African Americans--Civil rights

Scope and Content Note The John Keith Benton Papers are composed of 3.25 linear feet of sermons, articles, research, correspondence and photographs from his career as a pastor and Vanderbilt Dean. The dates of the collection range from the 1940s to the mid-1950s. It is divided into five series. Sermons—transcripts of sermons given by Benton ...

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The John Egerton Papers, 1950-2014, contain correspondence, manuscripts, speeches, research materials, publication materials, reviews, clippings, photographs, and other documents of journalist and writer John Egerton, 1935-2013.

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The Robert Burns Eleazer Papers (1877–1973) include correspondence and writings by Eleazer as well as newspaper clippings, course and program outlines, press releases and pamphlets. There are several autobiographical writings as well as a transcription of Mr. Eleazer being interviewed by historian John Egerton shortly before Mr. Eleazer’s death in 1973. Writings by others include reviews, articles, pamphlets and student papers.

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The Nelson and Marian Fuson Papers, 1944-1990, consist of the correspondence, records, and Civil Rights Movement materials of Fisk University physics professor Nelson Fuson, 1913-2006, and his wife, Marian, 1921-2024.

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The Hugh Davis Graham is a small collection of two Hollinger boxes (.83 linear feet) the biggest part of which are his published articles. Also in the collection are notes, programs from conferences, newspaper clippings, research, and emails. Most of the content in the Hugh Davis Graham Collection relates to his interests in Civil Rights and Policy History, more specifically the Civil Rights Act and Affirmative Action.

Scope and Content Note The Edwin Hamlett Papers contain a variety of material pertaining to Ed Hamlett’s life, acquaintances, and materials from the impressive number of organizations in which he participated. The collection spans 39.62 linear feet in total, and covers the years from 1954 to 1988. Most of the material, however, is concentrated between the 1960’s to 1975, and his involvement in civil rights and psychiatric nursing. The papers include correspondence, large numbers of notes, photographs, reports,...

Scope and Content The material in this collection consists of oral history interviews conducted by students in History 295-01, The History of Undergraduate Desegregation at Vanderbilt, taught by Dr. Peter Felten Fall 2004. The collection includes digital audio files of the interviews, interview transcripts, a class syllabus, and annotated bibliographies of select resources assigned to students for research. Interview questions focused on student experiences and perspectives on desegregation during...

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The James M. Lawson, Jr. Papers (1862-2021) contain the documents, correspondence, photographs, and artifacts of professor, activist, and Civil Rights movement organizer Rev. James Lawson, Jr. (b. 1928).

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The collection includes correspondence and writings by Salynn McCollum, as well as newspaper clippings, journal and magazine articles, and photographs. The majority of the material represents McCollum’s participation with the Civil Rights Movement during the first half of the 1960s. Many items were generated while she was a field secretary for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Scope and Content Note This collection consists of Dean J. Robert Nelson’s materials relating to the events at Vanderbilt University that were known as “the Lawson affair.” In 1960, a graduate student in the Divinity School was dismissed from the University, despite the Dean’s objections, for his participation in local lunch-counter sit-ins. In protest Nelson resigned as Dean of the Divinity School. Most of this collection is comprised of correspondence ranging from before Nelson’s appointment as Dean in 1957...

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This collection contains prints of photographs taken by Lucius Outlaw.

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The Race Relations Law Reporter Collection, 1968-1971, contains article drafts and notes on civil rights court cases from the Race Relations Reporter, 1956-1972.

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This collection contains a single 6 page manuscript titled "Forty-Eight Hours at Vanderbilt" written by Charles Roos in 1985. The essay documents Roos's involvement in the 1960 James Lawson case at Vanderbilt. The '48 hours' document June 7-8, 1960.

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This collection contains 30 pieces of correspondence from James M. Lawson, Jr. to Carol Hamilton during his time in prison for refusing to enlist in the Korean War. It also includes two pieces of correspondence from the Department of Justice to Carol Hamilton receiving permission to write James Lawson, three essays, and three postcards.

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The Kelly Miller Smith Collection complements the Divinity School's Kelly Miller Smith Institute on the Black Church. This collection contains primary materials related to one of the most significant periods in black American history, ca. 1945-1984. Both contemporary and future scholars will view the collection as a valuable resource for inquiring into the thought and practice of Kelly Miller Smith, who was a widely esteemed black leader.

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The Southern Education Reporting Service Papers, 1955-1957, consists of drafts, clippings, reports, and other organizational materials of school desegregation organization, Southern Education Reporting Service, 1954-1972.

Abstract The Henry Lee Swint Papers date from 1933 to 1978 and are comprised primarily of correspondence, writings, and research notes. Swint carried on an extensive correspondence with students, former students, and colleagues at other institutions, mainly discussing research interests and personal concerns. A more limited correspondence with faculty and other colleagues at Vanderbilt contains information regarding administrative matters, including controversial subjects such as the 1960 dismissal...