The collection, which measures 1.18 linear feet and dates from circa 1961-2004, documents the personal life and professional activities of Rev. H. Rhett James. The collection is comprised of awards, photographs, books, newspaper clippings, correspondence, invitations, newsletters, oral histories, resumes, audio- and videocassettes, and ephemera.
Scope and Contents note:
The Reverend H. Rhett James papers, which date from 1961 to 2004, document the personal and professional life of Reverend H. Rhett James. Very notable are the letters and correspondence between Reverend H. Rhett James and the United States of America President, Lyndon B. Johnson, and his cabinet. The papers include an oral history, a C.V., letters and correspondence, awards, black-and-white photographs, books, clippings. color photographs, ephemera, invitations, newsletters, photographic prints, signatures, audio cassettes, and videocassettes.
Arrangement note:
The collection is organized into four series: Series 1, Biographical, Series 2, Correspondence, Series 3, Writings, Series 4, Sound Recordings, and Series 5, Photogrpahs. One box contains Series 1, 2, and 3. Box 2 contains Series 3, and Box 4 contains Series 5.
Series 1, Biographical, 1961-2004, is comprised of a typed oral history interview with Dr. H. Rhett James, on December 21, 2002, for the Dallas Public Library's Oral History Project (Box 1/Folder 1), a typed C.V. (Box 1/Folder 2), and other biographical information in the form of newsletters, booklets, certificates, visitor passes, and card invitations.
Series 2, Correspondence, 1962-1999, is arranged alphabetically by correspondent's last name. It is comprised of typed correspondence and letters on various political and community issues. Members of Lyndon b. Johnson's administration figure prominently in this series. The miscellaneous folders contain reproduced correspondence and letters from the Lyndon B. Johnson museum. A set of original envelopes are at the end of folder 15.
Series 3, Writings, 1972, 1992, 1997, is comprised of two books and a NAACP position paper on Dallas Public Schools by Reverend H. Rhett James. The books are titled, The Audacity to Survive and Stamp your own Passport.
Series 4, Sound Recordings, 1972, 1975, 1981, undated, is comprised of 60 audio cassettes in a box. Three notable cassettes in the box contain Jesse Jackson sermons on Civil Rights, "Silver" Rights, social justice, the black church's role in Black Amerca, and religion's role in America. A majority of the tapes are sermons by H. Rhett James on mind consciousness, spiritual regeneration, empowerment, the Gospel, civil rights, social justice, and ecomonic betterment.
Series 5, Photographs, is comprised of autographed photographs by political personage, family photographs, and other photographs including H. Rhett James with prominent figures, notably one with Martin Luther King Jr. Autographed photographs include Lyndon B Johnson, Benjamin Hoover, ans Hubert Humphrey.
Biographical/Historical note:
Reverend H. Rhett James was an ardent pastor,African-American educator, and community activist, who played a role in Dallas and the larger Texas community during the Civil Rights era.
Reverend H. Rhett James (1928-2004) was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 1, 1928. He received his early education in the public schools of Topeka, Kansas, Nashville, Tennessee and San Antonio, Texas, he enrolled at Virginia Union University, Richomond Virginia. Upon graduation (Bachelor's 1950), he accepted a teaching position in San Antonio, and became the first African American to receive the Masters of Education Degree from Our Lady of the Lake College (1951).
Returning to his Alma Mater, Virginia Union, he taught in the Department of Education and Psychology and received his Masters of Divinty Degree (1958). Moving to Dallas to accept the pastorate of New Hope Baptist church, he enrolled in the Brite College, T.C.U. and became the first African American to receive the Masters of Theology Degree (1961). He rceived his Ph.D. degree in Urban Administration frm the University of Texas at Arlingotn (1981). He served as pastor of New Hope Baptist church until his retirement in 1986.
As a political and community activist, he headed scores of local organizations working for desegregation and human rights causes. He headed the N.A.A.C.P through severe local desegregation and human rights causes; founder and twelve year Board President of the Dallas O.I.C. (Opportunities Industrialization Center); the first black president of the Dallas War on Poverty (DCCAC); founding Board member of the Dallas Urban League and Board and Budget committee member for the Dallas United Way, ACLU, Southern Historical Association, UNCF and YMCA boards.
