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Archival Collections A-Z

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Access Oakland oral history transcripts, 1998.

The Access Oakland Oral History Transcripts contain interviews and photos of residents from West Oakland detailing their connection to the area as well as their family histories (1940-1998).   Access Oakland was a summer youth program started in 1998 that taught West Oakland youth computer, research, and journalism skills.     (OHC COLL 2024-2)   12 folders in 1 box (.3 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Accounts of 19th century duels in California, 1916-1934

Accumulation of newspaper articles, in two parts, that appeared as 76 chapters in the San Francisco Call-Bulletin in 1934. Also includes The Locality of the Broderick-Terry Duel on September 13, 1859, by Hermann Schussler, a 24-page pamphlet printed by the Native Sons of the Golden West in 1916. (OHC COLL 2013-11) 3 pieces in 1 box (.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.

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Activities among Negroes: [newspaper column] / by Delilah L Beasley

Delilah L. Beasley wrote "Activities among Negroes," for the Oakland Tribune, the East Bay's metropolitan newspaper, from 1923 until her death in 1934. She was the first African American woman with a regular column in a major California newspaper. After her death Lena M. Wysinger continued the column until 1943. (OHC COLL 2013-5) 19 folders in 2 boxes (.8 linear feet). Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Acty (Ruth) Papers

Educator, author, and actor Ruth Acty (1913-1998) was the first African American teacher hired by the Berkeley Unified School District in 1943. The Ruth Acty papers include curriculum material, teaching notes, writings, photographs, awards, legal and financial records, and correspondence that document her life and activities as a teacher and author. Dates: 1927-2001 Collection number: MS 38 Creator: Acty, Ruth, 1913-1998 Collection Size: 9.5 linear feet (16 boxes + 1 oversized box) Guide to the Ruth Acty Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Adams (Emma Lee and Jimmie) Papers

The Emma Lee and Jimmie Adams Papers include personal and business correspondence, financial records, legal records, programs, postcards, business cards, and printed material documenting the personal and business activities of Emma Lee and Jimmie Adams. The papers are organized into five series: correspondence, financial records, legal records, religious activities, and printed material. The bulk of the papers is personal correspondence written to Emma Lee Adams from various relatives in Louisiana, Texas, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois. Many of the letters are from Emma Lee’s sisters, parents, and cousins and discuss general family matters such as weddings, births, illnesses, and work life. Dates: 1951-1959 Collection number: MS 63 Creators: Emma Lee and Jimmie Adams   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes) Guide to the Emma Lee and Jimmie Adams Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Adams Point Preservation Society records, 1981-2007

Collection from the files of Ron Morra, leader of the Adams Point Preservation Society (APPS), formed in 1982 to preserve single-family housing in the Adams Point neighborhood, then being redeveloped into condominium and apartment complexes. Over the years the APPS addressed a range of quality-of-life issues in the Adams Point/Lake Merritt area.  (OHC COLL 2016-1) 5 boxes (3.5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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African American Museum & Library at Oakland Audiovisual Collection

The African American Museum & Library at Oakland Audiovisual Collection consists of 106 audiocassettes, 72 videotapes, 2 CD-Rs, and 2 seven inch reel audiotapes. The audiovisual collection consists of materials acquired by the African American Museum & Library at Oakland, and its predecessor the Northern California Center for Afro-American History & Life. The collection is organized into 16 series by format or subject, and includes recordings of significant African Americans such J. Rupert Picott and Byron Rumford, oral histories with significant African American families and civil rights leaders, and documents various topics related to African American history, culture and experience. View online items at the Internet Archive Dates: circa 1950s-circa 2000s   Collection number: MS207   Creator: African American Museum & Library at Oakland   Collection Size: 7.25 linear feet (5 boxes + 3 audiocassette boxes)   Guide to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland Audiovisual Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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African American Museum & Library at Oakland Oral History Collection

The African American Museum & Library at Oakland Oral History Collection consists of 79 oral history interviews conducted in 2002-2007. The interviews were initially conducted by the AAMLO Coalition, a group of volunteers and supporters of the African American Museum & Library at Oakland, which interviewed prominent and long-time Oakland residents in the fields of education, performing arts, politics and religion. View online items at the Internet Archive. Dates: 2002-2007   Collection number: MS 191   Creator: African American Museum & Library at Oakland   Collection Size: 2.75 linear feet (6 boxes)   Guide to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland Oral History Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph Collection

Dates: 1869-2008   Collection number: MS 189   Creator: African American Museum & Library at Oakland   Collection Size: 21.25 linear feet (30 boxes + 2 oversized boxes + 2 oversized drawers)   Guide to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph Collection consists of 1,953 photographs documenting African Americans in California between 1869-2008. The photograph collection consists of photographs donated to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland, and its predecessor the East Bay Negro Historical Society. The collection is organized into 28 series by subject, and includes photographs of significant African Americans such Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and Byron Rumford, and documents various aspects of the African American community in Oakland including athletics, business, churches, civil rights, early pioneers, entertainment, military, fraternal and women's organizations. View online items We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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African American Museum & Library at Oakland Vertical File Collection

The African American Museum & Library at Oakland Vertical File Collection consists of programs, flyers, correspondence, posters, pamphlets, and ephemera collected by the African American Museum & Library at Oakland. The East Bay Negro Historical Society began vertical files in the late 1960s, collecting ephemera and newspaper clippings about African American history and culture. The vertical files are arranged alphabetically by subject, organization, or last name, and include correspondence, programs, flyers, and pamphlets mostly about African American organizations and cultural institutions in the Oakland and the East Bay during the mid-20th century (1940s-1970s). Dates: 1828-2017   Collection number: MS 179   Collector: African American Museum & Library at Oakland   Collection Size: 61.5 linear feet (82 boxes + 13 oversized boxes)   Guide to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland Vertical File Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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African Americans Affected by the East Bay Hills Fire Collection

The African Americans Affected by the East Bay Hills Fire Collection was an oral history project undertaken by the African American Museum & Library at Oakland. The African Americans Affected by the East Bay Hills Fire Collection consists of 10 interviews conducted from 1993 to 1995 with African Americans who were living in the East Bay during the Oakland hills firestorm of October 1991. View online items Dates: 1993-1995   Collection number: MS184   Creator: African American Museum & Library at Oakland   Creator: Atkinson, Nicole C.   Collection Size: .75 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the African Americans Affected by the East Bay Hills Fire Oral History Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Alameda County Central Labor Council files concerning strikes in Oakland, California, 1942-1949

Materials relating to the 1942 Retail Clerks' Union strike against Safeway stores, the 1946-47 Oakland General Strike, and the 1949 Retail Food Clerks Union strike and attendant jurisdictional dispute with the Teamsters' Union (OHC COLL 2014-12) 5 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Albrier (Frances) Papers

Dates: 1895-1987   Collection number: MS 108   Creator: Albrier, Frances Mary, 1898-1987.   Collection Size: 7.9 linear feet (7 boxes + 2 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Frances Albrier Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Social activist Frances Albrier (1898-1987) was born on September 21, 1898 in Mt. Vernon, New York to Lewis L. and Laura Redgray. During the late 1930s, Albrier became active in a number of different political and civil rights issues. In 1938, she became the first woman elected to the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee. The following year she became the first woman to run for the Berkeley City Council, led the Citizen’s Employment Council’s “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work” campaign, and organized the East Bay Women's Welfare Club, a women’s group which advocated for the hiring of black teachers in the Berkeley Unified School District. During the 1940s, she continued to be active in a number of women's, civil rights, and union organizations while serving as a first aid instructor in the American Red Cross. After her application to become a welder was denied because Black workers did not have an auxiliary union in Richmond, she garnered political pressure in the Black community forcing Kaiser Shipyards to hire her making her the first black woman welder during the war. The Frances Albrier papers include correspondence, legal and financial records, awards, photographs, records of civic organizations and women’s clubs, and assorted printed material documenting Albrier life and participation in various civic organizations and women’s clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Allen (William Duncan) Papers

The William Duncan Allen papers include photographs, certificates, plaques, and a diploma documenting the life and career of concert pianist, teacher, and music critic William Duncan Allen. The bulk of the papers consist of 288 photographs of Allen's music colleagues and friends at receptions in the Bay Area and while traveling in Europe in 1975-1977. Dates: 1975-1994   Bulk Dates: 1975-1977   Collection number: MS 70   Creator: Allen, William Duncan.   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (1 oversized box)   Guide to the William Duncan Allen Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Ambrose Bierce letters, 1903, 1911

Two letters from writer Ambrose Bierce, one each to Carrie Sterling and a Miss Brewer. The letter to Carrie Sterling discusses their friendship and mentions her husband George, and a Miss Katie Peterson. The letter to Miss Brewer mentions "The Colonel" and a Miss Christiansen. Also contains two biographical sketches and a newspaper photograph of Bierce. (OHC MSS BIERCE) 3 items Arranged chronologically.   Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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American Red Cross Oakland Chapter collection, 1940s-1990

Photographs depicting the activities of the Oakland Chapter of the American Red Cross in the 1940s-1950s; mainly scenes of Red Cross workers and volunteers on the home front and overseas during World War II, and scenes of Oakland Chapter volunteer recognition ceremonies in the 1950s. The collection also includes photos depicting Red Cross disaster responses to a 1990 wharf fire in Richmond, Calif., and to a 1990 fraternity fire at the University of California, Berkeley. (OHC COLL 2016-7) 1 binder and 2 packets in box (0.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Andrew Ritchie Photographs, 1990-1991

Photographs taken by Andrew Ritchie in Oakland, California (1990-1991). The bulk of the photographs are of the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm, taken both during and after the fire. Ritchie photographed the active burn while working alongside other civilians to fight off the fire with garden hoses, successfully saving two homes, and revisited the burn zone later to document the destruction. Also includes a letter of commendation from President George H.W. Bush, for Ritchie's role in fighting the fire, and a series of negatives taken at a Nelson Mandela rally at the Oakland Auditorium, 1990.   (OHC COLL 2024-5)   3 folders in 1 box (.8 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Andrew Williams letter, 1857

Letter from Mayor Williams inviting Henry [Rabbi?] to participate in the consecration ceremony for Golden Gate Cemetery, to be held on Thursday, October 1st, 1857, in Oakland, California. Andrew Williams served as the fourth Mayor of Oakland, California. (OHC MSS WILLIAMS) 1 leaf in folder (.01 linear feet) Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Anti-poverty, Model Cities and related community renewal programs in Oakland, California, 1960s-1970s

Materials on Oakland’s anti-poverty, Model Cities and related community renewal programs from the files of Gene Bernardi, a research associate in the Research Division of the Oakland Department of Human Resources. Under the direction of the Oakland Interagency Project and its successor, the Oakland Economic Development Council, the Research Division wrote grants that funded the various community renewal programs, provided operational support, and was deeply involved in program planning and evaluation. The collection consists of reports, memoranda, grant proposals and other assorted documents, and ranges from the 1960s to the early 1970s.  (OHC COLL 2015-6) 6 boxes (4.3 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Architectural drawings for proposed expansion of Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream headquarters, 1995

Photographic images and architectural renderings showing existing area and proposed, but not realised, expansion for the Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Co. headquarters at 5929 College Avenue in Oakland, California. Most of the images depict potentially affected areas along nearby Claremont Avenue. (OHC COLL 2015-18) 9 items in 1 box, .2 linear feet. Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Ascension Cathedral, Father George A. Vlahos and the Greek Orthodox community of Oakland, Calif. : collection , 1912-1917

The focus of this collection is Assumption Church, Ascension Church (later renamed Ascension Cathedral), Father George A. Vlahos, and the Greek Orthodox Community of Oakland, Calif. The collection is a mix of photographs, newspaper articles, press releases, announcements and other material. (OHC COLL 2019-7) 20 folders in 3 boxes (1.8 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Association for the Best in Rapid Transit records, 1956-1991, undated

Materials relating to the creation and workings of the citizen's group Association for the Best in Rapid Transit. B.A. Bell correspondence is primarily related to his role as Chairman of the association. Of note in the subject file: a report on an Urban Renewal Re-Development Clinic, 1957; November 1958 election information from the League of Women Voters; press releases from the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District; papers by the Westinghouse Electric Transportation Division; questionnaires from the Bay Area Transportation Study Commission; and reports from the California Division of Highways on proposed alternative routes for the Grove-Shafter Freeway. (OHC COLL 2014-16) 7 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Items within folders arranged chronologically.   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.      

