Guides and Collections

Collections Pertaining to African American People and Culture in Oregon

Contents:

Special Project

The St. Philip the Deacon Parish Records ~ In the Spring of 2012 the OMA began collaborating with the church to process its records. St. Philip was established in 1911 to serve the area's African-American community. An OMA intern blogged about her experiences working with the community and the collection: St. Philip Blog Posts. The collection is held at St. Philips in Portland and is not open to the general public at this time. Notably, oral history interviews were conducted with Rev. Alcena Boozer and Carl Deiz and those are available online.

Manuscript Collections

Obo Addy Legacy Project Collection, 1970-2013 – This collection consists of records, promotional materials, and various forms of media related to the Homowo African Arts and Cultures organization. Obo Addy’s personal materials include correspondence, promotional materials and photographs. The collection is divided into three sub groups, Obo Addy Materials, Homowo Organizational records and materials, and a separate sub group for the various forms of media. For more information about the work with the collection and the organization, check out the OMA blog posts about the OALP

Urban League of Portland Records – The Urban League of Portland (ULPDX) Records document the administration and programs of the League from its founding in Portland, Oregon, in 1945. The Records include correspondence, reports and publications, meeting minutes, financial records, and clippings as well as scrapbooks, photographs, videotapes, and sound recordings. Portions of the collection have been digitized and are available online.

Oregon African American Railroad Porters Oral History Collection – This collection is made up of thirty individual, multi-part, and group oral history interviews between film maker Michael Grice and African American railroad porters employed in the Portland area. The project website includes brief interviewee biographies and interview summaries, access to the interview audio files, and transcripts of all the interviews.

Harold C. Williams Papers, 1962-2013 – The Williams Papers document Williams' community activism, volunteer service, and civic leadership in Portland, Oregon, as well as his immediate and extended family. Harold C. Williams was an activist, volunteer, and leader in the African American community in Portland from the 1960s until his death in 2012. For more information about the work with the collection, check out the MSS Williams OMA blog post

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Corvallis Branch Records – This collection documents the early years (1971-1974) of the Corvallis Branch of the NAACP and its activities and programs to address racial discrimination in education, employment, and housing. It includes annual reports, correspondence, resolutions, press releases, and petitions.

Jean Moule Papers, 1984-2011 – The Jean Moule Papers document Moule's teaching, research, and writing in the field of multicultural education, especially teacher training. The Papers include publications, course materials, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Moule earned a Ph.D. from Oregon State University in 1998 and was a faculty member in the Oregon State University College of Education from 1998 until her retirement in 2011.

Hans Plambeck Papers – Research files generated and collected by Sociology Professor Hans Plambeck that primarily reflect his work on a survey of ethnic groups in Oregon, including African Americans. Plambeck taught at Oregon State University from 1946-1976

OSU's African American Community

Histories of OSU Students of Color Campus Tour Guidebook - The stories selected for this booklet showcase the impact and contributions that students of color have had on the OSU campus.

Minorities in the Barometer Digital Collection, 1960-1989 - Articles from The Daily Barometer pertaining to multicultural issues and minorities on campus. All articles are organized in chronological order in full text searchable PDFs. The PDFs are organized by year; each PDF file begins with a Table of Contents listing the article titles and dates for the year.

~~~~~~~Topic: Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center~~~~~~~

Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center (BCC) Records, 1966-2011 (RG 244) - The BCC was established at OSU in 1975. Four of the BCC albums are available online. The four albums, 1992-2004, are made up of photographs, newspaper clippings, flyers, mission statements, and brochures and they reflect BCC events and members.

OSU Black Cultural Center Historical Records 1974-1984 ~ A digitzed version of records which are a combination of a set of documents from the OSU Black Cultural Center 1) a binder with materials dated 1974-1980, and 2) a folder from the Memorial Union Records collection. The original binder and a copy of the binder (a physical display binder accessible to the public) are with the OSU BCC. The original materials within the MU Records, the "Black Cultural Center" folder, is housed in the OSU Special Collections & Archives Research Center, MU Records Accession #2015:003.

Student Affairs (RG 102) Records Pertaining to the BCC ~ Accession 88:3 – Incidents – BCC (Black Cultural Center) cross burning (between 1972 and 1980)

~~~~~~~Topic: Black Student Union (BSU) Walkout of 1969~~~~~~~

Black Student Union (BSU) Walkout of 1969, Digital Display - In February of 1969 OSU's head football coach Dee Andros told Fred Milton, a black athlete, to shave his facial hair. Milton’s refusal sparked a local controversy and led to the BSU walkout.

