter was the eldest of two children born to James Alexander Colter and Ethel Marietta Basset Colter, whose families had moved from North Carolina to rural Indiana in the 1830s in search of safe haven. His mother died when he was six
Abbott-Sengstacke Family Papers
The Abbott-Sengstacke Family papers include materials from Robert Sengstacke Abbott (1868-1940) and John Herman Henry Sengstacke (1912-1997), as well as John’s wife Myrtle Elizabeth Picou Sengstacke (1914-1990). The papers trace the Abbott-Sengstacke family history from the mid-19th century in Georgia through Abbott's move to Chicago and creation of a journalistic empire, to the death of Sengstacke in 1997. Robert S.