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Avelino (Louis J.) Papers

The Louis J. Avelino Papers consist of photographs, ephemera, military medals, and documents related to Avelino’s participation in the International Longshoremen’s & Warehousemen’s Union.  The International Longshoremen’s & Warehousemen’s Union file includes the constitution and by-laws of San Francisco Area Bay ILWU pensioners, a 1957 contract for dockworkers, and an untitled manuscript three-page documenting the experiences of longshoreman Len Greer and the San Francisco maritime strike of 1934. Dates: 1915-1974   Collection number: MS 33   Creator: Avelino, Louis J.   Collection Size: 1.25 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the Louis J. Avelino Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Bagley (Julian) Collection

Julian Elihu Bagley was born in South Jacksonville, Florida in 1892. He earned a degree in agriculture from the Hampton Institute and served in the Army during World War I. He moved to San Francisco in 1922 to open a waterfront hotel, and he became well-known as the concierge of the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. He served as the opera house’s official greeter for 39 years beginning on its opening night on October 15, 1932. Bagley was also the author of a book of animal folktales, Candle-lighting time in Bodidalee, a collection of African folktales set in his native Florida. The collection includes five photographs, nine pieces of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and programs from the author’s memorial service. Dates: 1925-1981   Bulk Dates: 1951-1981   Collector: Gerrits, Elwood Burton   Creator: Bagley, Julian, 1892-1981   Collection Size: .1 linear foot (1 box)   Guide to the Julian Bagley Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Banks (Charles E.) Papers

Bay area blues musician and artist Charles E. Banks (1938-2000) was born Charles Edward Banks in Taylorville, Illinois, December 4, 1938. The Charles E. Banks Papers include assorted biographical material, concert flyers, posters, programs, song lists, club advertisements, entertainment calendars, reproductions of artwork, photographs, handwritten poems, and three audiocassettes featuring Blues on Tap's live and studio recordings. Dates: 1956-2000   Collection number: MS 213   Creator: Banks, Charles E.   Collection Size: .75 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Charles E. Banks Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Baranco (Arnold Vernon) Papers

The Arnold Vernon Baranco papers include newspaper clippings, correspondence, yearbooks, WPA musical programs and photographs related to the life and musical activities of Arnold Vernon Baranco. The collection is organized into three series: biographical, teaching activities, musical activities, and photographs. The biographical series includes certificates, clippings, awards, membership cards, and his high school yearbook. The teaching activities series includes a small number of letter, and the musical programs document WPA performances given by Baranco. The photographs in the collection are related to Baranco's family, friends, and musical activities. Dates: 1925-1987   Creator: Baranco, Arnold Vernon, 1915-1987   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Arnold Vernon Baranco Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Bay Area Paul Robeson Centennial Committee records, 1952-1998

Records of the Bay Area Paul Robeson Centennial Committee, consisting of fliers and programs for Committee events held in Berkeley, San Francisco and Oakland, California. Includes correspondence between Committee members and various entities, meeting agendas and minutes, copies of their monthly newsletter titled "On My Journey Now," and diverse research materials.    (OHC COLL 2023-3)   5 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Bay Area Youth Theatre Company and Kidshows collection, 1982-1996

Financial and business statements, programs, and photographs for Bay Area Youth Theater and Kidshows. Also includes periodical articles about and reviews for Kidshows programs. Kidshows, initially called Kidstuff, was founded by Amy Gorman in 1982 as an Oakland non-profit childrens' performing arts and entertainment organization. Based primarily at the Julia Morgan Theater in Berkeley, it became a major producer of child-oriented shows in the Bay Area. Founded in 1980, the Bay Area Youth Theatre Company was also based at the Julia Morgan Theater. Sean McCullough and Kate Fuller were company directors. (OHC COLL 2013-4) 6 folders in 1 box (.4 linear feet). Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Bayviewer Magazine Collection

The Bayviewer (1967-?) magazine collection consists of 20 issues of the Bayviewer and Lennie's Bayviewer magazine, a political and social magazine focused on the African American community in the San Francisco Bay Area. The magazine regularly featured advertisements by black-owned business and articles on local fashion trends, entertainment venues, politics, social organizations. Dates: 1968-1979   Collection number: MS 201   Creator: Anderson, Lennie.   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (1 box)   Guide to the Bayviewer Magazine Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Beal (Paula) Papers

The Paula Beal Papers consist of notebooks, subject files, reports, correspondence, flyers, and periodicals documenting her activities with housing activist and food justice groups in Oakland, California in the 2010s. Dates: 2003-2017   Collection number: MS 221   Creator: Beal, Paula   Collection Size: 2 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Paula Beal Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Bean (Sandra) Home Movie Collection

Dates: circa 1930s-1950s   Collection number: MS 160   Creator: Bean, Sandra.   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Sandra Bean Home Movie Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Sandra Bean Home Movie Collection includes nine reels of 8mm and 16mm film documenting African Americans beginning in the late 1930s. The home movies include four b&w and four color films totaling 103 minutes and shows women gardening, children playing, sleeping car porters traveling across the country working for the Pullman Company, and families enjoying their leisure time dancing and fishing. A majority of the footage is thought to be taken by Ernest Bean, a sleeping car porter from the Bay Area, and documents the work of sleeping car porters working for the Pullman Company and middle class African Americans in the Bay Area during the 1930s-1940s. View online items We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Beaver (Jefferson A.) Papers

The Jefferson A. Beaver papers consist of photographs, correspondence, awards, newspaper clippings, and programs that document his activities as a banker, co-founder of the Transbay Federal Savings and Loan, and his service on various public and civic boards. Dates: 1946-1970   Collection number: MS 62   Creator: Beaver, Jefferson A.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Jefferson A. Beaver Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Beckford (Ruth) Papers

The Ruth Beckford Papers include dance programs, correspondence, lesson plans, oral histories, manuscripts, newspapers clippings, and photographs documenting Beckford’s career as a noted African-Haitian dancer, actress, and teacher. View online items Dates: 1915-1998   Collection number: MS 60   Creator: Beckford, Ruth.   Collection Size: 11.5 linear feet (22 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Ruth Beckford Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Bello (Savannah A. Van Dyke) Papers

Beginning in the Civil Rights Movement during the early 1960's, Bello became politically involved and was active with local school board elections and city council meetings. In 1963, together with Charlesetta Braggs-Ford, she founded the Richmond chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to address discriminatory practices in local housing and employment. As a representative of Richmond CORE, Bello participated in training institutes, educational leagues and programs for the purpose of helping the public become better informed on the problem of de facto segregation in the Richmond Unified School District. The Savannah A. Van Dyke Bello Papers consists of pamphlets, reports, flyers, strategy and progress reports, papers, action plans, correspondence, meeting minutes, newsletters and newspaper clippings related to Bello’s founding and involvement with the Richmond chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), as well as her extensive work involving desegregation in the Richmond Unified School District. Dates: 1962-2008 (bulk 1966)   Collection number: MS 203   Creator: Van Dyke Bello, Savannah A.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8xk8m98/ Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Berkeley Civic Study Club Records

Dates: 1932-1974   Collection number: MS 145   Creator: Berkeley Civic Study Club (Berkeley, Calif.).   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Berkeley Civic Study Club Records Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Swastika Berkeley Civic Study Club was founded in 1924 by a group of African American women wanting to study civic issues and participate in bettering their community. According to club publications, the purpose of the Berkeley Civic Study Club was "[...]to unite its members in non-partisan, educational, and civic work; to present information, and offer for free discussion, civic and legislative problems." The Berkeley Civic Study Club Records consist of one ledger containing meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, correspondence, financial records, and rosters from 1932-1974. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Bessie Sloan materials, 1899-1946

Primarily letters to and from Alameda artist Bessie Sloan, including some correspondence with American ethnologist George Wharton James. Also contains manuscript and typescript copies of several of Bessie Sloan's poems, including "Sentinel Redwood Remembers," photographs of Bessie and, presumably her sister-in-law, Vera Sloan, and clippings. The clippings are primarily about Vera Sloan's stage performances. (OHC MSS SLOAN) 6 folders (.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame collection, 1974-2015

The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame began in 1974 as a project of the Oakland Museum Association's Cultural and Ethnic Affairs Guild. Its co-founders were Mary Perry Smith and Margot Smith Hicks. In 1977 it became an independent entity under Hicks' leadership. Its major activity was the Oscar Micheaux awards, presented annually in a ceremony at Oakland's Paramount Theatre from 1974 to 1993. Other activities included an annual film festival ("Filmworks") and an independent filmmakers competition. (OHC COLL 2016-6) 2 boxes (.46 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Black Panther Community News Service Collection

The Black Panther Community News Service Collection consists of 214 newspapers published by the Black Panther Party between 1967-1976 and includes a commemorative edition published in the Spring of 1991. Each edition was between 16-28 pages and featured a range of articles and op-eds on the activities of the party, black power, police brutality, communism, and party leadership. The back of each issue featured artwork from artist and Black Panther's Minister of Culture Emory Douglas. Beginning on March 13, 1971, the newspapers were re-named The Black Panther Intercommunal News Service. Issues of the The Black Panther are available to view digitally on Alexander Street using your Oakland Public Library card. Dates: 1967-1980   Collection number: MS 178   Creator: Black Panther Party. Ministry of Information.   Collection Size: 19 linear feet (16 boxes)   Guide to the Black Panther Black Community News Service Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-0200 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Black Women Stirring the Waters Collection

Dates: 1982-1997   Bulk Dates: (bulk 1994-1997)   Collection number: MS 152   Creator: Black Women Stirring the Waters (Oakland, Calif.)   Creator: Butler, Mary Ellen, 1940-   Collection Size: .75 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the Black Women Stirring the Waters Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Black Women Stirring the Waters is a Black women’s discussion group founded in 1984 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The group was conceived by Clara Stanton Jones, the first African American to head the public library of a major city and the first African American president of the American Library Association, and Aileen Clarke Hernandez, activist, and former President of the National Organization for Women (NOW). The group was organized with no formal structure, no taboo subjects, and no requirements for membership other than an interest in the dialog. Black Women Stirring the Waters takes its name from a quote attributed to the 19th century abolitionist, Sojourner Truth. In 1997, forty-four members of the group published a collection of autobiographical memoirs discussing ways they have dealt with obstacles and have grown in their lives and careers. The Black Women Stirring the Waters Collection includes contributing authors’ manuscripts and correspondence, history and records of the group, and audio recordings. The collection documents the creation of the organization’s 1997 publication, Black Women Stirring the Waters.  We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Blackburn (Maxine and Roy C.) Papers

The Maxine and Roy C. Blackburn Papers include clippings, correspondence, certificates, photographs, and programs relating to the lives and careers of Maxine Blackburn and her brother, Roy C. Blackburn. Maxine's accomplishments as a pianist, organist, and choral director are documented in clippings and programs about various local concerts she participated in or organized. Roy's civic activities as a member of the Republican party and as a member of the Oakland Police Department are documented in newspaper clippings and pamphlets. The papers include correspondence received from Roland Hayes while he worked as his Pacific Coast Manager. Newspaper clippings also document Roy's role as Director of Negro Publicity for the 1939 World's Fair and as a clerk for the State Relief Administration in the late 1930s. A majority of the photographs are family and friends of the Blackburn family. Dates: 1915-1979   Collection number: MS 13   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Maxine and Roy C. Blackburn Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Bodin (Lester J.) Papers

Lester J. Bodin was born in Alameda, California, on June 18, 1910, the eldest son of William and Ida Bodin. Bodin is listed in the 1940 census as a stock clerk for a canning company. Bodin would become president of the Cannery Workers’ Union, leadership training chairman for the Live Oak District of the Boy Scouts of America, president of the Kiwanis Club of Jack London Square, and was active in the Eastbay Radio Club. Bodin passed away in Oakland on November 28, 1993. Dates: 1904-1926   Collection number: MS 171   Collector: Bodin, Lester J.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Lester J. Bodin Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Brackett (James E.) Papers

The James E. Brackett papers include 91 photographs and Olive Brackett’s class notes and textbook attending Lee Ann’s Academy of Cosmetology in Oakland, California. Photographs are arranged by subject into four subseries: Brackett family photographs, military service, NAACP events, and assorted. Dates: 1932-1976   Collection number: MS 94   Creator: Brackett, James E.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the James E. Brackett Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Braggs-Ford (Charlesetta) Papers

In 1963 Braggs-Ford, together with Savannah A. Bello, founded the Richmond chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to address discriminatory practices in local housing and employment. The Charlesetta Braggs-Ford Papers consists of reports, bulletins, correspondence, flyers, conference programs, papers, brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, and newspaper clippings that document the activities of the Richmond chapter of CORE. The collection also includes material related to regional CORE chapters and the national CORE organization. Dates: 1963-1984   Collection number: MS 204   Creator: Braggs-Ford, Charlesetta.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Charlesetta Braggs-Ford Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Brooks (John Edward) Papers

The John Edward Brooks papers includes correspondence, certificates, photographs, printed material, employment records related to Brooks' military service, employment as a police officer, and disability and equal employment claims. The papers are arranged into four series: biographical, employment records, printed material, and photographs. The bulk of the papers documents Brooks’ employment history, including his military service at Fort Lewis and in Germany, and also includes his applications for disability and equal employment claims. Dates: circa 1924-1988   Collection number: MS 34   Creator: Brooks, John Edward.   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes)   Guide to the John Edward Brooks Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Brown (Amanda) Photograph Collection

