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MTS-Produced Finding Aids

Collections We Process & Why

A wooden card catalog.

African-descended peoples have shaped Chicago's history from the start, since the Haitian fur trader Jean-Baptiste Point DuSable founded the city's first permanent settlement in 1779.

Though many of the city's archival repositories hold materials that date back as far as the 18th century, MTS does not focus its work on those earlier eras of Black Chicago's history. Instead, we direct our attention to the mid-20th century, for reasons that are both practical and conceptual.

First, since we are a small group—one faculty member and eight Ph.D. students—we choose not to stretch our labor power too far, the better to complete the collections we aim to process. Second, we've narrowed Black Chicago's history down to the 1930s to the 1970s because most staff members are currently engaged in long-term research that pertains to this era (see staff bios). Trading upon our academic specialization in this way, we can use our expertise in African American and American literary history, cultural history, and cinema studies to process the collections thoroughly and efficiently.

Finding Aids Completed

Abbott-Sengstacke Family Papers (1847-1997) [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
The papers of Robert S. Abbott, John H. Sengstacke, and Myrtle E. Sengstacke tell the story not only of one of the most significant African-American newspaper and publishing companies of the twentieth century, but also of a rich family history. Since 1905, under both Abbott and Sengstacke, the Chicago Defender was a powerful force in African-American life, from its heralding of the Great Migration to Sengstacke's role in the desegregation of the armed forces. The papers include not only manuscript material—including correspondence, Defender records, and family papers—but also approximately 4,000 photographs and over one hundred films that document the family's role in local and national political life.
Barbara E. Allen Papers [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Barbara E. Allen is an Emmy-winning producer, writer, and editor who have created such critically-acclaimed documentaries as Paper Trail: 100 Years of the Chicago Defender (2005) and DuSable to Obama: Chicago’s Black Metropolis (2010). The Barbara E. Allen Papers document the making of her three time Emmy Award winning documentary, Paper Trail: 100 Years of the Chicago Defender. Paper Trail celebrates the centennial of the Chicago Defender and traces the publication’s monumental influence on African American life throughout the twentieth century. The documentary features interviews with such luminaries as Timuel Black, Joslyn DiPasalegne, Tom Picou, Robert Sengstacke, and then Senator Barack Obama. Included in this collection are the original uncut versions of these interviews as well as interview transcripts and DVD and VHS versions of Paper Trail.
Etta Moten Barnett Papers, 1901-2004 [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Etta Moten Barnett was a singer, actress, civic activist, and humanitarian, best known for her portrayal of Bess in George Gershwin's opera, Porgy and Bess. The Etta Moten Barnett Papers include not only documents and ephemera from Etta's career on the New York stage and the Hollywood screen, but also manuscripts and speeches that detail Etta's active involvement in women's affairs, African independence movements, and the Black Arts Movement.
Alice Browning Papers (1936-1998) [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Alice Browning was a writer and publishing entrepreneur, best known as the founding editor of Negro Story magazine (1944-1946) and the founder of the annual International Black Writers Conference (1970-present). The Alice Browning Papers include not only documents and ephemera from throughout Browning's career, but also a complete manuscript of her unpublished novel Chicago Girl, which she wrote in the 1940s.
Ben Burns Papers (1913-2000) [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Self-described as a “white editor in Black journalism,” Ben Burns served in key editorial posts in Black Chicago's media establishment from the 1940s to 1970s. Burns was the national editor of the Chicago Defender from 1941-1945, the editor of Negro Digest from 1942-1954, and the executive editor of Ebony from 1945-1954, Jet from 1951-1954, Sepia from 1955-1958. After a hiatus working in public relations, Burns returned to journalism as the editor of the Chicago Daily Defender from 1966-1967 and the editor of Sepia from 1968-1977.
Cyrus Colter Papers (1910-2002) [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
In 1960, at the age of fifty and after a long career as a lawyer and state government official, Cyrus Colter turned to fiction writing as his vocation, publishing a prize-winning short story collection (The Beach Umbrella [1970]), and five novels: The Rivers of Eros (1972), The Hippodrome (1973), Night Studies (1979), A Chocolate Soldier (1988), and City of Light (1993). Widely popular and critically praised, his works have been translated into German, Italian, Hungarian, Danish, French, and Japanese.
Chester Commodore Papers (1914-2004) [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Chicago Chapter, Congress of Racial Equality Archives, 1947-1990 [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded in Chicago in 1942 by African American and white student activists influenced by Mahatma Ghandi's philosophy of nonviolent resistance and committed to the elimination of racial discrimination and segregation. The Chicago Chapter of CORE utilized sit-ins, picket lines, and other forms of civil disobedience to successfully desegregate public accommodations, housing, education, and employment. The Chicago Chapter of CORE Archives primarily covers the period of the early and mid-1960s, when the organization's membership was at its height. Records include interviews, correspondence, flyers, programs, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