Rverend H. Rhett James died on March 14, 2004. He left one daughter and three sons.
Rights:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
1 Video recording ((1 U-matic 3/4" video recording))
Container:
Box 8, Item 63a
Type:
Archival materials
Video recordings
Place:
Atlanta (Ga.)
Date:
1993-1994
Scope and Contents note:
Mrs. Bolden is a community activist, Founder and President of the National Domestic Workers Association, and Advisor to the Carter and Reagan administrators.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. This item will require preservation reformatting before it can be accessed. Please contact the archivist for more information: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters oral history collection exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
1 Video recording ((1 U-matic 3/4" video recording))
Container:
Box 8, Item 63b
Type:
Archival materials
Video recordings
Place:
Atlanta (Ga.)
Date:
1993-1994
Scope and Contents note:
Mrs. Bolden is a community activist, Founder and President of the National Domestic Workers Association, and Advisor to the Carter and Reagan administrators.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. This item will require preservation reformatting before it can be accessed. Please contact the archivist for more information: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters oral history collection exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Eddie Faye Gates, Tulsa OK, author, historian, community activist
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Eddie Faye Gates, Tulsa OK, author, historian, community activist
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Eddie Faye Gates, Tulsa OK, author, historian, community activist
The papers of painter Helen DeMott measure 7.9 linear feet and date from 1896-1997. DeMott's painting career from 1940-1996 is documented through her numerous sketchbooks and original artwork. Also found is biographical material, correspondence, writings and poems, scrapbooks, printed material, photographic material, audio and video recordings, and scattered material from collagist Ray Johnson.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of painter Helen DeMott measure 7.9 linear feet and date from 1896-1997. DeMott's painting career from 1940-1996 is documented through her numerous sketchbooks and original artwork. Also found is biographical material, correspondence, writings and poems, scrapbooks, printed material, photographic material, audio and video recordings, and scattered material from collagist Ray Johnson.
The scattered biographical material contains official documents, DeMott's resume, circulars and receipts from the Art School of the National Academy of Design, and two obituaries. Correspondence includes letters from publishers regarding DeMott's book proposal "Geography into Landscape," correspondence with universities and scientific institutions regarding her Wave series, and personal correspondence including letters from photographer, filmmaker, and painter Rudy Burckhardt, writer Alfred Chester, painter Clifford Wright, and collagist Edith Schloss.
The bulk of the writings is DeMott's poetry, as well as some artist's statements, loose notes, a speech, travel diaries, and handwritten, typed, and edited manuscripts, including a typed manuscript of "Geography into Landscape." Writings by others include poetry by Celia Bland, Miriam Finkelstein, and Marie Ponsot. Scrapbooks document DeMott's research and artwork related to waves and includes clippings, photographs of artwork, sketches and notations, and typed notes on painting waves. Printed material includes magazine and newspaper articles about Helen DeMott and various other artists, and many articles related to water waves.
Photographic material includes black and white photographs of DeMott's artwork and personal photographs. Of interest is a 1943 photograph of a group at the Art Students League which includes Ester Rolick, Edith Schloss, Max Eastman, and Helen DeMott. Also found are slides and transparencies of artwork and slides for lectures on waves. Audiovisual Recordings include one reel-to-reel tape and five videotapes, some related to DeMott's study of waves.
There is one folder of material from collagist Ray Johnson containing scattered letters and mail art, exhibition fliers, and collages. Measuring 4.2 linear feet, the bulk of DeMott's papers are sketchbooks and original artwork spanning her artistic career. There are numerous loose sketches, notes, sketchbooks, holiday cards, watercolors, and oversized drawings in pencil, ink, and oil pastels, much of which is related to waves. Original artwork by others includes Esther Rolick and Edith Schloss.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 9 series:
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1911-1997 (Boxes 1, 9; 7 folders)
Series 2: Letters and Correspondence, 1896, 1930-1995 (Boxes 1-2; 1.1 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, 1950-circa 1996 (Boxes 2-3; 1.0 linear feet)
Series 4: Scrapbooks, 1967-1989 (Box 3; 2 folders)
Series 5: Printed Material, 1961-1996 (Boxes 3, 9; 0.2 linear feet)
Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1920s-1996 (Boxes 3-4, 9; 0.8 linear feet)
Series 7: Audiovisual Recordings, 1975, 1978, undated (Box 4; 0.4 linear feet)
Series 8: Ray Johnson, 1947, 1963, undated (Box 4; 1 folder)
Series 9: Artwork, 1941-1996 (Boxes 4-9, OV 10-13; 4.2 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Helen DeMott (1920-1997) was a New York City based painter and poet and well-known East Village community activist.
