Manuscripts Collection
The Minnesota Black History Project collection contains materials relating to Black Studies programs at various Minnesota colleges and universities; churches in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Duluth; Black cultural and community organizations; political conventions and elections; and St. Paul and Minneapolis municipal agencies for human rights, housing and redevelopment, and model cities programs. Also included are newspaper articles and some personal papers providing information on individuals in the Minnesota Black community.
Another component of the collection is the David V. Taylor papers which include Taylor's histories of the Fifth Maintenance Battalion in Vietnam in which he served during 1969 and 1970; files he created on student, faculty, department, and community issues as an instructor in the Black Studies Department at the University of Nebraska, Omaha (1971-1973); several articles written by Taylor on Black history topics; his file on Twin Cities Black community issues and events; and miscellaneous materials from the Minnesota Black History Project.
These documents are organized into the following sections:
The Minnesota Black History Project also led to the publication of
For additional materials related to many of the people, organizations, and government bodies described in this manuscript collection see the Minnesota Historical Society reference library, manuscript collections, and State Archives. For articles and books by David V. Taylor see the Minnesota Historical Society reference library.
See also: Oral History Interviews of the Minnesota Black History Project, 1970-1975: in the Minnesota Historical Society sound and visual collections. Included are interviews with a few people who are documented in this Minnesota Black History Project manuscript collection.
A printed version of this inventory is available in the repository; filed in the ALPHA notebooks under the heading: Taylor, David Vassar.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should
Accession numbers: 11,621; 11,653; 11,728; 11,729; 11,730; 11,900; 12,105; 12,331; 12,843; 12,904; 13,236; 13,756
Processed by: Anne Levin, May 2006
Catalog ID number: 1737829
Information on minority organizations at Carleton.
Contains a brief history of P.R.I.D.E., Hamline's black student organization.
Correspondence, reports, clippings, vitae, curricula, and
related papers pertaining to the administration of the department, to its
program, and to the controversy over the firing of its chairman, George D. King
in 1973. The latter includes clippings, correspondence, and memos regarding the
dismissal; departmental demands for his reinstatement; the appointment and
deliberations of a committee, headed by Charles McLaughlin, to evaluate King's
performance and to make recommendations; and a copy of the committee's report
(April 9, 1973). Also included are copies of clippings from the
Yearly publication of Minority Student Program containing literary contributions by the program's participants.
Brochure, background information, and statement of roles and responsibilities of CLA King Advisers.
Annual reports: Office of Minority Affairs and Black Student
Advisor, 1969-1975; copies of the Black student newspaper,
Proposals (1969, 1973), report (1972), and memos (1973, 1975) relating to the implementation of the program.
The objective of the MCDMP, organized in 1972, is to stimulate full institutional commitment on the part of Minnesota's post-secondary educational institutions and training organizations to the education of minority/disadvantaged students, by encouraging the development and improvement of suitable programs, assisting in curriculum development, and stimulating supportive services and hiring practices. Included in the folders are bylaws (1972, 1974), minutes, reports, financial reports, membership lists (1972, 1973, 1975), and newsletters (1974) relating to the organization; to the elections and functions of its officers; and conference (1972); and guidelines for MCDMP colleges (1972). There is also a copy of Study No. 1: "Minnesota Private and Public College Minority Programs" (1973).
Sunday Service programs; installation of Rev. Sylvester Witherspoon, and Woman's celebration.
History of the church by Rev. Alphonse Reff and his first sermon as pastor of the church; Sunday Service programs; Memorial Service to Martin Luther King program; newspaper clippings.
Annual report, Sunday Service bulletins, special events programs, and card of thanks for fifth anniversary contributions, from Rev. Floyd Massey, Jr.
In
Bulletins from Mount Olivet Baptist, St. Paul; New Hope Baptist, Duluth; and Camphor Methodist, St. Paul. A history of North Central Baptist Church, St. Paul and a brochure issued by Camphor Methodist Church, St. Paul.
Photocopies of typed histories of African-American churches in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. The histories may have been collected and written as part of the Minnesota Historical Records Survey, Work Projects Administration.
St. Paul: Camphor Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, St. Phillip Episcopal Church, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Bethlehem Tabernacle, Church of God and Saints of Christ, Memorial Baptist Church, Pilgrim Baptist Church (2 histories), St. Paul Baptist Church, Mount Olivet Baptist Church.
Minneapolis: Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church, Church of God in Christ Rescue Mission, Hebron Tabernacle, St. Peter's Methodist Episcopal Church, St. Thomas Mission Church, The Shiloh Temple.
Brochures, proposal, information releases with information on the Center, and exhibits and programs featuring Black composers, artists and photographers.
The organization was founded in 1969 by C. Edward Thomas to support Black music and musicians, essentially in the areas of education, research, and performance. It issues a bi-monthly letter, sponsors the Columbia Records, Black Composers Series, issues non-symphonic repertories under its own label, publishes the AAMOA Resource Papers (reference pamphlets), and presents annual symposia. It has a regional office in Minneapolis.
The folder includes a history of the organization, copies of
A community-based organization designed to help alleviate problems of Blacks in Duluth and to serve as a resource center for presenting the perspectives of the Black community. It offers adult education and youth tutoring services, recreational activities, health and nutrition education programs, and cultural enrichment activities.
The folder includes a brochure, abstract of original proposal for Office of Educational Opportunity funding, a mailing list, and an invitation to prospective students.
Created in 1971, with support from area firms, foundations, and individuals, to provide management and technical assistance services to minority owned and operated businesses in the Twin Cities and in Minnesota. Its services include business analysis, accounting, training, loan packaging, and marketing and sales promotion.