Frank Marshall Davis Papers (1905-1987) [DuSable Museum of African American History]
Frank Marshall Davis was a prominent poet and journalist who lived in Chicago, Kansas, and Atlanta during the 1930s and 1940s before moving to Hawaii in 1948. Author of three major volumes of poetry, Black Man's Verse (1935), I Am the American Negro (1937) and 47th Street (1948), Davis was also an active journalist in Chicago and Atlanta; he served as Executive Editor for the Associated Negro Press from 1935 to 1947.
Chicago Defender Photo Archives Signal Collection - Individuals Files
Chicago Defender Photo Archives Signal Collection - Organizations Files [The Chicago Defender]
The paper's signal collection is its photograph archives, which contain nearly 100,000 items. A limited number of vintage images dates back as early as the 1930-40s, but the strength of the collection lies in photographs from the 1960s-1990s.
Topically, the archives are particularly strong in the fields of Black business, politics (Chicago-based, Illinois state, national, and international), the Civil Rights Movement, entertainment, celebrities, leisure culture, sports, community organizations, and community activism.
Earl B. Dickerson Papers [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Earl Burrus Dickerson was among the most prominent leaders in African American business, politics, and law in the twentieth century. As President of the Supreme Liberty Life Insurance Company, and with his association with the NAACP and the National Urban League, Dickerson was at the vanguard of a rising black middle class and the struggle for civil rights. His papers document both his personal and professional life through, particularly extensive series of correspondence and photographs.
Dungill Family Papers 1894-1999 [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
The Dungill Family Papers document the history of the musical accomplishments of the Dungill family between the 1930s and the 1980s. The Dungills developed a unique family orchestra that consisted of nine family members: the parents, Doyle and Evette Dungill, and the children: Alexander, Elaine, Melody, Gerald, Charles, Gloria, and Harriette, who were all trained in the areas of voice and instrumentation.
Hope Dunmore / Old Settlers Social Club Collection [DuSable Museum of African American History]
Papers of Hope Dunmore, Chicago native and longtime member of the "Old Settlers Club," an organization of African American elite families who traced their roots in Chicago back to the 1880s and earlier.
Richard Durham Papers [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
A black radio journalist, Durham produced the documentary show, Destination: Freedom, during the late 1930s-1940s and served as the editor of Muhammad Ali's autobiography, The Greatest.
DuSable Museum Moving Image Collection [DuSable Museum of African American History]
Consisting of 240 videotapes and ninety films (16mm, 8mm, and Super 8), this collection covers a rich variety of topics. Many chronicle the activities of the DuSable Museum and those of its founder, Margaret Burroughs, including Burrough's travels to Africa and the West Indies during the late 1960s and 1970s. The collection features five 16mm home movies from famed gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson, filmed during 1963. Civil rights activist Ralph Abernathy's journey to Germany in 1971 is also chronicled in the film archive. The collection also features several other professionally-produced feature and documentary films, along with Chicago-based television programs.
Walter Henri Dyett Papers [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Walter Henri Dyett, known as “Captain Dyett” to his many students and admirers, was a band instructor, music educator, and influential figure in fostering the development of jazz and black music in Chicago. The Walter Dyett Papers include family history material, programs from his time at DuSable High School, and around 500 photographs documenting band performances, family outings, and vacations from the 1920s to the 1950s.
George Cleveland Hall Branch Archives, 1930-1975 [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
The George Cleveland Hall Branch Library was the first full service library accessible to Chicago's African American residents. It was devoted to the preservation and promotion of African American history and culture. The archives include administrative records, programs, correspondence, photographs, newspaper and periodical clipping files, pamphlets and research materials from its 1932 opening day until its transfer of the Harsh Collection to the Woodson Regional Library in 1975.
Heritage Press Papers [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Heritage Press, which operated out of London between the years of 1962-1975, was one of the most important publishers of black poetry of its time. Founded by Dutch-born book trade specialist Paul Breman, Heritage Press was best known for virtually launching the careers of Robert Hayden, Audre Lorde and Dolores Kendrick. The press also published major works of poetry by Arna Bontemps, Waring Cuney, Fenton Johnson, and Ishmael Reed. In addition, the press published many prominent members of the Black Arts Movement—including Conrad Kent Rivers, Frank Horne, Dudley Randall, Lloyd Addison, Ronald L. Fair and Russell Atkins—as well as several poets who remain largely unknown today.
