Archival Collections

Anna E. Hall was born near Bainbridge, Georgia on March 1st, 1870. She lived a religiously oriented childhood with her mother, a seamstress, and expressed the desire to serve as a missionary while a student at Clark University (now Clark Atlanta University) in Atlanta, Georgia, where she completed the normal course on May 12, 1892. With the generosity of influential people who were made aware of her desire to be a missionary, she was able to enter the New England Deaconess Training School in Boston, Massachusetts in 1899 and graduated May 22, 1901 as the first African American to attend the school. Her missionary work was realized in December of 1906, when she travelled to Monrovia, Liberia to teach the Kroo (Kru) people. Her second year she was asked to go to the southern part of the Republic, Garraway, where she became the successor to the Director of the Julia A. Stewart Memorial Girls Home and School, Garraway Mission.

This collection consists of records generated by Eliza Paschall and the Atlanta Community Relations Commission (ACRC) during her year as Executive Director of the ACRC. The bulk of the collection is research materials gathered by Paschall and the ACRC to support their work in the community. The files contain reports and statistics that document such things as employment discrimination, police action in the Dixie Hills Riots, and desegregation efforts in the public schools. Of special interest are the studies which survey the conditions of Atlanta's disadvantaged neighborhoods.

This collection documents the Atlanta Student Movement during the Civil Rights Era. It highlights student activism in the Atlanta University Consortium (AUC); Clark College, Morris Brown, Morehouse College, Atlanta University, and Spelman College. The collection includes newspaper and journal articles, flyers, reports, photographs, and correspondence by and about students from the AUC schools. Of note are copies of An Appeal for Human Rights written by student leaders, which set forth the student's grievances, rights, and aspirations as well as their dissatisfaction with the status quo conditions of segregation and discrimination and the slow pace at which inherent human and civil rights were being meted out to African Americans. The Appeal was published as a full-page ad in the March 9, 1960 editions of the Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta Journal, and Atlanta Daily World. It was subsequently published in the New York Times, providing national awareness of student activism in the civil rights struggle in Atlanta. The issuance of the Appeal was followed by sit-ins and pickets at specifically targeted businesses, government and transportation facilities in Atlanta and Fulton County, Georgia, and kneel-ins at churches. The participants in the Atlanta student movement organized commemorative reunions, 1990 and 2000 to re-examine the civil rights movement and discuss current efforts and projections for the future. Programs, minutes, correspondence, and news articles from the reunions are included in the collection.

This collection contains photographs of Atlanta University before its consolidation with Clark College, containing photographs dating from 1858 to 1995, with the bulk of the material falling between 1905 and 1968. The photographs consist of mostly students, alumni, faculty, administrative officers, campus events, and buildings of Atlanta University, however, there are photographs of people and places from all the Atlanta University Center schools.

This series contains video recordings of oral history interviews recorded at the AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library.

Dr. Bernard William Bell is an emeritus research professor at The Pennsylvania State University and an internationally known scholar of American and African American literature, language, and culture. Throughout his forty-year career in academia, Dr. Bell’s contributions to African American scholarship included serving as a co-founder and acting head of one of the nation’s first African American Studies programs, authoring and editing nine books and more than seventy articles and reviews, and teaching and lecturing in eight countries.

Black Women In Radio (BWIR) is committed to the historical preservation of America's Black female broadcasters and their contributions to Black radio culture and digital media. BWIR conducts ongoing research to capture the perspectives of Black and minority women who might otherwise be excluded or overlooked in historic conversations curated by BWIR Founder, Felesha Love.

Dr. Brailsford Reese Brazeal was an educator, economist, author, labor and civil rights activist. He dedicated much of his life to education, human relations, labor issues, and racial equality. He received his bachelor's degree from Morehouse College in 1927 and his master's degree in economics at Columbia University in 1928. He also received his Ph.D. from Columbia in economics and political science in 1942. Dr. Brazeal's scholarly interests and research focused extensively on labor equality and worker rights; he is especially noted for his research on the Pullman porters, and he published "The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters" in 1946. He was also involved in several collegiate and community organizations, including the Sigma Pi Phi (Boule), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and Phi Beta Kappa.

In 1982, graduates of Clark College created a lecture series to honor Dr. C. Eric Lincoln, a professor of religion and sociology who taught at Clark College. Lincoln, who began his academic endeavors at Clark in 1954, mentored his students, encouraging scholarly debates and discussions that often extended well beyond class time and office hours. The lecture series is now hosted by Clark Atlanta University's Department of Religion and Philosophy and features speakers who are prominent in the fields of religion and sociology. The annual event is held in October at Clark Atlanta University. This DigitalCommons gallery consists of audio and video recordings from this lecture series and contain many prominent scholars such as John Hope Franklin, Asa Hilliard, and C. Eric Lincoln.