The Amanda Brown Photograph Collection includes 37 family photographs and portraits of African Americans mostly in the San Francisco Bay area during the 1910-1920s. Dates: circa 1910s-1940   Collection number: MS 90   Creator: Brown, Amanda.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Amanda Brown Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Brown Family Papers

The Brown Family papers include photographs, an oral history, and notes on the Brown family genealogy. The bulk of the papers are photographs documenting the Brown, Clark, and Watkins families, most of which are photographs of various social gatherings around Palo Alto, California in the 1910s. There are also a number of photographs documenting horse racing, ranching, and harvesting at a ranch in Woodland, California in the 1910s. The papers include a photograph album created by Fred Brown when he stationed at Patterson Field, Ft. Campbell, Kahuku Army Airfield and Saipan during World War II. Dates: 1910-1976   Collection number: MS 36   Creator: Brown family.   Creator: Brown, Fred.   Collection Size: .75 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the Brown Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Bryant Family Papers

Dates: 1916-2017 (bulk 1916-1990)   Bulk Dates: 1916-1990   Collection number: MS 164   Creator: Smith, Jackie Bryant   Collection Size: 5.6 linear feet (5 boxes + 3 oversized boxes + 8 artworks)   Guide to the Bryant Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) James J. Bryant was born to George and Addie Bryant in Perry, Kansas, on January 16, 1888, the second son among five brothers. Florence Bryant was born to Henry and Liza Stevens in Linn Creek, Missouri, on January 21, 1894, the youngest of six children. The Bryants were married in Wichita, Kansas, on June 28, 1916 and moved to Oakland in 1938. James was a long-time sleeping car porter for the Pullman Company and active in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Florence was named Oakland’s inaugural Mother of the Year in 1954 and was active in organizations such as the March of Dimes. James J. Bryant passed away on March 27, 1976, and Florence Bryant passed away on August 29, 1985. Jackie Bryant Smith, one of five daughters of James J. and Florence Bryant, was born on June 5, 1941, in Oakland and was active with the NAACP. The Bryant Family Papers include correspondence, records, realia, publications, and photographs that document aspects of the family's work life, social life, and political activities. The papers are organized into six series: James J. Bryant, Florence Bryant, Jackie Bryant Smith, Photographs, NAACP, and Printed Material. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Business card, label, letterhead, and novelty samples from portfolio of A. R. Anderson, printing salesman with Goodhue Printing Co., 1537 Webster St., Oakland, Calif.

Business card, label, letterhead, and novelty samples from portfolio of A. R. Anderson, printing salesman with Goodhue Printing Co., 1537 Webster St., Oakland, Calif.  (OHC COLL 2019-3) 1 box (.13 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Calbert Family Papers

The Calbert family papers include photographs, biographical sketches, and two monographs written by members of the Calbert family. The papers are organized into four series by family member: William E. Calbert, Madlyn W. Calbert, Sadie H. Calbert, and William Riley Calbert. William E. Calbert materials include a biographical sketch, two portraits, and a photograph of U.S. Army chaplain William E. Calbert's promotion to lieutenant, a biographical sketch of William Riley Calbert written by William E. Calbert, and a letter from librarian Miriam Matthews which includes a reproduction of an undated San Pedro St. YMCA group photograph. Also included in the papers is a monograph, The African American presence: the black chaplain, written by Madlyn W. Calbert; Sadie H. Calbert’s funeral program and self-published book of poetry, My thoughts, my faith, my dreams, and a 1909 greeting card with calendar and photograph from Busch Gardens in Pasadena, California inscribed by William Riley Calbert. Dates: 1909-2011   Bulk Dates: 1966-1989   Collection number: MS 109   Creator: Calbert, William E.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Calbert Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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California election ephemera collection, 1904-1998

Flyers, handbills, newspaper clippings and voter information pamphlets on California elections for the period 1904-1998. The primary focus is statewide candidates, statewide propositions, and state Senate and Assembly candidates from Oakland and the East Bay area. Also included is some material on U.S. Senate candidates and U.S. House candidates from Oakland and the East Bay area. The amount of material varies widely from election to election; material for the 1904-1949 period is sparse and Intermittent. The material is organized by election year, and for most elections is further subdivided by primary and general election. (OHC COLL 2017-2) 29 folders in 5 boxes (3 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

California Native Daughters Club Collection

Dates: 1957-1980   Collection number: MS 42   Creator: California Native Daughters Club   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the California Native Daughters Club Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) View online items The California Native Daughters Club was founded in Berkeley, California in the late 1950s. Founders included Bertha Allen, the club's first president, and Ruth Lasartemay, who also served as president later. The club joined the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs in 1959. The club was actively involved in multiple local activities such as California Negro History Week. The California Native Daughters Club Collection consists of correspondence, records, printed materials, founding documents, and artifacts related to club activities and member activities. The collection includes correspondence to and from the club and membership information for the women who were in the club and the club's relationship to outside organizations. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Canson (Virna M.) Papers

The Virna M. Canson papers include photographs, correspondence, programs, certificates, and newspaper clippings documenting Canson’s activities with the NAACP and credit unions, politics, and her personal and family history. The papers are arranged into two sub-groups, Virna M. Canson and Clarence Canson. The bulk of the papers are photographs related to Canson’s family history in Oklahoma and her participation in politics, civil rights, and credit unions. The papers include some general correspondence and awards related to her work at the NAACP, her service on various advisory boards, and the NAACP’s Federal Credit Union annual meetings. The Clarence Canson sub-group includes two certificates from the Tuskegee Institute and his law degree from the University of the Pacific. Dates: circa 1900s-2003   Collection number: MS 29   Creator: Canson, Virna M., 1921-   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Virna M. Canson Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Cavallero (Robert A.) Papers

The Robert A. Cavallero papers include 29 photographs of U.S. Navy seamen training at the U.S. Naval Training Station in Great Lakes, Illinois in 1942-1943. The papers include 22 photographs of U.S. Navy cadets posing with their commanding officer, Robert A. Cavallero, and seven panoramic group photographs of U.S. Navy Companies 421, 721, 781, 1211, and 1421 under the command of Robert A. Cavallero at the U.S. Naval Training Station in Great Lakes, Illinois. The papers also include a thank you letter given to Robert A. Cavallero by U.S. Navy cadets. Dates: 1942-1943   Collection number: MS 76   Collector: Cavallero, Robert A.   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes)   Guide to the Robert A. Cavallero Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Central Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroad collection of labor agreements and handbooks, circa 1880-1951

Primarily labor and operational rules and regulations for the Central Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Railroad in Oakland, California. Also includes a 1924 labor agreement between the Southern Pacific Railroad Company and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. (OHC COLL 2012-4) 23 booklets in 1 box (.3 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Charles Warren Stoddard letters, 1875-1905

Letters from American writer Charles Warren Stoddard to his cousin Harry Makee and Sunset Magazine editor Charles Sedgwick Aiken. Stoddard and his cousin were very close as demonstrated by the six letters, sent between 1875 and 1886, in this collection. The three letters to Mr. Aiken, sent between 1903 and 1905, are equally friendly, although brief, and touch on submissions to Sunset magazine. (OHC MSS STODDARD) 1 folder (.02 linear feet) Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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City and Port of Oakland Employee Chorus collection, 1947-

The City and Port of Oakland Chorus, also called the Oakland Municipal Civil Service Chorus and the Oakland Municipal Employees Chorus, was founded by city employee Elsie Giani in 1940 and presented its first program in 1941. The first chorus director was John M. Falls, followed by Eugene Fillmore Jones and Julian Levant. The chorus presents holiday programs every December and occasionally performs at other functions. The collection contains programs, newspaper articles and other ephemera relating to chorus activities and members. (OHC COLL 2015-13) 1 box (.23 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.    

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Cleveland Cascades restoration project collection, 2004-2013

Primarily photographs and clippings relating to the restoration of the Cleveland Cascade in Oakland, California. Many materials in the project research folder are photocopies of images and newspaper clippings dating from as early as 1923. An umbrella partner under the larger Friends of Oakland Parks & Recreation, The Friends of the Cleveland Cascade work to restore this 1923 Italian-inspired water feature, designed by noted landscape architect Howard Gilkey. (OHC COLL 2015-2) 3 folders and 1 binder in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Clifford E. Rishell Collection, 1949-1961

Clifford E. Rishell was mayor of Oakland, Calif. from 1949 to 1961. This collection documents his tenure as mayor in a range of settings, including meetings and public functions, and domestic and foreign travels. The collection includes photographs and scrapbooks containing invitations, programs, letters, mementos, newspaper clippings and birthday greetings. (OHC COLL 2020-10) 10 boxes (5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Coalition of Advocates for Lake Merritt collection, 2000-2002

The Coalition of Advocates for Lake Merritt (CALM), formed in early 2000, opposes the sale of parkland and city-owned property at Lake Merritt for private development, and advocates for Lake Merritt revitalization. This collection focuses primarily on CALM's opposition to a 2000 proposal to sell off the Fire Alarm Building site and a 2001 proposal to sell off the parking lot at the Oakland Auditorium. John E. Klein, a leader of and spokesperson for CALM, donated this collection to the Oakland History Room. (OHC COLL 2015-3) 1 box (.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Collier Family Papers

The Collier Family Papers include correspondence, photographs, military service records, deeds, and newspaper clippings that document members of the Collier, Taylor, and Coffin families. The papers are organized into six series: Francis B. Collier, Muriel Taylor Collier, Cherie Collier Ivey, Claire Lynne and Muriel Patricia Florey, Willis Patrick and Lillian Taylor, and photographs. The bulk of the collection is approximately 800 photographs of mostly of Frank and Muriel Collier, their children, Patricia Flory, Claire Lynn Flory, and Cherie Collier, and family, friends, and relatives. There are also a number of photographs of Muriel Collier’s first husband, Ishmael Flory, the noted civil and labor rights activist, her father, Willis Patrick Taylor, who was active in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and her uncle, Alfred Oscar Coffin, the first African American to receive a Ph.D. in the biological sciences. View online items Dates: 1894-1999   Collection number: MS 23   Creator: Collier, Muriel Taylor   Creator: Collier, Francis B.   Collection Size: 3.5 linear feet (8 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Collier Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park Advisory Committee Audio Recordings Collection

Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park was California’s first state historical park designated to African-American pioneers. The Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park Advisory Committee audio recordings collection consists of 22 audiocassette of regional meetings, public hearings, and oral history interviews with the townspeople of Allensworth. View online items Dates: 1974-1977   Collection number: MS 208   Creator: Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park Advisory Committee.   Collection Size: .75 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park Advisory Committee Audio Recordings Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Colored Women's Clubs Associations Collection

Dates: 1902-1994   Collection number: MS 1   Creator: Netherland, Mary C.   Creator: Dixon, Lillian   Collection Size: 2.5 ft. (5 boxes)   Guide to the Colored Women's Clubs Associations Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) View online items The records included within this collection trace the histories of three different associations of colored women's clubs: the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs; the California State Association of Colored Women's Clubs; and the National Council of Negro Women. Records within this collection document the history, organization, and activities of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, the California State Association of Colored Women's Clubs, and the National Council of Negro Women. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Combination Magazine Collection, The

The Combination magazine collection includes 18 issues of The Combination magazine published between 1964-1970. The magazine includes photographs, short articles, and local advertisements on African American social organizations, entertainment, sports and fashion events in Northern California. View online items Dates: 1964-1978   Collection number: MS 200   Creator: McCarty, Brackeen.   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (1 box)   Guide to The Combination Magazine Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Commemorator Newspaper Collection

The Commemorator newspaper was a newspaper printed in South Berkeley from 1990-2013 by the Commemoration Committee for the Black Panther Party. The newspaper collection consists of 54 issues of Commemorator newspaper printed from 1990-2012. View online items Dates: 1991-2012   Collection number: MS 202   Creator: The Commemoration Committee for the Black Panther Party   Creator: Dickson, Melvin   Collection Size: 2 linear feet (1 oversized box)   Guide to the Commemorator Newspaper Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Community Chest Promotional Materials, 1924-1947

Pamphlets, flyers, correspondence, and reports relating to the Community Chest of Oakland, Piedmont, San Leandro, and Emeryville. Most materials are requests for donations or training materials for soliciting donations.   (OHC COLL 2025-2)   20 folders in 1 box (.5 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Crouchett (Lawrence P.) Papers

The Lawrence P. Crouchett Papers document Crouchett's role as an historian, social activist, teacher, and administrator between 1960 and 1989. The biographical series includes newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and correspondence detailing Crouchett's life and work. Also included in the papers are class syllabi, handbooks, teaching guides, and articles related to his work as an educator. The papers also provide insight into programs Crouchett instituted as Director of the Office of Special Programs and Services and include pamphlets documenting the Math-Science Institute for Minorities, early affirmative action measures, and artist-in-residence programs. View online items Dates: 1869-2008   Collection number: MS 189   Creator: African American Museum & Library at Oakland   Collection Size: 21.25 linear feet (30 boxes + 2 oversized boxes + 2 oversized drawers)   Guide to the Lawrence P. Crouchett Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Davis (Justitia) Papers