In the 1940s, DeMott attended the National Academy of Design and Art Students League. In the late 1960s, DeMott began focusing her work on the scientific study of waves, specifically the structure of water wave surfaces, a theme that remained in her work for the rest of her career. In 1974-1975, DeMott completed two building murals of water wave structures in New York City: Wave Spill, located at 155 First Avenue and 10th Street; and River Wave, at 509 Amsterdam Avenue. She had a solo exhibition at the Green Mountain Gallery in 1969, and exhibited at the ground-breaking alternative space, 112 Workshop/112 Greene Street in 1979. DeMott was received a number of grants and awards throughout her career including National Community Arts Competition winner in 1974, a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (CAPS) in 1976, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1978, and a Gottleib Foundation grant in 1983. She passed away in 1997.
Provenance:
The Helen DeMott papers were a bequest to the Archives of American Art in 2003 by James Goldiner, executive for the estate of Helen DeMott.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Helen DeMott papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
21 Cubic feet (64 document boxes, one oversize folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Baptismal certificates
Scrapbooks
Marriage certificates
Diplomas
Photographs
Place:
Montana
Louisiana
United States -- Race relations
Date:
1880-2017
undated
Summary:
Papers and photographs documenting the lives and descendants of Samuel and Mamie Anderson Bridgewater of Helena, Montana.
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents the lives of the family and descendants of Samuel and Mamie Anderson Bridgwater. The papers primarily belonged to the family and descendants of their daughter Mary Emma (1893-1981), who married Charles H. Harrell (1878-1948), a Pullman porter. The collection includes materials from collateral relatives and from those who married into the Bridgewater and Harrell families. The women of these families were extensively involved in community, religious, and social organizations. The collection contains materials about social and religious life in the relatively small African-American communities surrounding Helena, Montana. It also contains family papers including Samuel and Mamie's marriage certificate from 1892; educational memorabilia and school diplomas; scrapbooks and photogaphs documenting family members, vacations, life events and friends; baptismal records; hand-written birth and death entries; and correspondence between family members and friends living in other states.
The collection includes records of many of Montana's social and religious organizations from the 1890s to the 1950s, including the Colored Women's Clubs of America; the Pleasant Hour Club in Helena; the Helena Negro Chorus; the local chapter of the Society for the Relief of Worthy, Aged, Indigent Colored Persons, Pleasant House Club; and numerous Baptist and Roman Catholic congregations. Generations of women in the Bridgewater and Harrell families were members or officers of these organizations. The collection contains records and photographs relating to several African-American and integrated churches in Helena. Friends and community members, primarily other African-American Montanans, are represented in the collection as well.
Photographs and other documents record the lives of nearby neighbors and friends as well as lives of more distant family members and friends. Subjects covered in the collection are: the formerly enslaved parents of Samuel and Mamie Bridgwater; Samuel Bridgwater and his fellow Buffalo soldiers; Octavia Bridgewater's experiences at the Lincoln School of Nursing in New York City; Octavia Bridgewater's service with a segregated unit of the Army Nurse Corps in World War II while stationed at the Tuskegee Air Base, Alabama and her later life after returning to civilian life in Helena when she worked mostly as a midwife.
Some of the arrangement of the collection was done by family members prior to its donation to the Archives Center. The families had a vigorous and wide ranging network of family and friends in Montana and elsewhere in the United States, and materials related to all family members and friends may be found across multiple series.
