Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1571

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

.21 linear feet (1 box; 1 oversized folder)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Civil Rights Movement collection, circa 1929-1971, Ms. Coll. 1571, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

circa 1929-1984 (inclusive)

Form:

Publications, Buttons (information artifacts), and Memorabilia

Abstract:

This collection of publications, flyers, leaflets, pamphlets, stickers, celluloid buttons and a poster documents part of the Civil Rights Movement, a significant moment in American history that paved the way for the advancement of civil rights and social justice for Black Americans.

The Civil Rights Movement was a social movement in the United States that aimed to secure equal rights for Black Americans. The movement began in the 1950s and continued through the 1960s, and was characterized by nonviolent protests and civil disobedience. The movement was initiated to fight against the racial segregation, discrimination and disenfranchisement that Black Americans faced in the United States, especially in the South. The movement was a response to these injustices and the fight for equal protection under the law.

The movement was led by several prominent figures and organizations such as Martin Luther King, Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, James Farmer, Whitney Young, John Lewis, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); and was marked by several key events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, March on Washington and the Freedom Rides. The movement was successful in bringing about significant changes in the United States, including the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

This collection of publications, flyers, leaflets, pamphlets, stickers celluloid buttons and a poster represents a few of the many efforts that made up part of the Civil Rights Movement, a significant moment in American history that paved the way for the advancement of civil rights and social justice for Black Americans. While this collection documents no single effort, several of the items are from various organizations and events located in the state of Illinois, including a mimeographed flyer for the first annual inter-collegiate Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) party a-go-go held on May 28, 1965, that was sponsored by the Chicago Inter-Collegiate Friends of SNCC. SNCC was founded in 1960 and was dedicated to nonviolent, direct action protests. Its membership was comprised mainly of students who participated in several major civil rights events, including the sit-ins, Freedom Rides, March on Washington, and the voter registration drive of 1964 called Freedom Summer. There are several types of celluloid buttons promoting SNCC and other organizations that participated in the Movement, as well as stickers with the symbol of clasped black and white hands. Other items include writings relating to Blacks and socialism and communism that predate the Civil Rights Movements, as well as accounts of activities during the Movement.

This collection is arranged in two series: I. Printed material II. Memorabilia