The Justitia Davis papers include scrapbooks, photographs, music and theatrical programs, newspaper clippings, artifacts, and certificates that document the life and career of actor and music teacher Justitia Davis. The papers are arranged into three series: Performing arts, Education, and Photographs. The bulk of the papers consist of 467 photographs most of which are personal photographs of Davis’ family and friends in the 1920s-1940s. Dates: 1901-2000   Collection number: MS 82   Creator: Davis, Justitia.   Collection Size: 2 linear feet (5 boxes + 2 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Justitia Davis Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Davison (Frank and Diane) Home Movie Collection

The Frank and Diane Davison Home Movie Collection consists of 23 color and b&w, 8mm home movies documenting the family life of the Davison family during the 1960s. The home movies include 63 minutes of footage of the family camping, skiing, at the beach, dancing “The Twist”, and celebrating Halloween, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and birthdays of friends and family members. The majority of the footage appears to take place in Alaska and Pacific Northwest with footage of family trips to Atlantic City, New Jersey, Oakland, California, and Panama. Dates: circa 1950s-1967   Collection number: MS 175   Creator: Davison, Frank, Jr.   Creator: Davison, Diane.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Frank and Diane Davison Home Movie Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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De Shields Family Papers

The De Shield Family Papers document three generations. The bulk of the collection concerns the life and businesses of Ivan De Shields. His personal papers consist primarily of documents, such as a voter registration card, a poll tax receipt, and his death certificate. There are two postcards reminding him of Masonic Lodge meetings, and a deposit book for the Knights of Pythias, of which he was a member of the sick committee. Most of his materials, however, relate to his businesses, such as promotional materials for the Eucalyptus oils he produced in his distillery. There is also a business letter and some inventory slips for two laundry companies. Some files record Ivan's financial affairs, such as receipts for state and county taxes between 1904-1927, as well as a letter and receiver's certificate concerning debt refinancing of the California Safe and Deposit and Trust Company. A letter from Los Angeles, addressed "Dear Cousin," solicits his investment in a business venture. The papers of his father, Benjamin De Shields, give only a brief glimpse into his personal life, such as a marriage certificate and a letter from a friend describing San Francisco in 1886. The bulk of his papers are legal documents regarding land titles, satisfaction of mortgage, and two surveys of land owned by him in 1872 and 1875. Albert De Shields represents the third generation and his papers consist of his diploma from McClymonds High School, Oakland, California in 1930, as well as the school yearbook, in which he appears on page 19. The materials concerning Horatio L. Scott are miscellaneous items relating to his travels away from Oakland which are described in two biographical newspaper clippings enclosed. Among these items are a gun permit from South Africa, 3 letters, and a club sponsorship based on his service with the British infantry during the Boer War. View online items Dates: 1862-1945   Collection number: MS 20   Creator: De Shields, Albert   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the De Shields Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Dellums (Cottrell Laurence) Papers

Cottrell Laurence Dellums was born to William H. and Emma Dellums on January 3, 1900 in Corsicana, Texas. The C.L. Dellums papers provide insight into Dellums' career as a civil rights activist and labor leader. They encompass files he maintained as both the International Vice-President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and as a member of the Fair Employment Practices Commission. In addition, they include some biographical materials and associated artifacts. View online items Dates: 1928-1995   Collection number: MS 14   Creator: Dellums, C. L. (Cottrell Laurence).   Collection Size: 7.25 linear feet (14 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Cottrell Laurence Dellums Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Dellums (Ronald V.) Congressional Papers

The Ronald V. Dellums Congressional Papers consists of records, artifacts, memorabilia, and related items produced by activities undertaken during his 27-year career as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. These materials include various committee files, hearing and report books; correspondence with constituents and colleagues; sponsored or cosponsored legislative bills; personal files; staff files; press releases and other publications; and subject reference files. View online items Date Range : 1971-1999 inclusive   Collection number: MS 64   Creator: Dellums, Ronald V., 1935-2018   Extent: 432 linear ft. (432 boxes)   Guide to the Ronald V. Dellums Congressional Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Dunson (Ida) Videotape Collection

The Ida Dunson videotape collection includes 12 U-matic videotapes of television programs aired on the Bay Cablevision Programming Network Channel 28 between 1990-1992. The bulk of the videotapes are episodes of NAACP Reading and Writing for Literacy on various professions in education, religion, library science, health and medical professions, music, engineering, business, and journalism. Dates: 1990-1992   Collection number: MS 98   Collector: Dunson, Ida.   Creator: Bay Cablevision Programming Network   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (1 box)   Guide to the Ida Dunson Videotape Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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East Bay Adult Education Council collection, 1937-1953

The East Bay Adult Education Council was founded Dec. 20, 1937 to promote and coordinate adult education activities in the East Bay. It had both institutional and individual members. The council disbanded sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s. (OHC COLL 2014-8) 5 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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East Bay Conversion and Reinvestment Commission collection, 1993-1995

Newsletters, reports, meeting minutes, and other materials from the East Bay Conversion and Reinvestment Commission (EBCRC). Established in 1993, EBCRC was one of four local pilot programs for assisting local communities impacted by military base closures. (OHC COLL 2016-2) 3 folders in box (.42 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.      

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East Bay Hotel and Motel Ephemera

This collection includes brochures and other promotional ephemera relating to individual hotels and motels in the East Bay. Tourist accommodation guides listing multiple hotels, motels, trailer parks, and bed and breakfasts are also included. (OHC COLL 2022-6) 6 folders in 1 box (.5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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East Bay Negro Historical Society Records

The East Bay Negro Historical Society (EBNHS) was organized on July 2, 1965 in the home of Marcella Ford. In attendance at the first meeting were the seven founding members of the society: Marcella Ford, Jesse Ford, Eugene Lasartemay, Ruth Lasartemay, E. Harold Mason, Morrie Turner, and Madison Harvey Jr. The society’s mission was to “collect, preserve, record, and disseminate information related to the history, culture and experience, of persons of Black American and African descent, especially those in the East Bay, the State of California and throughout the West.” The East Bay Negro Historical Society Records include meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, program flyers and brochures, financial ledgers, and scrapbooks documenting the activities of the society between 1965-1986. View online items Dates: 1965-2001   Collection number: MS 32   Creator: East Bay Negro Historical Society   Collection Size: 6.75 linear feet (11 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the East Bay Negro Historical Society Records Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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East Bay Restaurant Menus and Ephemera

This collection includes menus, flyers, and related ephemera from a wide variety of restaurants in Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, and surrounding areas of California’s East Bay. The restaurants vary from fine dining to coffee shops. General dining guides listing multiple restaurants are also included. (OHC COLL 2022-5) 16 folders in 1 box (.5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Ebell Society and Lakeview Club collection, 1876-2004

The Ebell Society of Oakland was a prominent Oakland women's club. It was founded in 1876 with a mission to advance cultural and scientific learning among its members and to promote civic improvement in Oakland. Its namesake and inspiration was Dr. Adrian J. Ebell, a scientist whose lecture tours inspired the creation of similar clubs around the country. In early 2000 the club merged with another longstanding Oakland women's club, the Lakeview Club, to become the Ebell Lakeview Women's Club. The club disbanded in 2011.   The collection is composed primarily of scrapbooks and albums containing meeting announcements and minutes, newspaper clippings and photographs, and is organized in four parts: I. Ebell Society (1876-2000); II. Lakeview Club (1904-2000); III. Ebell Lakeview Women's Club (2000-2011); and IV. Assorted Ebell/Lakeview artifacts.   (OHC COLL 2019-5) 20 boxes (11 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Edwin Markham materials, 1899-1958

Primarily scrapbooks of clippings on the life and work of American poet Edwin Markham. One scrapbook also includes clippings about his son, mystery writer Virgil Markham and holiday cards from the scrapbook's creator. Also in the collection, a letter from Markham to Ruth LePrade and all friends of The Poet's Garden and one letter from Markham to Charles S. Greene. American poet Edwin Markham (April 23, 1852 – March 7, 1940) was working as a principal at Tompkins Observation School in Oakland, California, when his poem "The Man With The Hoe" was published in the San Francisco Examiner on January 15, 1899. The poem was quickly republished throughout the country and made Markham famous. (OHC MSS MARKHAM) 5 folders, .4 linear feet Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.    Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Emerson (Rebecca) Papers

The Rebecca Emerson Papers include photographs, correspondence, legal documents, and ephemera that document the activities of Rebecca Emerson and the Prince family in Texas. The papers are organized into four series: Rebecca Emerson, Prince family manuscripts, Clem Emerson, and Curtis Parrish. The bulk of the papers are 1048 photographs that document Emerson’s family and friends beginning in the 1910s through the 1970s. The photographs have been organized roughly by location, documenting Emerson’s time living in San Antonio, Texas in the 1920s, with various photographs of Emerson and friends at the San Antonio missions, San Pedro Park, Brackenridge Park, and flooding in downtown San Antonio; a trip to Colorado in 1923; assorted portraits of Emerson and her family and friends; and hunting, fishing, and assorted photographs while she was living in Alaska in the 1940s.  Dates: 1867-1978   Bulk Dates: 1915-1953   Collection number: MS 43   Creator: Emerson, Rebecca   Collection Size: 3.25 linear feet (7 boxes)   Guide to the Rebecca Emerson Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Eubanks (Jonathan) Photograph Collection

Jonathan Eubanks (1927- ) is a documentary and portrait photographer from Oakland, California recognized for his work with the Black Panther Party. The Jonathan Eubanks Photograph Collection includes seven photographs of Black Panther Party members at a “Free Huey” rally held in 1969, including portraits of prominent party members Stokely Carmichael, Eldridge and Kathleen Cleaver, and Bobby Seale. Also included is a portrait of Marcella Ford taken in the 1990s. Dates: circa 1969-1990s   Bulk Dates: 1969   Collection number: MS 150   Creator: Eubanks, Jonathan   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Jonathan Eubanks Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Eunomic Club Collection

The Eunomic 13 Club, an African American men’s social organization, was created on September 15, 1933. The Eunomic Club Collection include photographs, administrative documents, ephemera, newspaper and magazine clippings, and letters from between 1933-1994. Dates: 1933-1994   Collection number: MS182   Creator: Eunomic Club (San Francisco, Calif.)   Collection Size: 1.5 linear ft. (1 box)   Guide to the Eunomic Club Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Everly (Helene) Collection

Helene Everly (b. 1928), Afro-German émigré who grew up in Nazi Germany, was born Helene Brell in Munich, Germany on March 18, 1928. The Helene Everly Collection consists of four audiocassettes containing oral history interviews with Helene Everly conducted by Robert L. Haynes, seven photographs depicting WWII scenes and portraits of Helene Everly and her cousin Max Brell, and copies of the article "A Black Woman's Experience in Hitler's Germany" by Nicole Atkinson. View online items Dates: 1995-1996   Collection number: MS 148   Creator: Everly, Helene. African American Museum & Library at Oakland.   Collection Size: .25 linear foot (1 box)   Guide to the Helene Everly Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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F

Fannie Wall Children’s Home and Day Nursery, Inc. Records

Established in Oakland, California on November 20, 1918 by the Northern Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, the Fannie Wall Children’s Home and Day Nursery, Inc. was created to “care for homeless, dependent, neglected children from broken homes, and to provide day care for children of working parents.” The Fannie Wall Children’s Home and Day Nursery, Inc. Records consist of correspondence, reports, meeting and fundraising programs, and newspaper clippings that document the management of the children’s home. View online items Dates: 1933-1983   Collection number: MS 162   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box) Guide to the Fannie Wall Children’s Home and Day Nursery, Inc. Records   Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Fay (Marion Neal) Photograph Collection

Photojournalist Marion Neal Fay (1939-2016) covered Bay Area social movements and political events while working as a staff photographer for the Sun-Reporter in the 1960's. Her photographs cover a variety of topics, such as the San Francisco State College strike, Black Panther Party rallies, the Occupation of Alcatraz, peace protests, draft resistance, Bay Area Poor People's Campaign activities, and more. Images of the desegregation of the Berkeley Unified School District and of housing and urban development in the Western Addition and Fillmore Districts are especially noteworthy. More than 300 photographic negatives that Marion Neal Fay shot while working for the Sun-Reporter are included in the Marion Neal Fay Photograph Collection. Dates: 1967-1970    Collection number: MS 229   Creator: Fay, Marion   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Fifth World Congress of Poets collection, 1976-1982 / Rosemary C. Wilkinson, compiler