The Scab Sheet is a student newspaper published during 1969-1970 in relation to the 1969 Black Student Union Walkout. For more information and a link to the digitized collection, see the "The Scab Sheet: An Underground Newspaper Exposing OSU’s Dark Past" blog post.

Student Affairs (RG 102) Records Pertaining to the 1969 BSU Walkout

~~~~~~~Topic: 1996 Student Boycott and March~~~~~~~

Beaver Yearbook, 1996, Volume 90, pages 50-51

The Daily Barometer, March 1996

1996 Student Boycott and March video

RG 172 Affirmative Action Records ~ Box 1 Subject Files: Boycott, 1996 AND Box 5: Subject Files: Minority Students: Boycott, 1995-1997

The Oregon Anti-Apartheid Scrapbook is made up of newspaper clippings assembled by OSU history department faculty member Ed Ferguson. The scrapbook documents the protest and educational campaign led by the OSU African Students Association (ASA) in response to wrestling coach Dale Thomas’ association with the South African wrestling community. The scrapbook is available online: digitized scrapbook

OSU Men's Basketball Team, Desegregation History

OSU Men's Football Team, Desegregation History:"Football Desegregation Event" blog post

Corvallis College Benefit Broadside – The Corvallis College Benefit Broadside publicizes a program of vaudeville performances, music, and a blackface minstrel act on women’s rights presented on December 31, 1859 as a benefit for Corvallis College.

Associated Students of OSU (ASOSU), 1917–2006 (RG 11) The Associated Students of OSU Records document the administration of student government and its interaction with other campus organizations, offices, and bodies primarily for the 1960s through the 1990s.

President’s Office (RG 13)

Memorial Union (RG 99)

Student Affairs (RG 102)

University Housing and Dining Services (RG 145)

News and Communication Services Photographs (P 57)
P57:2280–2300 – Black Student Union speakers, ca. 1969
P57:2301–2315 & 2354–2362 – Black Student Union protest and walkout, 1969
P57:2546–2552 – Dee Andros at Black Student Union (BSU) rally, 1969
P57:3388–3400 – Black Student Union (BSU) in the MU, ca. 1969
P57:3417–3420 – Black Student Union (BSU) speakers, ca. 1969
P57:5270 – Black Cultural Center opening, spring 1975

University Publications Photographs (P 94)
Accession 2004:036
          (box 1) – Diversity – Images of African American students on campus, sorority
          (box 2) – Black cultural center Thanksgiving, Nov. 22, 1987

John Horner Photograph Collection (P 100)
P100:68 & 87 – Louis Southworth, early African American resident of Corvallis. See the "Best of the Archives" digital collection for an online version of P100:87.

Extension and Experiment Station Communications Photographs (P 120)
P120:2594 – African-American group working a bean field near Scappoose, 1947.

Memorabilia Collection Files

African Americans in Oregon – general information on the experience and status of African Americans in our state. Information pertaining to William Tebeau, first known male African American Gradute of OSU. Pendleton Round Up, 1915, African American man Trick-Riding a mule Gerald W. Williams Collection "On-again off again"

Black Cultural Center – articles on the history and events of the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center.

Black History Month – Newspaper articles and flyers pertaining to local events surrounding Black History Month. Also includes a student paper, "Historical Perspectives of Blacks in Oregon."

Black Issues Conference – Flyer to a 1991 conference at OSU.

Buildings – Carrie Halsell Residence Hall – contains information on the residence hall named for OSU’s earliest known African-American graduate.

Halsell Ward, Carrie Beatrice – biographical information on OSU’s first known African American graduate.

King, Martin Luther, Day – contains information on OSU and Corvallis activities surrounding the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday.

Miles College – Book Drive. 1963-1964 – contains information a book drive initiated by OSU students for Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama

Student Protests – Information pertaining to the 1969 Black Student Union Walkout and the 2014 Solidarity March.

Student Unrest – Pertains to the 1969 walkout of the Black Student Union over the treatment of football player Fred Milton by football coach Dee Andros.

United Black Student Association – posters and other information about events sponsored by this student organization, 1989–1991.

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