Subseries 2.8: Harrell, Richard Francis, 1960-1996, undated
Subseries 2.9: Harrell, Cornelius Eckart, 1940-2001
Subseries 2.10: Harrell, Jr., Charles Henry, 1925-2005
Subseries 2.11: Family Memorabilia, 1960-1990, undated
Subseries 2.12: Photographs, 1929-1996, undated
Series 3, Trahan Family, 1923-1995, undated
Series 4, Family Friends, 1912-1979, undated
Series 5, Photographs, 1907-1992, undated
Biographical / Historical:
The Bridgewater family is a multi-generation African American family descended from Samuel (1862-1912) and Mamie Anderson Bridgwater (1872-1950) (note: later family members spelled the name with an "e"). The son of slaves, Bridgwater was born in Dixon Springs, Smith County, Tennessee, on February 25, 1862. He later enlisted in the all-Black 24th Infantry Regiment, USCI (United States Colored Infantry), one of the famous "Buffalo Soldier" regiments. The 24th Infantry served in the Department of Texas from 1869-1889, Indian Territory from 1880-1888 and following 1888 in the Department of Arizona. In 1892 he married Mamie E. Anderson the daughter of Levi Anderson and Emma Lucy in Fort Huachuca, in what later became the state of Arizona.
Bridgwater fought in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, where he was wounded. He retired from the United States Army at Fort Harrison, Montana, after twenty years of service on August 22, 1906. The family remained in Helena, Montana purchasing a home at 502 Peosta Avenue. The 1910 United States Census lists Samuel has having retired from the United States Army and lists Mamie as being a matron in the US Army hospital. They raised five children, three boys and two girls.
Samuel died on June 9, 1912. His widow and family remained in Montana becoming active in community affairs. Their descendants continued their parents' involvement in community and religious affairs as well as their fathers' tradition of military service. Their daughter Octavia served in an all-black unit of the Army Nurse Corps during World War II and then served her community as a nurse-midwife for the rest of her life. Members of the family continued to live in the home at 502 Peosta well into the twentieth century.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian by Janet Harrell Campbell and Jules Harrell, descendants of Samuel and Mamie Anderson Bridgewater, 2016.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Unrestricted research access on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Smithsonian Institution. Program in African American Culture Search this
Container:
Box 24, Folder 15
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1995 February 1-4
Scope and Contents:
Program in African American Culture and the Ethnic Imagery Project of the Archives Center of the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Instituion; the Black Film Institute of the University of the District of Columbia; and the Black Film Review sponsored this program. Program held from Wednesday, February 1, through Saturday, February 4, 1995, in the Carmichael Auditorium and the Taylor Gallery. The symposium included panel discussions, film screenings, lectures, presentations of papers, and performances. The participants included:
Orlando Bagwell, film maker, producer, and director
Toni Cade Bambara, Black film historian; professor of film,Temple University
Steven Torriano Berry, cinematographer and director of photography
Camille Billops, film maker and sculptor
Jaqueline Bobo, Ph.D., associate professor, film and television studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Donald Bogle, author, critic, and leading authority on African Americans in American popular culture
India Cooke, violinist, composer, and educator
Thomas Cripps, Ph.D., University Distinguished Professor of History, Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland
Manthia Diawara, Ph.D., professor of comparative literature and film, director of Africana Studies Program and the Institute of Afro-American Affairs, NYU
Carl Erikson, Boston based community activist and developer of Roxbury Cinema Multimedia Center
Gloria J. Gibson-Hudson, Ph.D., assistant director, Black Center/Archive; assistant professor, Department of Afro-American Studies, Indiana University
William Greaves, film maker, director, producer, actor
Frederick Dennis Greene, J.D., president of New York-based Lenox/Greene Films
Ed Guerrero, Ph.D., professor of film and literature, University of Delaware
George Hill, Ph.D., author, journalist, publicist, and entrepreneur
George Jackson and Doug McHenry, producers and partners in Jackson/McHenry Company
Clarence Lusane is an author, activist, lecturer, and freelance journalist in DC
Michelle Parkerson, writer and independent film maker from DC
Mark A. Reid, Ph.D., associate professor, African American and African Studies Program and the English Department, University of California, Davis
Jesse Algernon Rhines, Ph.D., assistant professor of political economy in the African American Studies Department, Rutgers University
Program number AC408.92.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Use of reference audio and video cassette copies only.