Collection documenting Ina Coolbrith Circle member Rosemary C. Wilkinson's efforts to bring the Fifth World Congress of Poets to San Francisco, and provides a record of activities of the congress in July 1981. Includes pre-conference planning and preparation, congress proceedings, and post-congress publications and correspondence.   (OHC COLL 2015-11) 1 box (1.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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First African Methodist Episcopal Church (Oakland, Calif.) Collection

The First A.M.E. Church of Oakland began in 1858 by a small group of Oakland residents, and is the oldest African American church in Oakland. The church founders purchased the Carpenter School House in 1863, which became the first church building. At this time the church was called Shiloh A.M.E. Church, and it also acted as a school for minorities; the teacher was one of the A.M.E. church founders, Elizabeth Flood. In 1884, Reverend James Grisby led the congregation to a larger church building on 15th Street in Oakland, known as the Fifteenth Street Church. In 1949, Reverend H. Solomon Hill became pastor, and in 1954, led the congregation to a new church building at 3701 Telegraph Avenue, where it was renamed the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. Since then, the church has been renovated and improved numerous times, notably surviving the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Senior pastors of the First A.M.E. Church of Oakland:
  • Reverend John Lane 1863-1874
  • Reverend J.B. Sanderson 1874-1884
  • Reverend James Grisby 1884-1896
  • Reverend J. Alen Viney 1896-1900
  • Reverend Oscar E. Jones 1900-1910
  • Reverend F. Jesse Peck 1910-1915
  • Reverend J.M. Brown 1915-1922
  • Reverend Nelson Pryor 1922-1927
  • Reverend T. Dean Scott 1927-1932
  • Reverend Daniel G. Hill 1932-1943
  • Reverend Pearl Bryant 1943-1945
  • Reverend Justus E. Roberts 1945-1949
  • Reverend Dr. H. Solomon Hill 1949-1960
  • Reverend J. Russell Brown 1960-1971
  • Reverend Edward S. Foust 1971-1977
  • Reverend George R. Reid 1977-1981
  • Reverend L. Fisher Hines 1981-1986
  • Reverend Dr. Frederick Ormonde Murph 1986-1996
  • Reverend Dr. Harold R. Mayberry 1996-2020
  • Reverend Dr. Rodney D. Smith, 2020-
The First African Methodist Episcopal Church (Oakland, Calif.) Collection includes administrative records, correspondence, church service bulletins, events programs, photographs, and collected newspaper clippings. Dates: 1922-2015   Bulk Dates: bulk 1950s-1970s   Collection number: MS 173   Creator: First African Methodist Episcopal Church (Oakland, Calif.)   Creator: East Bay Negro Historical Society   Collection Size: 2 linear feet (3 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the First African Methodist Episcopal Church (Oakland, Calif.) Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-0200 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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First and Last Chance Saloon collection, 1889-2013

Scrapbooks, historical information, and other materials relating to The First and Last Chance Saloon, located on the Oakland waterfront in Jack London Square. The saloon is notable for its connection to Jack London, who frequented the saloon and was friends with its long-time owner, John Heinold.  (OHC COLL 2016-4) 3 boxes (1.8 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Flatlands Newspaper Collection, The

The Flatlands newspaper collection consists of 34 issues of The Flatlands newspaper printed from 1966-1968. The newspaper consists of news and op-ed articles, profiles, photographs, and events calendars mostly related to poverty, education, housing, police brutality, and politics in East and West Oakland. View online items Dates: 1966-1968   Collection number: MS 197   Collector: Oakland Public Library (Calif.)   Collection Size: 2 linear feet (1 oversized box)   Guide to the The Flatlands Newspaper Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Fleming (Thomas C.) Papers

Journalist Thomas C. Fleming (1907-2006) was born on November 29, 1907 in Jacksonville, Florida. He was raised by his grandmother in Jacksonville until 1916, when he moved to New York City to live with his father, a Pullman porter, before moving to Chico, California to live with his mother in 1919. After graduating from Chico High School in 1926, he worked as a cook and bellhop for the Southern Pacific Railroad. During the 1930s, he began working for the San Francisco Black newspaper, The Spokesman, while taking journalism classes at Chico State College. Fleming was hired as the founding editor of the African American newspaper The Reporter in 1944, which quickly merged with Carlton B. Goodlett’s newspaper The Sun, to become The Sun-Reporter. He worked as managing editor and lead reporter for the Sun-Reporter for over 33 years until his retirement in 1997 at the age of 89. In retirement, he worked on his memoir which was collected in his 1997 publication Reflections on black history. The Thomas C. Fleming papers include photographs, certificates, programs, manuscripts, and newspaper clippings documenting his life and career as a journalist. Dates: circa 1929-2004   Bulk Dates: 1978-2004   Collection number: MS 131   Creator: Fleming, Thomas C., 1907-2006.   Collection Size: 1.25 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Thomas C. Fleming Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Fletcher (William R.) Papers

The William R. Fletcher papers consists of 95 photographs, a certificate, and newspaper clipping documenting William Fletcher’s Automobile Service, car racing team, and family history. The collection is organized into three series: photographs, certificate, and newspaper clipping. The photographs are organized by subject and include images of Fletcher’s car racing team in the 1930s, Fletcher Auto Service in Hayward, California, Fletcher’s 80th birthday party celebration, and assorted family photographs. The certificate was awarded to Fletcher by Chabot College in recognition of his service as a member of the Automotive Advisory Committee. Dates: 1939-1982   Collection number: MS 132   Creator: Fletcher, William R.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the William R. Fletcher Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Flood Family Papers

The Flood family was one of the earliest and most prominent African American families to settle in Oakland, California. After purchasing his freedom, Isaac Flood (1816-1892) moved to California in following the Gold Rush, settling in Oakland in 1853. He worked as a laborer and tradesman and married Elizabeth Thorn Scott (1828-1867) in 1855, a school teacher from Sacramento who started the first public school for African American students in the state. In 1857, Elizabeth opened a private school in the Flood home for African American students, which was moved to the African Methodist Church in 1863 and operated for three years before closing in 1866. The couple had two children, George Francis Flood, who was born in 1857 and was thought to be the first African American born in Oakland, California, and Lydia Flood (1862-1963). The Flood Family Papers includes 18 photographs, Lydia Flood Jackson’s funeral program, and two letters written by Lydia Flood Jackson to Ruth Lasartemay. View online items Dates: circa 1850s-1963   Collection number: MS 49   Collector: Flood, Lydia Flood.   Creator: Flood family.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (2 folders)   Guide to the Flood Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Ford (Jesse W. and Marcella) Papers

The Jesse W. and Marcella Ford Papers includes correspondence, clippings, photographs, reports, and artifacts that document the life and activities of Jesse W. and Marcella Ford. The collection is organized into three series: Marcella Ford, Jesse W. Fords, and photographs. The collection of archival material related to Marcella Ford includes correspondence to Ford organized by subject, her resume, newspaper clippings related to her work as an early educator of African American history, one typescript manuscript on Oakland's history, badges from conventions attended by Ford, a scrapbook of programs and correspondence related to conventions held by the National Council of Negro Women, and proclamations honoring Ford's contributions to education. The Jesse W. Ford series includes assorted correspondence written to Ford; assorted letters, programs, and artifacts related to his involvement in various social clubs and organization in the Oakland area; manuals, brochures, and correspondence related to his employment with the Pullman Company and member of the Union of Sleeping Car Porters; and a scrapbook of funeral programs attended by Ford. The photograph series includes assorted photographs of Jesse W. and Marcella Ford and relatives and friends between 1907-2001. Dates: 1907-2002   Collection number: MS 10   Creator: Ford, Jesse William, 1890-1972.   Creator: Ford, Marcella, 1900-2002.   Collection Size: 6.75 linear feet (6 boxes + 2 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Jesse W. and Marcella Ford Paper Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Foster (Marcus) Collection

Marcus A. Foster (1923-1973) was a a progressive, innovative educator who rose to national prominence as the first African-American superintendent of schools in Oakland, California. The collection spans the years 1941-1975, and includes administrative documents, professional certifications, printed materials, photographs, newspaper articles and ceremonial attire, with the bulk of the material pertaining to the years 1968-1974. Dates: 1941-1975 (bulk 1968-1974)   Collection number: MS 149   Creator: Marcus A. Foster Education Institute   Collection Size: 5.5 linear feet (1 box + 2 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Marcus A. Foster Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Francis Marion Smith papers, 1888-1944, bulk 1902-1923

Francis Marion Smith, better known as "Borax" Smith, was born in Richmond, Wisconsin, in 1846, and made his fortune mining a large borax deposit he discovered in the Mojave Desert in 1872. His "20 Mule Team Borax" became a household brand and made him a millionaire many times over. In 1881 he and his wife Mary settled in Oakland, California, and soon began work on their large estate, Arbor Villa, and eventually the grand central home "Oak Hall." Smith was a civic leader in Oakland, creating the Realty Syndicate, which developed many of Oakland’s neighborhoods, and the Key System, a streetcar and ferry system providing transportation in the East Bay and across the bay to San Francisco. Through his United Properties Co. of California Smith also led early efforts to consolidate water services in the Oakland area. Smith and his wife were also active philanthropists, funding hospitals, holding charity fundraisers, and founding the Mary R. Smith Trust for orphaned girls in 1901 which cared for girls in cottages built on the estate. Following Mary's death in 1905, Smith eventually remarried in 1907 to Evelyn Ellis and the couple had four children. After losing and regaining his fortune and following several strokes, Smith stepped down from his companies in 1928 and he and Evelyn left Oak Hall and Arbor Villa, moving to a smaller home near Lake Merritt. Francis Marion Smith died at Oakland's Fabiola Hospital in 1931 and is buried in nearby Mountain View Cemetery.   (OHC MSS SMITH) 16 folders, .5 linear feet Arranged in three series. Series 1. Corporate records, 1910-1923 -- Series 2. Personal papers, 1888, circa 1900-1931-- Series 3. Mary R. Smith Trust, 1902-1944. Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.    Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Frank K. Mott papers, 1894-1957 (bulk 1905-1917)

Letters, municipal records, business records and some personal papers of Oakland, California, mayor Frank K. Mott. The letters relate primarily to his job as mayor (1905-1915), including several that discuss the city's acquisition of the harbor from the Southern Pacific Company in 1909 and the subsequent harbor improvements. There is no discussion of the 1906 earthquake. City of Oakland records include official deeds, grants, and other legal documents, including the Certificate of Election for Mott's first mayoral election in 1905, Official Bonds of the City of Oakland of George Gross as Auditor and Ex Officio Assessor in 1907 and 1909, Mott's brief statement --given that afternoon -- to the people of Oakland regarding the earthquake of 1906, contracts with the Contra Costa Water Company and the Oakland Water Front Company, and financial statements regarding the Grove and Webster Street sewers. Mott's campaign materials consist of blank letterhead and an election mailer. The campaign and recall folder also includes two pieces of ephemera from F. F. Jackson's failed 1911 run against Mott, poems favoring the 1911 recall, a written statement from United States Representative Joseph Knowland against the recall, a list of union men instrumental in the recall effort, and mailers from The Tax-payer's League of Oakland. His personal papers include life insurance policies, leases and receipts for multiple properties, a 1910 Alameda County poll tax receipt, stock certificates for several mining and oil companies, an inventory of household goods for the Mott's home on Lee Street and the accompanying home insurance policy (1935). Bills from the Frank K. Mott Co. and stock transactions and lists of assets of the Suburban Development Co. round out the collection. (OHC MSS MOTT) 7 folders, .2 linear feet Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Fred E. Reed papers, 1907-1963, undated, 1923, 1938

Oakland, California, real estate broker Fred Elroy Reed was the first chairman of the Oakland Planning Commission, a founder and first president of the California Real Estate Association, president of the Oakland Real Estate Board, East Bay Regional Plan Association Chairman, three time unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of Oakland in 1923, 1961, and 1965, a driving force behind development in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood and other areas in the Oakland hills, and was recognized state-wide as an authority on city planning.  Primarily correspondence, strategy documents, and public communications relating to his unsuccessful campaign for Mayor of Oakland in 1923 and his role in fighting the proposed sale of the Southern Pacific-Golden Gate ferry franchise to the Toll Bridge Authority as means of refinancing the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Also includes materials relating to his career in Oakland real estate, unsuccessful campaign for Oakland City Commissioner, and poems by Reed. Correspondence relating to his political campaigns is included in the general correspondence, while the East Bay Regional Plan Association correspondence folder deals solely with the ferry franchise sale. Of note in the collection are: several tract maps for property on Manchester Drive, Redwood Road at Crestmont Drive (tracts 1494, 1896, and 1903), and Joaquin Miller Road at Robinson Drive; and a petition (and related exhibits) of the California Toll Bridge Authority for rehearing and redetermination before the California Railroad Commission (case no. 4204) regarding the ferry franchise sale. (OHC COLL 2012-10) 15 folders in 1 box (.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Frederick J. Monteagle research papers on Horace Carpentier, 1982-1983

