This collection showcases the rich legacies of HBCUs through ephemera and material objects, including maps, blueprints, audiovisual materials, newspaper articles, buttons, collectibles, memorabilia, clothing and accessories, scrapbooks, speeches, photographs, brochures, and posters.
A white button calling for support of CUNY (City University of New York). CUNY was founded in 1960 when several other New York schools were merged into what was initially called the Municipal College System of the City of New York. Throughout the 1960s, CUNY was home to several political and social protests and demonstrations.
Douglas Anderson served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1976-1980 and the state Senate from 1980-1992. He was one the first four African Americans elected to the Mississippi Legislature in the 20th century, after Robert Clark in 1967. He details his experiences while on various committees and working with Robert Clark.
This photograph shows three students sleeping on a couch in the lounge of Texas Southern University’s John T. Biggers Art Center. Captured by longtime campus photographer Earlie Hudnall Jr., the students rest while Oliver Parson’s The Crucifix (Judas) hangs behind them. Selections from the permanent collection are displayed in the art building on a rotating basis. Hudnall was a student, mentee, and friend of Dr. Biggers.
Pictured here, left to right, are Texas Southern art alumni Bert Samples, John C. Davis, Harvey Johnson, Leon Renfro, former art student Rickey Donato, and Professor Carroll Harris Simms walking on the campus of TSU. Johnson and Renfro would later go on to teach art at TSU.
A newspaper article from the Clarion Ledger (Jackson, Mississippi) providing historical context to the Clinton Project Oral History Collection. The article includes stories from Clinton, Mississippi, residents telling their stories about the World War II POW camp in the town.
Stevens A. Renfrow was born in 1892. He talks about the games he played as a kid and his education, including graduating from Mississippi State University in 1916. Mr. Renfrow also talks about his family and he recalls some of the types of food he and his family ate growing up. The transcript is edited heavily with handwritten notes.
Stevella Adams moved to Jackson in 1932 after graduating from college and getting married. Mrs. Adams talks about her time operating a grocery store on the corner of Monument and Blair Streets in the Farish Street District from 1952 to 1973. The store was originally owned and operated by her late father in law.
A newspaper article from The Black Panther. Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton lays out the philosophy of the Black Panther party through a Marxist lens. He highlights the unique ways the Black Panther Party serves the specific needs of colonized Black people in the United States and that the party is constantly adapting.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune summarizing key points from the prosecution's case after the state had rested its case against Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. The defense, after intense cross-examination of prosecution witnesses, was scheduled to begin presenting its case on March 14, 1977.
Case Data and Exhibits for Brown III, a relitigation of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) that corrected resegregation issues caused by open enrollment school choice in 1992. A 1946 newspaper article from the Topeka Daily Capital about a program calling for a tax levy of not more than $2 million dollars for school improvements in Topeka.
A newspaper article by Lieutenant of Health of the Corona Branch, NY chapter of the Black Panther Party, Diahnne Jenkins, from The Black Panther about the Black Panther programs such as free breakfast, free health care, and free clothing drives. She writes that these programs are all a part of organizing and educating the masses.
A newspaper article from The Home News about workmen cleaning painted slogans in support of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard), on trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper, from the Middlesex County Courthouse. Slogans such as “Free Assata” and “Stop the Lynching” had been spraypainted on the building between 1-2am.
A newspaper article from The Black Panther by Jackie Harper, Branch Secretary of the Corona Branch of the Black Panther Party. She tells the story of Robert “Big Bob” Heard who was framed for assault by the police and declares that the women of the Party will stand in solidarity with their brothers in the Party against the racist police forces.
Sip Freeman’s earliest memories were from when he was 8 years old. He talks about his childhood, his family and his church. He also talks about some experiences with White people and shares some stories about slavery that had been passed down through his family. The transcript is handwritten.
A newspaper article from the Clarion Ledger (Jackson, Mississippi) providing historical context to the Clinton Project Oral History Collection. The article tells stories about Sally Lee, a formerly enslaved woman who worked on the land that would become Clinton, Mississippi.
Serena Walton was born in 1908 and moved to Jackson in 1937 after marriage. She recalls the “Good Old Days" as being days of fun, misery, and everyday existence during the 1930's through 1950's. Ms. Walton talks about her younger days and then her time at college during the Great Depression. She also discusses her time teaching in Yazoo County.
Sen. Willie Simmons served in the Mississippi Senate from 1993 to 2020. He details the opposition and challenges he faced while fighting for education reform and better treatment of the Black colleges in Mississippi. He looks at his career retrospectively and ponders over how he would like to be remembered.
Sen. Johnnie Walls Jr. served on the Mississippi State Senate from 1993-2010. He details the strides made in the Senate for the HBCUs and other institutions in the state. He points to key situations and circumstances that show Robert Clark’s integrity and his influence and thanks him for his leadership of the Black Caucus and his mentorship.
Senator David L. Jordan began serving on the Mississippi State Senate in 1993 and has been serving for 31 years. He recounts growing up on a plantation in Greenwood, Mississippi. The interview focuses on the work he did with Robert Clark in the Mississippi Legislature to support and obtain funds for Historically Black Colleges.
Sen. Alice Varnado Harden served in the Mississippi State Senate from 1988 until her death in 2012. She talks about her work with Robert Clark and the Mississippi Black Caucus. She also discusses the many issues she lobbied for as an elected official and her relationships with other members in the state legislature.
A newspaper article from The Home News about the heavy security that accompanied Clark Squire on his move from Trenton State Prison to Middlesex County for a six hour meeting with Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) and her defense team. Squire was earlier convicted of the same 1973 killing of a state trooper that Shakur was on trial for.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) being in New Jersey to stand trial for the May 1973 killing of a state trooper. The author writes about the process that went into Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) being confined to solitary confinement and the court hearing that took place to examine the evidence.
Mr. Cole worked all over the nation as a voting rights activist. In this interview, he talks about voting, especially through the lens of his memories of voter registration drives during the Civil Rights Movement and up to the present day. He gives a nuanced interpretation of voting rights and voting activities in several parts of Mississippi.
Sam Whisterton was a teacher in Madison County, Mississippi in 1965. He talks about how students coming to his classes were prepared by Head Start. He also talks about the connection between the Freedom Schools of Freedom Summer and the Head Start program and some of the support and push back Head Start experienced when it started.
Ruth Fitts became a teacher with Head Start in Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1966 after being alerted by her husband to a job opening in an advertisement. She talks about her experiences being a White teacher in the Head Start Program and discusses a number of colleagues she worked with.
A photograph of Rufus Lounge on N. Farish Street in the Farish Street Historic District. At the time of the photograph, the business was closed and the building was in disrepair.
Ruby Dawson was born in Jackson in 1904 and attended Smith Robertson School until the 4th grade before attending Tougaloo College in Jackson. In 1928 she returned to Smith Robertson as a teacher. In the interview, she talks about her time as both a student and teacher. The transcript is edited with handwritten notes.
This is a brochure for Williams’ senior art exhibition. The culmination of the Texas Southern art curriculum is a senior exhibition where students showcase artwork created over the course of their undergraduate studies. The brochure features a portrait of Williams, a brief biography, a catalog of the artwork featured in the exhibition, and several photos of his paintings, designs, weavings, and sculptures.
A photograph of Rosie Holden of the National Council of Negro Women and Woman Power Unlimited at the Smith Robertson Neighborhood Folklife Festival, April 9-11, 1983. The festival was a one-time grant sponsored event held on the grounds of the Smith Robertson Museum to celebrate the rich history and culture of the Farish Street Historic District.