Collection Rights:
Reproduction fees for commercial use. Copyright restrictions. Contact staff for information.
Collection Citation:
Program in African American Culture Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Smithsonian Institution. Program in African American Culture Search this
Container:
Box 25, Folder 13
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1998 October 31
Scope and Contents:
Program held at the National Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. The program was sponsored by the Program in African American Culture and the National Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. The assembled group of scholars and Chicago community activists provided compelling historical analysis and testimony about the Midwest struggles.
Participants:
Reverend Willie Barrow, Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
Charles Branham, Ph.D., Adjunct professor of Minority Studies, Indiana University
Margaret Burroughs, Litt.D. bearer and preserver of African American culture
Mr. Ishmael Flory, labor activist and community organizer
Darlene Clark Hine, Ph.D., John A. Hannah Professor of History, Michigan State University
Ms. Jorja English Palmer, Founder of Extended Services Programs
James R. Ralph, Ph.D., associate professor of History, Middlebury College, Connecticut
Alonzo N. Smith, Ph.D., research historian for the Program in African American Culture, National Museum of American History
Thomas J. Sugrue, Ph.D., Associate professor of history and sociology, University of Pennsylvania
Heather Ann Thompson, Ph.D., assistant professor, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Carol and Katie Davis Collection of Adams Morgan Ephemera
Extent:
1.29 Linear feet (1 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Ephemera
Newspapers
Place:
Washington (D.C.) -- 20th century
Adams Morgan (Washington, D.C.)
Date:
1973-1974
Summary:
Carol and Katie Davis Collection of Adams Morgan Ephemera, which dates from 1973-1974 and measures 1.29 linear feet, documents the growth and flourishing of neigborhood activism in Washington, DC both before and after the arrival of Home Rule. The collection includes copies of The Columbian newspaper, the self-proclaimed "Community Newspaper of Adams Morgan," also published as "Noticierio Columbian."
Scope and Contents:
Carol and Katie Davis Collection of Adams Morgan Ephemera, which dates from 1973-1974 and measures 1.29 linear feet, documents the growth and flourishing of neigborhood activism in Washington, DC both before and after the arrival of Home Rule. The collection includes copies of The Columbian newspaper, the self-proclaimed "Community Newspaper of Adams Morgan," also published as "Noticierio Columbian." Present in the collection are also flyers, brochures, and a report which documents the organization's efforts to fight the impending gentrification, speculation, and displacement that was threatening the neighborhood in the 1970s.
Biographical / Historical:
Adams Morgan Organization (AMO), founded in 1972 by neighborhood advocates Marie Nahikian, Walter Pierce, Topper Care, Josephine "Jo" Butler, Edward G. Jackson Sr., Charlotte Fillmore, and Milton Kotler among others, tackled urgent issues in their community like real estate speculation and residential displacement. AMO convened regular and well-attended assembly meetings where residents shared an equal vote with AMO's elected chairperson and 25 representatives. When the Advisory Neigbhorhood Commissions (ANCs) were created as part of DC's transition to Home Rule, AMO served as a model of how local self-government could thrive. The tenant protections that AMO advocated for-including the 1975 Rental Accommodations Act, the 1978 Residential Real Property Transfer Excise Tax, and the 1980 Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Act-have helped preserve what affordable housing has remained in the District of Columbia.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at ACMarchives@si.edu
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Moore, David (Fieldworker) – Davenport, IA – Perry Ramirez (educator, community activist, former musician)
Collection Creator:
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Extent:
1 sound recording (compact audio cassette)
Type:
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Date:
1995 December 20
Collection Restrictions:
Access by appointment only. Where a listening copy or viewing copy has been created, this is indicated in the respective inventory; additional materials may be accessible with sufficient advance notice and, in some cases, payment of a processing fee. Older papers are housed at a remote location and may require a minimum of three weeks' advance notice and payment of a retrieval fee. Certain formats such as multi-track audio recordings and EIAJ-1 videoreels (1/2 inch) may not be accessible. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at 202-633-7322 or rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1996 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