Correspondence, research notes, and copies of materials relating to the life of Horace Walpole Carpentier assembled by Frederick J. Monteagle of Piedmont, California. Mr. Monteagle corresponded with staff members from Universities and State Libraries throughout California and New York regarding information in their collections pertaining to or originating with Mr. Carpentier and many of the strings of correspondence contain copies of letters by Mr. Carpentier or his lawyers. The Galway folder consists of photographs of headstones from cemeteries in Galway, New York, a brief histoy of the town, "A Tour of Galway Today with glimpses of the past" presented by the Galway Bicentennial Commission, and other materials relating to the Carpentier (previously Carpenter) family's history in Galway. (OHC COLL 2014-18) 6 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Friends of Negro Spirituals Oral History Collection

The Friends of Negro Spirituals is a educational and cultural organization based in Oakland, California dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Negro spirituals. Founded in 1998 by Sam Edwards and Lyvonne Chrisman, the Friends of Negro Spirituals offers lectures and radio programs on Negro spirituals, research assistance to scholars studying Negro spirituals, and publishes a news journal, The Negro Spiritual. The Friends of Negro Spirituals Oral History collection consists of DVDs and transcriptions of ten oral history interviews conducted in 2007 with supporters of Negro spirituals who work to preserve spirituals in the African American community. The collection includes interviews with William Bell, Lyvonne Chrisman, Marcella Huggins Conley, Doug Edwards, Sam Edwards, Jacqueline B. Hairston, Autris Thomas Paige, Linda Tillery, and Cleophas and Sadie Carter Williams. Dates: 2007   Collection number: MS 196   Creator: Friends of Negro Spirituals (Organization)   Collection Size: 1.0 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Friends of Negro Spirituals Oral History Collection   Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Fuller (Jesse) Collection

Jesse Fuller (1896-1976) was born on Jonesboro, Georgia in March 12, 1896. In 1954 Fuller recorded his most notable song, "San Francisco Bay Blues", and by 1960 Fuller booked a European tour, and devoted himself full time to music. The Jesse Fuller collection consists of newspaper clippings, photographs, and audio recordings. View online items Dates: 1971-1976   Collection number: MS193   Creator: Fuller, Jesse   Creator: Dobrin, Michael   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Jesse Fuller Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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G

George Sterling materials, 1904-1966

Primarily published and typescript copies of poems by American poet George Sterling. Also includes three letters from Sterling to fellow poet Joaquin Miller, a brief note from Mary Austin to Sterling, a photo portrait of Sterling, a Bohemian Club midsummer jinks programme from 1926, a program for the Western Drama Society quarterly performance in Carmel, California (1913), commemorative writings about Sterling by Milo Mosier and Mary Austin, and a letter from John Howell discussing Sterling's poem "Yosemite."   Writings contained in the collection consist of: The abalone song (3 printings); The ballad of the ghost-arrow; Ballad of the swabs; The black hound bays; The evanescent city; A first-class fighting man (essay); Forenoon on the Pacific; The guerdon of the sun; Lilies of stone; Lonely beaches; Nora May French; Pavement; The sailing of Keats (includes some of Sterlings thoughts on Keats); The shadow maker; Sierran dawn; Song of friendship; The song of Henry Maxwell; Sonnets to Craig; Stars of the noon; Together; Under the rainbow; Wilshire's I-ON-A-CO (essay); Yerba Buena, July 9, 1846. Writings are poems unless noted otherwise. Most were published in Sunset Magazine and The American Mercury.   (OHC MSS STERLING) 3 folders (.1 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed description of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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German School of the East Bay collection, 1963-1988

The German School of the East Bay, established in 1962 in Oakland, California, is a non-profit organization providing German language instruction to learners of all ages. The collection includes photographs, newspaper clippings and other material relating to the history and activities of the school. (OHC COLL 2015-16) 5 folders in 1 box (.25 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Gertrude Atherton letters to Ednah (Robinson) Aiken, 1926, 1930, undated

Three letters from California author Gertrude Atherton to her friend Ednah Aiken. The letters primarily convey her good wishes to Mrs. Aiken, but also briefly touch on her writings, including "California, An Intimate History" and "The Sophisticates." One letter mentions the death of her friend, Senator James Duval Phelan. Includes typed transcripts of the letters. (OHC MSS ATHERTON) 3 leaves Arranged chronologically.     Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Gibson (D.G.) Papers

Businessman and civic leader D. G. Gibson (1891-1973) was born on February 14, 1891 in Calvert, Texas. After attending Guadalupe College in Seguin, Texas, he joined the 92nd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army fighting in France during World War I. Following the war, he moved to California in 1920 settling in the East Bay first as a real estate agent and then opening and operating one of the most successful distribution businesses on the West Coast, selling subscriptions for black newspapers, periodicals and cosmetic supplies. The D.G. Gibson papers consists of financial records, correspondence, beauty product catalogs, programs, pamphlets, and invitations related to the life and business enterprises of D.G. Gibson. Dates: 1939-1973   Collection number: MS 130   Creator: Gibson, D. G.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the D. G. Gibson Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Gibson Family Papers

The Gibson family can trace its roots back to the pioneering days of California. Charles Nelson Gibson was born in Sacramento in 1879. His parents, William Henry Gibson and Lucinda Ray Gibson, became part of the African American community of West Oakland in the late nineteenth century. William Gibson obtained a position as a dining and club car waiter on the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1898 and worked for the railroad for thirty years. Lucinda Ray was a descendent of Nelson Ray, a slave who obtained his freedom in 1864 and came out to California to mine for gold. Through his profits, Ray acquired enough money to pay for his wife and children's freedom and settled in Placerville, where he worked as a carpenter and blacksmith. The Ray family moved to Sacramento sometime prior to 1877. The Gibson Family Papers encompass materials relating to six family members: Audrey Gibson Robinson; Charles Nelson Gibson; Lucinda Ray Gibson; Lois Gibson; Maude E. Gibson; and Frederick D. Robinson. Papers consist of clippings, biographical information, a scrapbook, photographs and assorted items such as postcards and poems collected by members of the Gibson family. Arranged by name of family member and thereafter by format and date. Dates: 1887-1980   Collection number: MS 6   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes)   Guide to the Gibson Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Gilmore (Carter) Papers

Carter Gilmore (1926-2006) was born May 30, 1926, in Grapeland, Texas. In 1977 Gilmore became the first African American elected to the Oakland City Council. He served from 1977 to 1990, during which time he also acted as vice mayor to Lionel J. Wilson. Gilmore also served as president of the NAACP's Alameda branch and, later, of its Northern California division. View online items Dates: 1960-2006   Collection number: MS 151   Creator: Gilmore, Carter.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Carter Gilmore Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Glenn Woods papers relating to the OUSD Music Department, 1935-1946

Scrapbook contains letters and clippings documenting the Oakland Unified School District's various choirs and their performances, including radio performances, and four photographs of several choir members. Music Section papers consist of meeting minutes, constitution, lists of members and officers, treasurer's reports, and letters of the Oakland Teachers Association Music Section. (OHC MSS WOODS) 5 folders, (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Glenview Woman's Club records, 1914-2010

  Primarily meeting minutes of the Glenview Woman's Club (sometimes called Glenview Women's Club), first organized on May 14, 1914. Meeting minutes were kept in their original order with most folders in direct chronological order and a few in reverse order. Between 1926 and 1953 meeting minutes include the Corporation minutes as well as those of the club as a whole. Other materials include letters relating to the sale of the clubhouse in 1989, a photograph of the club's founding members, and a club history, "A book of memories," compiled by J. Edith MacNaughton in 1952 which features short historical narratives from many of the club's past presidents. The clippings books also contain club handbooks, which include member directories and treasurer's reports, for the 1926-27 and 1929-30 club years.   (OHC COLL 2017-3) 4 boxes, 1.2 linear feet Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Glover (Cleveland) Papers

Photographer Cleveland Glover (1922-1995) was born on August 22, 1922 in Savannah, Georgia to Freddie and Susie Glover. After attending school in Savannah, Glover joined the U.S. Army and served as an Army photographer and film projectionist during World War II and the Korean War. He would eventually rise to the rank of Master Sargent and was the African American photographer assigned to the West Point Academy and was General Maxwell D. Taylor’s official photographer. The Cleveland Glover Papers include photographs, certificates, newspaper clippings, and a funeral program that document the life and activities of photographer Cleveland Glover. The bulk of the papers are photographs taken by Glover while serving in the U.S. Army in the 1950s-1960s. Dates: 1951-1995   Bulk Dates: 1951-1960   Collection number: MS 66   Creator: Glover, Cleveland.   Collection Size: 2.25 linear feet (1 box + 2 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Cleveland Glover Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Goggin (Jim ) Oral History Collection

Jim Goggin was the founder of the San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation. During his career Goggin helped produce many West Coast jazz recordings and liner notes, and authored numerous jazz articles and ten published books about West Coast jazz music and its performers. The Jim Goggin Oral History Collection consists of 8 oral histories with jazz drummer and band leader Earl Watkins, an oral history with musician and session pianist Rodney Burge, and material as published in the book Earl Watkins: The Life of a Jazz Drummer by Jim Goggin. Dates: circa 2000s   Collection number: MS 185   Creator: Goggin, Jim.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet ((1 box)   Guide to the Jim Goggin Oral History Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Golden Gate Bridge collection, 1930-ongoing

Booklets, flyers, magazine articles and other material relating to the Golden Gate Bridge. Includes materials on structural engineer Charles A. Ellis who was chiefly responsible for the design of the bridge. (OHC COLL 2013-7) Approximately 27 pieces in 1 box (.1 linear feet) Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Golden Gate International Exposition collection, 1936-1940

Materials relating to the Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) held on San Francisco's Treasure Island in 1939 and 1940. Includes guidebooks, maps, exhibit and event descriptions, tickets, and other materials. (OHC COLL 2013-3) 5 folders in 2 boxes (.8 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Golden State Company collection, 1928-1962

Primarily photographs and newspaper articles concerning the Golden State Company and one of its managers, Harold L. Hunt. The photographs show workers and managers in various activities, and many take place in a production facility, probably the Oakland milk distribution plant. Most of the photographs lack captions. (OHC COLL 2014-11) 2 folders in box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Golden State Warriors in Oakland collection, 2015-2019

This collection documents the final championship rounds of the last five seasons of the Golden State Warriors basketball team in Oakland, during which the team won the championship three times. The collection consists primarily of newspaper clippings, mostly from the San Francisco Chronicle. Some souvenir programs are also included. The final 2018-2019 season is the most extensively covered. (OHC COLL 2019-6) 6 folders in box (0.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Green (Curtis E.) Photograph Collection

Curtis E. Green (1924-2002) was the first African American to administer a major U.S. transit system. Born in Louisiana, he served in the Marine Corps during World War II then moved to San Francisco where he worked as a Muni bus driver beginning in 1945. He worked as a bus driver for twenty years and was promoted to the Director of Personnel and Safety in 1969 and Deputy General Manager in 1973. He was promoted again the following year to General Manager of Muni which he would run until his retirement in 1982. The Curtis E. Green Photograph Collection consists of 11 photographs documenting the Lawson National Distribution Company’s bus contract with the San Francisco Municipal Railway and the dedication ceremony of the Curtis E. Green Light Rail Center. Dates: 1975-1987   Collection number: MS 75   Creator: Green, Curtis E.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (1 folder)   Guide to the Curtis E. Green Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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H. M. Martin letters regarding Rockridge district real estate, 1910-1912

Letters to and from Berkeley, California, realtor H. M. Martin regarding the sale of lots in the Rock Ridge neighborhood of Oakland, California. Significant correspondents are Oakland, California realtor Fred E. Reed, L. E. Schulz, H. E. Wetzel, and realtors W. G. Wood and F. P. Tatum of Wood & Tatum, Co. Also includes two letters to realtor P. H. Zens. (OHC MSS MARTIN, H.M.) 4 folders (.1 linear feet) Arranged alphabetically by correspondent's name.     Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.    