Included in the folder are copies of the newsletter and the
Annual report, brochure on the Minority Scholarship Program,
reports on the Coalition's Education Task Force scholarship program, and a copy
of
Programs, reports, newspaper clippings, and newsletters for: Masonic groups, Minneapolis Urban League, Hallie Q. Brown House, North Central Voters League, Credjafawn Credit Union, Crispus Attucks Home for the Aged, First Annual Black Community Conference: UMOJA (1979), Afrikan Liberation Day (1979).
Convention, Gary, Indiana, March 11, 1972. Includes copies of National Black Political Agenda, "A Black Calendar for the Politics of 1972: Black Agenda for the Politics of Nationhood," and a copy of the keynote address by Mayor Richard Hatcher.
Convention, Little Rock, Arkansas, March 16-17, 1974. Photocopies of minutes, reports, statements, clippings, photographs, background materials, and a diary by Myles O. Eady, Northfield, Minnesota, on the convention proceedings. Prefaced by a reconstructed account of the meeting held to select Minnesota's delegates to the Convention, by David Taylor. Includes a bumper sticker.
Campaign materials: Stephen Maxwell for Congress, Fourth
District (1966), Christopher Durand for St. Paul City Council ([1966?] and
1976); and a copy of
By Louis H. Ervin for General Mills.
A report of a workshop sponsored by the Saint Paul Committee on Industrial Relations.
Plan "B" paper by Allan J. Kolles, University of Minnesota.
A report prepared by the St. Paul Department of Human Rights, Louis H. Ervin, Director.
Final Report and recommendations of the Minorities Study Subcommittee on City Civil Service.
Minneapolis Neighborhood Development Program, Willard-Homewood Supplement, by Lorimer, Chiodo & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis.
By Economic Research Corp., Minneapolis.
A brochure with demographic maps and outlines.
Narrative analysis of the community, its characteristics and resources, and development plans; maps; history of Selby-Dale Project; demographic statistics; and clippings. Compiled by G. J. Mangle.
Reports and memos on the St. Paul HRA Early Land Acquisition Program and its neighborhood development proposals, especially in response to resident concerns as expressed by the St. Paul Urban League.
History and characteristics of the area, statements and analyses of community problems, housing and demographic data, history of the renewal project and its relation to the earlier Cathedral and Selby-Dale General Neighborhood Renewal Plans, application for approval of the redevelopment/renewal plan with specifics on project proposals, components, and objectives.
By Joel S. Torstenson, David A. Nordlie, and A. Robert Hemmingson. Social Science Research Center, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, 1966.
A report,
A report,
St. Paul's Model Neighborhood was the Summit-University area east of Lexington Parkway.
Report, newsletters, and issues statements.
Minneapolis' Model Neighborhood was the area between Lyndale and Cedar Avenues, immediately south of downtown Minneapolis.
Parts I & II: Goals, Program Approaches, Strategy and Five Year Forecast.
Part I; Goals, Program Approaches, Strategy [Comprehensive second year action program].
Copies of newspaper clippings giving information on members of
the Duluth Black Community and a copy of the volume:
A paperback book of sketches by George Jones (undated) and a
catalog of
Biographies of the Bonga family, Ivy Hagan, Andrew Jackson
Hurdle, Stephen Maxwell, Dennis Lambert, the Tate family, and information on
Black state legislators. Also included is a copy of the
Photocopies of a baptismal record of Norman P. Lyght and newspaper clippings about the Lyght family. The Lyghts were the only Black family in Lutsen, Minnesota.
Photocopies of letters written by Father Theobald to various church officials on behalf of an African-American boy for whom he was a guardian and who had been denied entrance to a Catholic boarding school in Chicago.
Father Theobald graduated from St. Paul Seminary in 1910 and was rector of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in St. Paul from 1910 to 1932.
The letters are copies of originals in a scrapbook entitled "Racial Clippings" in the Archives of the College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Five loose-leaf notebooks containing samples of wedding and social invitations for the Twin Cities Black community. They were printed privately by Helm.
Helm published the Northwest Monitor newspaper in Minneapolis in 1930 and 1931. An oral history of William F. Helm is part of the Minnesota Black History Project oral history interviews at the Minnesota Historical Society.
David Taylor was stationed in Vietnam as a part of the Fifth Maintenance Battalion, Main Support Company between August 1969 and October 1970
A printed volume of photographs of the company's personnel while in Vietnam. Photographs of individual company members with their names are at the end of the volume.
A typed, mimeographed copy of a unit history of the Main Support Company written by David Taylor as a part of his military duties for the Main Support Company during his service in Vietnam. The history begins with the symbolism of the battalion's insignia and continues to describe its mission, organization, administration, facilities, operations and training, and logistical activities.
David Taylor's typed preface to his 1970 unit history. Taylor wrote the preface to give some social context to his history of the company and describe racial issues that arose for the company.
A series of files created by Taylor while he was an instructor in the department.
Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, possibly related to articles in the following two folders: Newsletters and newspapers.
Taylor's file of printed and mimeographed programs, newspapers, flyers, and similar materials relating to aspects of life in the Black community such as police brutality, African liberation movements, and Black Muslims. Many of the materials relate to St. Paul and Minneapolis issues and events.
A few items from the Minnesota Historical Society's Black History Project, for which David V. Taylor was the director. Includes an organization and institutional checklist listing religious institutions, social clubs, fraternities and sororities, and miscellaneous organizations primarily in St. Paul and Minneapolis (undated); an extensive mailing list of businesses, organizations, and individuals in St. Paul and Minneapolis that may have been compiled in the course of the project (undated); a news release announcing the project ([June 1975]); project position descriptions (1975); and a few notes (undated).
Photocopies of ten typed poems by A. V. Hall, a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota. The poems were compiled by David Taylor from A.V. Hall's scrapbook after Hall died in 1982.