Gladstone Lewis Chandler was an English professor at Morehouse College from 1931 until his death in 1965. During his 34 year tenure, he served as the faculty representative for the Maroon Tiger, the student-run newspaper, and taught three generations of Morehouse graduates, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Outside of his career as a professor, Chandler was also involved in the Atlanta community as an active civic worker and the leader of campaigns for the YMCA, the Community Chest, and the UNCF. He was a member of the St. Paul's Episcopal Church as active participant in the Vestry and the Men's Club. He also served as president of the neighborhood club Fountain Drive-Morris Brown Drive community club , where he led a successful battle to prevent a highway from being built through the neighborhood. Beyond his civic activity, Chandler was the first African American to conduct a campaign for a mayoral candidate in the city of Atlanta. The photographs in this collection document the personal and professional life of Gladstone Chandler and the Chandler family.

The Bacote papers document an important period in the history of Atlanta, and of Atlanta University. The activities of one very prominent scholar and community leader help provide an important piece of the history of the university and its community.

Clark Atlanta University was established in 1988 as a result of the consolidation of two independent historically black institutions - Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869). The bulk of this collection contains photographs of Clark College before its consolidation with Atlanta University. The photographs show student life including classes, athletics, clubs, sororities and fraternities, and graduation. Also included in this collection are notable people such as Vivian Henderson, Carl Ware, Vernon Jordan, C. Eric Lincoln, Thomas Cole, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, and James P. Brawley.

In 1937, a then LeMoyne College professor named Hugh M. Gloster (later a President of Morehouse College), through correspondence with Gladstone Lewis Chandler, a colleague at Morehouse College, formed an association to increase English proficiency in their respective colleges. In 1937, eight men and women met at LeMoyne and formed the Association of Teachers of English in Negro Colleges (ATENC). In 1941, the Association broadened its objective to formally include the teaching of literature and foreign language, and changed its name to the Association of Teachers of Languages in Negro Colleges (ATLNC). In 1949, the ATLNC officially became the College Language Association (CLA). Since its inception, the CLA developed its constitution, has held annual meetings at host institutions, published a variety of publications - "The News-Bulletin", "Bulletin of the CLA", "CLA Bulletin", "CLA Journal", "CLA Newsletter" and "CLA Notes". The CLA continued building upon their objectives stated in the 1941 Constitution: 1) improving the study and teaching of language skills, 2) cultivating the appreciation of literature, and 3) sharing each other's productive interest to the group as represented in the collection. The records of the College Language Association include administrative correspondence, bibliographies, minutes, reports, financial statements, presentations, presidential addresses, press releases, programs, lists, constitutions, publications, literary submissions, photographs and memorabilia preserving one of America's largest, long-standing African American academic organizations.

The Cullen Jackman Memorial Collection (1881-1995) documents the artistic and creative nature of those of African descent. A series of note within this collection are the photographs by Carl Van Vechten, an American writer, artistic photographer, and patron of the Harlem Renaissance. An appreciator of the arts, Van Vechten promoted many of the major figures of the Renaissance through his photography, including Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, Rose McClendon, and Ethel Waters.

The collection primarily documents the activities of the Sigma chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority on the campus of Clark Atlanta University and in the Atlanta area.

Documenting the Perspectives of Past HBCU Presidents: An Oral History Project provides reflections of former presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, giving insight into their leadership philosophies, the challenges they faced, and the contributions they made. In roundtable discussions and individual interviews the presidents converse about issues of American higher education within the context of the HBCU experience and the unique educational value HBCUs provide. Discussion topics include qualities of leadership, mentors and role models, institutional mission, accreditation, governance, finance, fundraising, financial aid, entrepreneurship, and issues of gender, race, and national educational policies.

Edward Allen Jones (1903-1981) attended Morehouse Academy in 1918. Upon graduation from the Academy in 1922, he entered Morehouse College, where he received his B.A. and graduated as class Valedictorian in 1926. Dr. Jones began his teaching career at Morehouse College in 1927 and worked as a professor there until 1977. While a member of the Morehouse faculty, he served as Chairman of the Department of Foreign Languages from 1930-1977, and held the Fuller E. Callaway Chair in French from 1970-1977. At the time of his death he was serving as the Director of Institutional Research at Morehouse. Beyond his career as a a professor, Dr. Jones was a member of the College Language Association, Editor of the College Language Association Journal from, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and President of the Grand Jurors Association of Fulton County. Photographs range from the 1920s-1970s.

Irvin "Mac" Henry McDuffie and his wife Elizabeth "Lizzie" Hall McDuffie were domestics in their hometown of Atlanta and later in the employ of Franklin Delano Roosevelt during his presidency. Born in Elberton, Georgia, Irvin moved to Atlanta to be a barber and eventually manage the McDuffie-Herndon Barbershop financed by Alonzo Herndon of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Upon the recommendation of a customer, Roosevelt interviewed McDuffie to be his valet at his retreat at Warm Springs, Georgia. McDuffie continued on with Roosevelt through his governorship in New York and his presidency, until McDuffie suffered a nervous breakdown in 1939. Elizabeth worked for 23 years as a maid with the prominent Atlanta family of Edward H. Inman. In 1933 she moved to Washington, D.C. to join her husband and became a maid in the White House where she remained until Roosevelt's death in 1945.