Willa S. Jones Papers, 1930-1984 [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Willa Saunders Jones was an Arkansas-born playwright, known for writing, producing, and directing the Chicago Passion Play, produced annually from 1926 to 1981.
Frances Minor Papers, 1863-2009 [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Frances Minor is a Chicago-born art collector, long-time educator, and wife of Byron C. Minor, Superintendent of Chicago Public Schools. Her mother, Sadie Hilyard Anderson, was an active member of several local grassroots organizations, including the Works Progress Administration, and the first black MIDI Woman for the 5th Ward.
Madeline Stratton Morris Papers [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
As an educator, historian, and activist, Madeline Stratton Morris dedicated her professional life to the teaching of black history at all levels of public education. Among her achievements was creation of the first black history curriculum for the Chicago Public Schools in 1942. The Madeline Stratton Morris Papers contain materials related to her career in the CPS, her work on African American history, and her activities in the key organizations of the mid-century black history movement.
Willard F. Motley Papers [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Willard F. Motley, was a Chicago-born writer, co-founded Hull House Magazine, and is best known for his novel Knock on Any Door, published in 1947, and its later film adaptation in 1951. The papers include materials from his work with Hull House magazine, as well as clipping files on the critical reception of his books.
Path Press Archives [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Path Press Archives was a Chicago-based black publishing house, active during the 1970s, specializing in Black Arts Movement fiction.
Joseph & Charlemae Rollins Collection [DuSable Museum of African American History]
Charlemae Hill Rollins (1897-1979) and Joseph Walter Rollins, Sr. were a prominent couple in Chicago's African American community from the 1920s through the 1970s. As the Head Librarian of the Children's Division of the George Cleveland Hall Branch of the Chicago Public Library (1927-1963), Charlemae Rollins earned national renown for cultivating the publication of multicultural children's literature for public library systems to purchase and circulate to younger readers. Joseph Rollins (1894-1983) held a high civic profile in Chicago through his military veterans' activities, having served with distinction in World War I.
Chicago SNCC History Project Archives, 1960-2010 [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
The Chicago SNCC History Project Archives documents the activities of the Chicago Area Friends of SNCC (CAFSNCC) in support of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee's (SNCC) organizing in the South as well as the organization's own role in Chicago civil rights organizing campaigns around fair housing, education and employment for African Americans in the city. In addition to CAFSNCC and SNCC-National records, predominantly from the 1960s, the collection also holds the records of the Chicago SNCC History Project which contain oral history interview transcripts and conference materials from 2005 through 2010 which look back and reflect upon the role of CAFSNCC and SNCC in the civil rights movement.
South Side Community Art Center [The South Side Community Art Center]
Theodore Charles Stone Papers, 1899-1998 [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
An accomplished baritone and music journalist, Theodore Charles Stone also served for many years as president of the Chicago Music Association (CMA) and National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM). The papers include records of Stone's professional life as a journalist and performer, organizational records of both NANM and CMA, and hundreds of music programs documenting musical culture in Chicago over fifty years.
Charles Walton Papers, 1928-2005 [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Charles Walton was a jazz drummer, music educator, and author of "Bronzeville Conversations," a research and oral history project that documented the jazz and blues world in Black Chicago. The papers include drafts of his unfinished book, over 300 oral history interviews with 179 subjects, subject research material on the merger of American Federation of Musicians Local 10-208, as well as rare documents and photographs.
Edith Wilson Papers [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
Edith Wilson was highly regarded as a blues singer and vaudeville performer by the 1930s and went on to perform on radio, television, and as a spokeswoman for the Quaker Oats Company. Her papers document a long and varied career, including her work as a professional musician, her employment with Quaker Oats, for whom she portrayed the character of Aunt Jemima, and her charitable work on behalf of musicians at the end of her life.
Reverend Addie Wyatt Papers (1851-2010) [Chicago Public Library, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature]
This collection holds the papers of Rev. Addie Wyatt and Rev. Claude Wyatt, a prominent activist couple in Chicago from the 1940s through the turn of the 21st century. An important figure in Chicago's civic, political and religious worlds, Rev. Addie Wyatt blended a grassroots commitment with dynamic leadership roles in the civil rights, women's rights and labor movements, formally retiring from the labor movement in 1984 as one of its highest ranking African American and female officials. Rev. Claude Wyatt played an important role in the development of Operation Breadbasket in the 1960s and other religious-based social justice organizations. This collection also holds the institutional records of the church the couple founded on the South Side of Chicago in 1955, the Vernon Park Church of God.