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Hackett Family Papers

The Hackett family immigrated to San Francisco in 1885, when James Alexander Hackett along with his wife, Alice, and daughter, Sadie, came to San Francisco in search of employment at the advice of his first cousin, Charles Calvin Petty, a pastor at Starr King Zion Church in San Francisco, California. Two brothers of James Alexander, Sylvester R. and Charles C. Hackett, would both also move to California. James Alexander and Alice Hackett (née Hickerson) were one of the first African American families to settle in Alameda, California, where they eventually constructed a house at 1608 Union St. and resided with their twelve children, Sadie, Nora, Myrtle, Luther, Arthur J., Latrecia, Paul, Teresa, Lincoln, Alice E., Grace E., and Josephine. The Hackett Family Papers consist of mostly portrait photographs of family members and friends and assorted printed material that includes short biographies of members of the family, a photocopy of a diploma of Tyra D. Hackett, an appointment book, and a collection of calendars. View online items Title: Hackett Family papers   Dates: 1882-1975   Collection number: MS 25   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Hackett Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Hall (Marcus) Papers

Baritone singer Marcus Hall (1904-1977) was born on September 8, 1904 in California to William M. and Susie Hall. Papers include concert programs, correspondence, a scrapbook, newspaper clippings, and photographs documenting the life and career of baritone singer Marcus Hall. The papers are organized into five series: concert programs, correspondence, photographs, biographical, and printed materials. Dates: 1927-1977   Collection number: MS 22   Creator: Hall, Marcus, 1904-1977   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Marcus Hall Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Harold French papers, 1892-1962

Oakland, California, resident Harold French was an avid hiker and conservationist. He founded the Contra Costa Hills Club in 1920 and campaigned extensively for the creation of a regional park system, a dream that was realized with the founding of the East Bay Regional Park District in 1934. Primarily the letters and writings of Harold French. Most letters describe the workings of the Contra Costa Hills Club and Mr. French's tireless efforts to create and expand the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD). Personal letters are primarily to his mother and discuss his love of nature and hiking. One letter, to Isabel Borthwick (later his wife), describes a hiking excursion in Marin County. Prominent correspondents include William Penn Mott, Jr., Robert Sibley, and Richard E. Walpole. His two hiking journals detail many hikes in Marin and Alameda Counties, including hikes on Mount Tamalpais, Mount Diablo, and in Wildcat Canyon. The two diaries discuss his everyday life at work and home, including outings with his wife, children's birthdays, his writing, and his gardening efforts. (OHC MSS FRENCH) 8 folders, .1 linear feet. Go here for a more detailed description of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Harris (Charlotte) Papers

Dates: 1929-1988   Collection number: MS 16   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Charlotte Harris Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Charlotte Harris Papers include photographs, postcards, church programs, and awards related to the activities of the Harris and Fletcher families. The bulk of the collection is photographs of family and friends of Charlotte Harris in Seattle, Washington and Berkeley, California. There are also group photographs of the Ladies of Leisure, an African American women's social club in Berkeley, California. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Harris (Elihu M.) Papers

The Elihu M. Harris Papers consist of reports, photographs, subject files, and administrative and financial records documenting Harris' political career as the mayor of Oakland, California from 1991-1999 and as co-owner of KDIA radio station from 1992-1996. Dates: 1968-1998   Collection number: MS 085   Creator: Harris, Elihu, 1947-   Collection Size: 42 linear feet (35 boxes + 3 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Elihu M. Harris Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Harris (Erna P.) Papers

Journalist and peace activist Erna P. Harris (1908-1995) was born on June 29, 1908 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma to James E. and Francis Harris. The Erna P. Harris Papers consists of photographs of family and friends of Erna P. Harris, Gaynelle Harris’ certificates attending school in Enid, Oklahoma, and assorted printed material. Photographs include a few portraits of Erna Harris, though the majority of the photographs are portraits of Harris family and friends. The papers also include Erna Harris’ funeral program, an address book, a book review, a recipe for banana angel food cake, and assorted political and CO-OP buttons. Dates: circa 1890s-1995   Collection number: MS 54   Creator: Harris, Erna P.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Erna P. Harris Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Harrison Family Home Movie Collection

The Harrison Family Home Movie Collection includes five 8mm color home movies recorded by the Harrison family of Richmond, California documenting the family’s barbeque business, Harrison’s Bar-B-Que, and daily life for African Americans in Richmond, California during the 1960s. The home movies total 107 minutes and include footage of a road trip the family made through Denver, Colorado on their way to visit family in rural Texas near Ballinger, Texas and Amarillo, Texas. Footage also includes farm workers picking and processing grapes mostly likely in the Napa Valley and scenes from the California State Fair. Bulk Dates: circa 1960 - 1967   Collection number: MS 177   Creator: Harrison, W.H.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Harrison Family Home Movie Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Harvey (Madison) Jr. Papers

The Madison Harvey Jr. papers include photographs, Black history newsletters, and funeral programs documenting the life and professional activities of Madison Harvey Jr. (1928-2013). The papers are organized in to three series: photographs, publications, and funeral programs. The bulk of the collection consists of photographs documenting Harvey’s family, friends and classmates at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa Oklahoma, career as a sailor in the United States Navy in the late 1940s, a surprise party prepared by his co-workers at the Continuing Education of the Bar, and photographs of businesses making preparations prior to the Rodney King verdict. Dates: 1945-2013   Collection number: MS 84   Creator: Harvey, Madison.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Madison Harvey Jr. Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Helen Julia Clarke papers, 1886, 1889, 1891

Primarily letters from Helen Julia Clarke to Dr. and Mrs. Elliott Coues regarding the supernatural. Also includes a letter from her mother Julia regarding the disposition of her father Thomas Brownell Clarke's papers, a letter from "B" to "C," and two writings by Helen: a biographical sketch of Thomas Clarke published in The Carrier Dove; and an account of the April 1874 manifestation at her father's house. (OHC MSS CLARKE) 13 leaves Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Hellman estate account books, 1914-1928

Record-keeping books for the Hellman family estate, called Oakvale Park, belonging to Alexander J. Kerr. Two account books document monies paid, presumably for work done on the estate, and the expenses of I.W. Hellman, Jr., and his wife. Two time books track the hours worked by various employees. (OHC COLL 2015-17) 4 v. in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Henry Meade Bland papers, 1914-1931

Correspondence and typescript poems of California poet Henry Meade Bland. Outgoing letters are mostly to John B. Kaiser and incoming letters are primarily from L. Morgan with one letter from Arthur Truman Merrill. Also contains a photograph of Bland standing in a forest, one sheet of letterhead from the Henry Meade Bland Poet Laureate's Association, and a letter, dated 1933 November 9, from Clara Elizabeth Kuck to Warren West that mentions Bland. (OHC MSS BLAND) 27 leaves Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Henry Z. Jones real estate collection, 1888-1933

Business and legal documents from Oakland real estate broker and developer Henry Z. Jones. Jones established his real estate business in 1887, with a focus on the Brooklyn Township and Allendale Township (which later became Oakland), where he subdivided land, and bought, sold and rented houses.    (OHC COLL 2015-21) 2 cartons (2.17 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.    

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Hickerson Family Papers

The Hickerson Family Papers includes photographs, newspaper clippings, cards, programs, certificates, and musical scores related to the Hickerson and Swayzee families and their friends. The papers also document the Hickerson Family's involvement with the Oakland, CA First African Methodist Episcopal (First A.M.E.) Church and other Christian and civic organizations. The papers are arranged in five series: Dorothy Harris Hickerson, Joseph W. Hickerson, Religious Activities, Assorted Print Material and Publications. The photographs are arranged in four subseries: Dorothy Hickerson Harris, Family Portraits, First African Methodist Episcopal (1st AME) Church, and Assorted. Dates: circa 1920-2005 Collection number: MS 167   Creator: Harris, Dorothy Hickerson.   Creator: Hickerson, Joseph William.   Collection Size: 2.5 linear feet (3 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Hickerson Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Hill (Ida) Photograph Collection

The Ida Hill Photograph Collection includes 29 photographs of various members of the Hill and Robinson families, group photographs of African American masons, and Dicy Robinson’s memorial card. A bulk of the collection are family photographs of William and Ida Hill and their children William Hill Jr., Alfred Hill, and Beverly Hill in Oakland and Alameda, California. The collection also includes a cabinet card taken in New Orleans, Louisiana, most likely of Ida Robinson Hill’s father sometime in the 1860s and a group photograph of the Robinson family taken in front of their home in the 1890s. The collection includes ten group photographs of various African American masonic groups in California in the 1930-1950s. Dates: circa 1860s-1971   Collection number: MS 58   Creator: Hill, Ida.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (2 folders)   Guide to the Ida Hill Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Holmes Book Company collection, 1925-1995

Catalogues, announcements, promotional materials, and articles on the Holmes Book Company.  Founded in San Francisco in 1894 by Robert Holmes, the Holmes Book Company opened its flagship Oakland store, at 274 14th Street, in 1925. Financial pressures forced the store to close in 1995. (OHC COLL 2019-10) 3 folders in box (.02 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Home Club collection, 1904-2015

In 1903 a group of prominent Oakland women under the leadership of Mary R. Smith organized the Home Club to serve as a social center for Smith’s orphanage for girls, and as a general venue for notable speakers and artists. The Home Club building, completed in 1904, was located on land shared with the residential cottages of the orphanage. The Home Club/orphanage complex adjoined the grand estate, Arbor Villa, where Mary R. Smith and her husband Francis Marion “Borax” Smith resided. In the early 1920s the orphanage closed, and in 1926 financial difficulties led the Home Club to vacate the Home Club building and move to other venues. The Home Club continued on until 2015, mainly as a members-only social club for dances and parties. Its final venue was the Piedmont Veterans’ Memorial Building.   The collection includes histories, administrative records, announcement bulletins, scrapbooks/photo albums, and photographs.   (OHC COLL 2019-4) 11 boxes (5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People of California Records

The Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People of California was established on September 26, 1892 in Oakland, California and was the first institution to provide elderly care and housing for African Americans in California. The organization was created by Mary E.A. Cole, Ann S. Purnell, Elenora Amos, Areminto Stanford, Mary Goodman, Rosa H. Lockett, Mary C. Washington, Ellen Whiting, Harriet E. Smith, Mary J. Humphrey, and Anna Williams to “sustain a home for the aged and infirm who may be from any cause, incapacitated from taking care of themselves, and such others as the Board of Directors or trustees may think entitled to its benefits.” The Home for the Aged and Infirm Colored People of California Records consists of articles of incorporation, constitution and by-laws, correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, programs, and newspaper clippings documenting the history of the home from its creation in 1892 through its dissolution in 1940. View online items Dates: 1892-1940   Collection number: MS 122   Creator: Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People of California (Oakland, Calif.).   Collection Size: 1.25 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People of California Records Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Homeopathic Hospital notebook, 1878-1880

Notebook belonging to T. Smith of Oakland's Homeopathic Hospital and containing penciled manuscript notes on remedies prescribed and patients seen. The Homeopathic Hospital was located on the southeast corner of Twenty-first and Market Streets, in Oakland, California. (OHC MSS SMITH, T.) 1 v.; 16 cm Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Homer J. Aubry papers, 1909-1929, bulk 1918-1919

Correspondence, photographs, and memorabilia of Corporal Homer J. Aubry, relating to his service in Company K, 363rd Infantry, American Expeditionary Forces, during the first World War. The bulk of the collection consists of letters from Corporal Aubry to his mother, Mrs. Joseph Aubry. Also included: letters to his brothers, Alfred A. and Lawrence, and letters to him from his mother and his aunt, Mrs. Hough; photographs of his service in France; certificate of appointment to rank of Corporal; honorable discharge; holiday menus; french language guides; newspaper clippings; welcome home button and program; Catholic prayer book; playing cards; notebook listing all letters he wrote during his time in France; a program for the eleven-year reunion of his company; two maps of France; and a calendar of the correspondence and military service chronology created by an unknown family member at a later date. (OHC MSS AUBRY) 7 folders, .2 linear feet Correspondence arranged chronologically. Go here for a more detailed description of this collection's contents.    Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Horton (Edom and Susie) Papers

The Edom and Susie Horton papers consist of beauty school coursework, shipyard worker training materials, photographs, and employment records. The beauty school coursework materials include Susie Horton’s class notes, exams, and textbook attending the La Henri-Ana School of Beauty Culture in Monroe, Louisiana in 1941. The shipyard worker training materials include handwritten notes on various types of joints, shipyard terminology, a job analysis sheet, locating your job on the boat, and a sheet on payroll problems. The photograph series includes three photographs, most likely depicting Edom and Susie Horton. Dates: 1940-1954   Collection number: MS 56   Creator: Horton, Edom.   Creator: Horton, Susie.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the Edom and Susie Horton Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Hotel Oakland memorabilia, 1912-1981

Brochures, menus, concert programs, letterhead stationary, and other materials relating to the history and preservation of the Hotel Oakland. The Hotel Oakland was built between 1910 and 1912 and cost more than $3,000,000. Occupying one city block in Oakland's downtown, the hotel was a focal point for the city’s social life into the 1920s and hosted several U. S. Presidents and other celebrities. It suffered several bankruptcies in the 1930s due to both the depression and management difficulties and in 1943 the U.S. Army took possession of it for use as a military hospital, auctioning off all the historic furnishings in the process. Following World War II, several unsuccessful attempts were made to reopen the hotel to the public before the Veterans' Administration took over the building as a hospital. When the V.A. left in August, 1963, the building was vacant until a developer gained possession in 1978 and converted it into a senior living community. (OHC COLL 2012-3) 35 pieces in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Hudson (Annette Starr Bruce) Papers