The General Photograph collection, includes photographs documenting the African American experience. This collection is organized into two series: individuals and subjects, and consists of photographs of notable figures including, W.E.B. DuBois and his family, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his time as a student at the AUC and more. The collection also includes images of various Atlanta Neighborhood homes and sites.

George Alexander Towns was an educator, author, and community activist. For most of his life, Towns was affiliated with Atlanta University (AU), first as a student, then professor and finally as an active alumnus. He was active in the community as a member of the Atlanta branch of the NAACP, the Citizen's League, the Boule of Atlanta (Sigma Pi Phi), and the Community Chest. A member of the Harvard University Class of 1900, he was also active in the Harvard University Alumni Association and in the 1920's used his class connections to raise funds for Atlanta University. This collection consists of the papers of Towns from 1851 to 1963. It includes correspondence, literary works, diaries, photographs, and publications.

Hale Aspacio Woodruff was a renowned artist and educator, attending the John Herron Art School in Indianapolis, Indiana; the Chicago Art Institute; Academie Moderne and Academie Scandinave in Paris, France; Fog Art Museum of Harvard University; and studying in Mexico with Diego Rivera. Woodruff began his teaching career at Atlanta University in 1931 helping to develop an art curriculum and build a strong faculty. Among his most noted achievements was the establishment of the Atlanta University Annual Exhibition of Paintings, Sculpture and Prints by Negro Artists, a national competition for new and established artists, held from 1942 through 1970. Woodruff left Atlanta University in 1946 to accept a position at New York University, where he retired in 1967. Among his most outstanding works are the murals - The Amistad Mural, and The Founding of Talladega College, Talladega College, Alabama, The Art of the Negro, Atlanta University, Georgia, The Golden State Mural, Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, California. This small collection about Hale Woodruff is primarily materials accumulated by Winifred Stoelting in doing research for her dissertation, Hale Woodruff, Artist and Teacher: Through the Atlanta Years, Emory University, 1978. Upon completion of the dissertation, Dr. Stoelting donated her research materials to the Atlanta University Trevor Arnett Library Negro Collection.

The Hoyt William Fuller Collection documents his career from 1943-1981. Mr. Fuller's association with Johnson Publishing Company from the 1950's until 1976 is represented during his years as the associate editor of Ebony and as editor of Negro Digest/Black World, 1961-1976. In his capacity as editor of the leading Black literary publication in the nation, Mr. Fuller was mentor, critic, consultant and publisher to many of today's writers. He was a founder of the Organization of Black American Culture (O.B.A.C.). The famous Wall of Respect in Chicago, created by the artist workshop of O.B.A.C. in May of 1976, gave impetus to the wall mural movement of the 1960's. The papers and the correspondence, photographs and posters that document his travels in Africa, Europe and the Americas leave a collection of great clarity and great beauty. This collection will prove to be a vital link in the history of African Americans and a most important part of the development of responsible journalism in the United States.

Hugh M. Gloster, President of Morehouse College (1967-1987), was professionally active as administrator, teacher, writer, speaker, USO wartime executive, and American representative in educational and technical programs in foreign countries.This collection consists of photographs that document Dr. Hugh Gloster's time at Morehouse College such as: commencements, Convocation, Founders' Day, banquets, and school events.

Dr. Isaac Rufus Clark (1925-1990), the son of Reverend James H. and Lillian Clark was born February 15, 1925 in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilberforce University in 1951, and in 1952, he received his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Payne Theological Seminary. Dr. Clark went on to receive his Ph.D. in Theology from Boston University in 1958. Clark was a lifelong member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He made public his call to the ministry in 1946, and in 1952 he was ordained as an elder.In 1962, Dr. Clark joined the faculty at the Interdenominational Theological Center as Professor of Homiletics and Director of Field Education. In recognition of his contributions as a professor and scholar, in 1975 he was chosen to be the first Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Homiletics at the Interdenominational Theological Center which he held until his death at the age of 64.

James Herbert Touchstone (1889-1975), an educator, scholar, and scientist, Touchstone worked as a Professor of Chemistry, Greek, and Latin at Clark University. In addition to his teaching career at Clark University, he was a Professor of Chemistry and football coach at Rust College, Samuel Houston College, and Philander Smith College, where he also served as Academic Dean and Director of Summer School. Beyond his work as an educator, Touchstone was an active member of the Methodist Church. He served as a teacher, Trustee, Steward, Superintendent of Church School, and as Church Lay Leader. The images in this collection range from 1915-1979.