This collection showcases the rich legacies of HBCUs through the medium of text. It includes both published and unpublished items such as reports, correspondence, legal documents, books, letters, essays, government publications, and journals.
Date Modified
2025-12-17
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A letter from Nuh Abdul Qaiyum, who is imprisoned, to his wife Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika). He sends the family his love and shares his thoughts on life in prison and conflict within the Black community and the Black Panther Party. He asks her about her upcoming birth and offers guidance and advice. He also includes multiple poems.
A letter written by Charles G. Gomillion to Dr. C.W. Orr concerning Dr. Austin R. Meadows consideration for the Superintendent of Education of Macon County, AL.
Letter from A. M. Clough requesting an interview with Monroe N. Work for the following day, Wednesday. Printed on "International Business Machines Corporation, Tabulating Machine Division" stationery.
ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen writes to the members of the Brown Counsel team to inquire about their thoughts on a possible settlement. Attached is the court document containing the order of activities for the case between May and September 1986.
ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen writes to the members of the Brown III Counsel team to inform them that Lee Henson of the Federal Community Relations Service has offered their service in the case. Mr. Hansen is suspicious of this because of his opinion of the Justice Department under then-president Ronald Reagan.
ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen writes to Dr. Gordon Foster and William Lamson to inform them that he is unavailable for the requested meeting date of June 13th, 1985, but can meet on June 20th instead. Dr. Foster and Lamson were to meet with the plaintiff team about their roles as expert witnesses in the Brown III case.
ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen writes to plaintiff expert witnesses Dr. Gordon Foster, William Lamson, Hugh Spear, and Bob Crain to inform them that dates and witness lists did not change after his appearance before the judge in early December. Attached is an early draft of findings of facts that he has shared with the defense.
ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen writes to Elvia Rosales Arriola of the ACLU and William Lamson to outline the discovery schedule for the Brown III case. The schedule runs from July 15, 1984 to January 15, 1985 and includes depositions, due dates for interrogatories, tours of sites, and pre-trial orders.
ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen writes to Elvia Rosales Arriola of the ACLU, William Lamson, Attorney Richard Jones, and Attorney William Rich to send an update on the round of depositions he completed. He also attached superintendent's and principal's annual reports for each school that he obtained on his recent trip to Topeka.
This letter from ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen to lead defense Attorney Gary K. Sebelius and Kansas Assistant Attorney General Dan Biles confirms deposition dates for June 7, 8, and 11, 1984, with a completion date of June 12. Hansen notes that formal notice of deposition will be served and a court reporter will be in the depositions.
ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen writes to Lead Defense Attorney K. Gary Sebelius to outline a possible settlement for the case since the court has again pushed the date of the trial back. Mr. Hansen lists the principles on which a settlement would have to be based, including community involvement in any plans for the district.
ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen writes to Robert Longman of Central Surveys Inc. to confirm a pre-test survey. Mr. Hansen gives background on the case and talks more specifically about the two questions he wants answered in the survey about Topeka residents' perception of whether schools are white or Black and if some schools are less adequate.
ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen sends William Lamson the order of activities for the case between December 1985 and March 1986. Also attached is the designation of fact witnesses by individually-named defendants associated with the State Board of Education.
ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen writes to William Lamson to express his gratitude for working on the case. Hansen thanks Lamson on behalf of the class of Black school children in Topeka and writes that he feels the team presented a strong case that Topeka schools have never been fully desegregated and he expects a ruling sometime in early 1985.
ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen writes to William Lamson requesting a first draft of a report and to alert him that depositions are now scheduled for September 18-20, 1984. Hansen writes that Lamson should be present at this round of depositions and they will discuss the matter further.
Handwritten letter from ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen to William Lamson asking Lamson if he has copies of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) race figures for 1981-1983 and 1985.
A letter from Ashanti Alston, a Black Liberation Army (BLA) member who was imprisoned for 11 years for a robbery to raise money for the BLA, to Nuh Abdul Qaiyum. The letter includes 2 lists: "Points of Attention In Our World Among Revolutionary Elements" and "Points of Attention in Work Among the Masses"
A letter from an unknown sender to an unknown recipient. The letter is written in response to a "General Report on Sectarian Opportunism Within the Black Underground and the Struggle for Consolidation." The sender is very critical of the report writer’s opinions on how to attain consolidation and unity in the movement for Black liberation.
Ashanti Alston, a Black Liberation Army (BLA) member who was imprisoned for 11 years for a robbery, writes about his plans to retrieve Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika)’s art materials from her property. He tells her that he plans to be out by September and to take care of himself. The letter is dated July 16th with no year specified.
Ashanti Alston, a Black Liberation Army (BLA) member who was imprisoned for 11 years for a robbery to raise money for the BLA, writes to three fellow imprisoned revolutionaries. He writes about the psychology of the fight for Black liberation and the ways in which their organization should fight for the people.
A letter from Ashanti Alston, a Black Liberation Army (BLA) member who was imprisoned for 11 years for a robbery to raise money for the BLA. He explores the mistakes of the BLA and writes about the principles of the new movement. He gives an update of his prison sentence of 25 years.
Ashanti Alston, a Black Liberation Army (BLA) member who was imprisoned for 11 years for a robbery to raise money for the BLA, writes to Nuh Abdul Qaiyum, asking which methods should be used to communicate with the people and the best actions to take that will instill unity in the community. He also writes about his court proceedings.
Associate Dean of Washburn University School of Law (Topeka, Kansas) William Rich writes to William Lamson to send him the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) housing data for Topeka and to inform him that Attorney Richard Jones has sent him more maps as well.
Attorney Jon C. Dubin of the ACLU writes to Brown III co-counsel attorneys to update them about pre-1951 discovery which had been previously ruled too burdensome for the defense to deliver, but a new ruling has made those documents available. Dubin includes a list summarizing the status of all requested documents.
Letter from Attorney Richard E. Jones to ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen concerning data that Lead Defense Attorney K. Gary Sebelius sent to him. Jones notes that he also forwarded the data to William Lamson to save time.
Attorney Richard E. Jones writes to Attorney Jon C. Dubin of the ACLU about his recent court appearance and the agreement that was made with the judge about proceeding with trial. The agreement was that depositions would be delayed until August of 1983 and the trial itself would probably commence in March of 1984.
Bashir Abdul Lugman AS-Sabur writes to a fellow imprisoned person. He compares the Black Panther Party to scattered seeds that can't grow. He mentions the need for their forces to be reunited and how the recipient's religious rights are being violated through the denial of the ability to perform the Muslim practice of Jumma services in prison.
Walid, a fellow Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army member, begins his letter to Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) by expressing his best wishes and remarks at how vividly he can remember her and her children. He focuses his attention on her trial, comparing it with his indictment that was dropped.
Byron Harrison, fellow Black Panther Party member, expresses to Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) the value he feels in communicating with someone like minded in the struggle. He asks her to send important information to other members of the Black Panther Party.