Annette Starr Bruce Hudson (1920-2002) was born on March 16, 1920 to Elmer G. and Marguerite Starr in Oakland, California. After graduating from the Merle Norman Institute in 1953, she opened a Merle Norman Studio selling cosmetics and perfumes. In 1954, she opened a charm and modeling studio, Annette's Studio of Transformation, in Berkeley, California, which trained hundreds of graduates each year in personality development, voice and diction, wardrobe, modeling, makeup, hairstyling, figure control, visual poise, and social grace. In the 1950s, Hudson also wrote the social event column, People!, Places!, and Things!, for the African American newspaper The California Voice. The Annette Starr Bruce Hudson papers consist of photographs, correspondence, brochures, programs, newspapers clippings, awards, and ephemera documenting her career as an instructor of dance, modeling and charm classes. Dates: ca. 1860s-2002   Bulk Dates: 1950-1963   Collection number: MS 47   Creator: Hudson, Annette Starr Bruce.   Creator: Starr, Henry, 1899-1962.   Collection Size: 5.75 linear feet (7 boxes + 2 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Annette Starr Bruce Hudson Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Hudson (Luther M.) Papers

Funeral director Luther M. Hudson (1882-1972) was born on November 9, 1882 in Henry County, Missouri the youngest of seven children to Coleman C. and Martha Hudson. He was one of the original founders of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, the largest black-owned insurance company in the western United States, contributing $15,000 to help it secure an insurance license in 1925 and served on the company’s board of directors until his death in 1972. Hudson owned and operated the Hudson Funeral Home for 29 years until the failing health of his wife forced him to sell the funeral home to Aramis Fouche in 1943 and move to Los Angeles, California. The Luther M. Hudson Papers include photographs, postcards, certificate of marriage, correspondence, funeral service program and guestbook, and newspaper clippings documenting the life and career of funeral home director Luther Hudson. Dates: 1900-1986   Collection number: MS 57   Creator: Hudson, Luther M.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Luther M. Hudson Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Hummel (Mark) Papers

The Mark Hummel Papers consist of photographs, blues show flyers, blues music publications, audio recordings, and newspaper clippings documenting the career of blues musician Mark Hummel and the San Francisco Bay Area blues scene in the 1970s-1990s. Dates: 1978-2012   Collection number: MS 223   Creator: Hummel, Mark   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Mark Hummel Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Idora Park materials, 1906-1984 (bulk 1906-1910)

Printed material pertaining to Idora Park, an amusement park in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, California. Includes historical narratives, newsletters, postcards, and other materials relating to rides, park events, the Idora Park Opera Company, and more.  (OHC COLL 2015-19) 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Ina Coolbrith Circle collection, 1925-1996

Newsletters, scrapbooks, correspondence, and other materials relating to the Ina Coolbrith Circle, a California poetry society established in 1919 in honor of Ina Coolbrith, California's first poet laureate. It holds meetings and poetry contests, and publishes anthologies. (OHC COLL 2015-10) 1 box (1.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Ina Coolbrith papers, circa 1852-1976, bulk 1906-1928

Ina Donna Coolbrith was California's first Poet Laureate and the first librarian of the Oakland Free Library. Correspondence, photographs, poems and other materials of California poet Ina Donna Coolbrith. Also includes some papers of her niece and grandniece.  (OHC MSS COOLBRITH)  23 folders and 1 box. Arranged into four series: Personal papers (folders 1-11 and box 1); Writings (folders 12-17); Professional papers (folders 18-21); and Family papers (folders 22-23). Go here for a more detailed description of this collection's contents.    Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Isaacs (Clarice) Papers

The Clarice Isaacs papers include assorted letters, thank you cards, and postcards from family and friends of Clarice Isaacs and two plaques awarded to Isaacs from the Circle of Positive Women and the YMCA Century Club. Dates: 1942-1987   Collection number: MS 101   Creator: Isaacs, Clarice   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Clarice Isaacs Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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J. Ross Browne papers photocopies, 19--

Irish-born American traveler, artist, writer and government agent John Ross Browne came to California with the gold rush in 1849. Over the next few decades he traveled extensively up and down the Pacific Coast in service to the government. He also traveled in Europe and the Middle East, moving his family to Germany in 1861. In 1863 he returned to the American West, traveling in and writing about Arizona. Browne died December 9, 1875, in Oakland, California. Photo reproductions of two partial letters from Browne, draft of his appointment and memorandum of duties as a Special Agent for the Department of the Interior reporting on Indian Affairs, note offering his services as an Agent in Washoe, 13 of Browne's illustrations from publications, 3 sketches by Browne, and 1 photo of Browne with his two sons. Originals of the photo reproductions date from the 1860s. Also includes a biographical sketch of Browne. (OHC MSS BROWNE) 21 leaves Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Jackson (Ida L.) Papers

The Ida L. Jackson (1902-1996) papers encompass certificates, pamphlets, programs, correspondence, and photographs documenting her activities as the first African American public school teacher in Oakland and as the founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority on the West Coast.   Dates: 1915-1996   Collection number: MS 39   Creator: Jackson, Ida L., 1902-1996   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes)   Guide to the Ida L. Jackson Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Jacobs (Proverb) Papers

Proverb Jacobs (1935-2016), professional football player from 1958-1964 and Laney College Athletics Director, was born Proverb Jacobs Jr. in Marksville, Louisiana, on May 25, 1935. The Proverb Jacobs Papers include newspaper clippings, souvenir programs, correspondence, curriculum vitae, handwritten notes, pamphlets, photographs, ephemera, and assorted material documenting Jacob's football and teaching career. Dates: circa 1920s-2012   Collection number: MS 186   Creator: Jacobs Jr., Proverb.   Collection Size: 1 linear feet (2 boxes + 2 oversized folders)   Guide to the the Proverb Jacobs Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Japanese Americans in California collection, 1920-1942

Pamphlets, position papers, articles and other material from various organizations on Japanese Americans as an immigrant group in California in the early 20th Century. Of particular note are materials addressing the issues of quotas on Japanese immigration in the 1920s and 1930s, and the internment of Japanese Americans in 1942. Organizations represented in the collection include the California Joint Immigration Committee, the California Council on Oriental Relations, the Pacific American League, and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, San Francisco. (OHC COLL 2013-14) Approximately 72 pieces in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Jenkins (Harold) Photograph Collection

Harold Slim Jenkins (1890-1967) was born on July 22, 1890 in Monroe, Louisiana. He moved to Oakland, California shortly after World War I, worked as a waiter, and would eventually open his famed Slim Jenkins Cafe at 1748 Seventh St. in West Oakland on December 5, 1933 the day prohibition was repealed. Jenkins owned and operated a number of West Oakland restaurants, liquor stores, and night clubs which earned him the affectionate title of the mayor of West Oakland. The Harold Jenkins Photograph Collection includes 81 photographs documenting Harold  Slim  Jenkins' various businesses in downtown Oakland, California. A majority of the photographs are publicity stills of bands and performers, interior shots of patrons and employees, or exterior photographs of Jenkins' businesses used for advertisements. View online items Dates: 1930-1953   Bulk Dates: 1948-1953   Collection number: MS 11   Collector: Jenkins, Harold, 1890-1967   Creator: Joseph, E. J.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Harold Jenkins Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Jenkins (Phillip E.) Papers

Phillip Eugene Jenkins (1917-1993) was born on August 9, 1917 in Sacramento, California to Aaron Arthur Jenkins and Grace Evelyn Grubbs Jenkins. Jenkins interest in music began at an early age and music was encouraged by his parents. Beginning in 1968, Jenkins became active in jazz preservation with the establishment of the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society. He was active in the society’s activities and in the creation of the Sacramento Dixieland Jubilee, an international jazz festival held in Sacramento, California beginning in 1974. He was an active volunteer for the Jubilee over the next twenty years, and was eventually inducted into the Jubilee Hall of Fame in 1987 and served as the Jubilee’s Emperor of Jazz in 1991. His knowledge of jazz and personal collection of jazz recording led him to a radio career beginning in 1974, when he began a weekly jazz radio program, “Sacramento Classic Jazz” on the California State University radio station KXPR and subsequently on the university’s new jazz station KXJZ. The Phillip E. Jenkins papers include photographs, educational materials, military records, and organizational records of the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society. The collection is arranged into six series: musical activities, State of California, Department of Employment, military service, education, photographs, and assorted printed material. Dates: 1930-1953   Bulk Dates: 1948-1953   Collection number: MS 11   Collector: Jenkins, Harold, 1890-1967   Creator: Joseph, E. J.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Phillip E. Jenkins Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Joaquin Miller papers, circa 1875-1913

Primarily letters to and from American poet Joaquin Miller. Most of the letters written by Miller are to his second wife, Abbie Leland Miller, and Piedmont, California, native Miss Dagmar Games. Well known correspondents include fellow poets Ina Coolbrith and George Sterling, journalists George Wharton James and Blanche Partington, and publisher Mrs. Frank Leslie. Also includes photographs of Joaquin Miller, mostly taken in the last decade of his life near his home, The "Hights," in the hills above Oakland, California, perhaps a half dozen manuscript and typescript poems, and a few newspaper clippings. (OHC MSS MILLER, JOAQUIN) 9 folders, .5 linear feet Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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John F Kennedy Charter Day speech at the University of California, Berkeley, March 23, 1962, 1962-1964

Materials documenting President John F. Kennedy's Charter Day speech at the University of California, Berkeley on Mar. 23, 1962. Included in the collection are photographs and letters of personal observations from people who had contact with President Kennedy during his visit and from the public at large.  (OHC COLL 2013-15) 2 boxes (.6 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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John H. Sutter collection, 1967-1981

The material in this collection documents John Sutter's work on three policy fronts: conserving the East Bay shoreline, in particular protecting San Leandro Bay in the face of Oakland International Airport expansion (late 1960s); creating an Oakland Arts Council to promote the visual and performing arts in Oakland (1973-1981); and establishing an Oakland citizens’ complaint board to review police conduct (1979-1981). The collection consists of reports, memoranda, newspaper articles and other ephemera. (OHC COLL 2014-19) 22 folders in 2 boxes (2.2 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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John L. Davie letters, 1895-1929

Incoming and outgoing letters of Oakland, California, Mayor John L. Davie. The five incoming letters (1915-1923) consist of three short typescript notes and two pre-printed cards, from William H. Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, the Wilson White House, the secretary to President Woodrow Wilson, and Mrs. Warren G. Harding. The three outgoing letters consist of two short typescript letters to Adolph Sutro (1895), President Calvin Coolidge (1924), and one personal letter from Davie to his grandson, Wilbur Davie, addressed to City Hall (1929), and describing Davie's voyage to Scotland. (OHC MSS DAVIE) 8 letters in 1 folder, .02 linear feet Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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John Winkley submissions to "The Knave" : typescript drafts, circa 1960

Almost exclusively typescript drafts of submissions from John W. Winkley to "The Knave," the Oakland Tribune's regular column on Oakland, Alameda County, and California history. The typescripts are undated but letters in the collection to the column's editor, Leonard Verbarg, place their writing to circa 1960. (OHC COLL 2018-2) 1 box (.5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.      

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Johnson (Helene) Photograph Collection

The Helene Johnson Photograph Collection includes 54 photographs of family and friends of Helene Johnson and group photographs of African American golfers at golf tournament awards ceremonies in the 1950s. The golfing photographs include group photographs of African American golfers participating in the Fong Cup, B.A.G.C. annual tournament, and of the Fairway Golf Club of San Francisco. Dates: circa 1920s-1960   Collection number: MS 61   Creator: Johnson, Helene.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Helene Johnson Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Jones (Ambrosia Wysinger) Papers

Ambrosia Wysinger Jones (1905-1999) was born on August 30, 1905 in Oakland, California. She was the granddaughter of the noted civil rights activist, Edmond Wysinger, an early advocate of desegregating the California public school system in the 1890s. In the 1940s, she married Hillarie Jones and the two owned and operated a number of business enterprises, including a chain of barbershops in Oakland and ‘The Alameda’ Barbeque Pit and Union Barbershop in Alameda, California. In 1960, they started Charm Beauty College in Oakland becoming the first African Americans to own and operate a beauty college in Northern California. They also operated an additional beauty school in Richmond and started the first black travel agency, Charm Travel Agency, that catered to African Americans looking to vacation in Africa and the Caribbean. The Ambrosia Wysinger Jones Papers includes photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence, newspaper clippings, legal documents, and ephemera that document the various business activities and family history of Ambrosia Wysinger Jones. A majority of the papers are family photographs of the Jones and Wysinger families and Jones’ beauty school and travel agency businesses. The papers also include four scrapbooks with assorted cards, photographs, and newspaper clippings related to the Jones family and business activities, as well as two guest books with signatures of visitors to the Jones home. Correspondence in the collection is most related to scholarships given to students attending the Charm beauty school, and a small number of assorted programs. Dates: circa 1860s-1991   Collection number: MS 27   Creator: Jones, Ambrosia Wysinger, 1905-1999.   Creator: Jones, Hillarie, 1918-1975.   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (3 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Ambrosia Wysinger Jones Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Jordan (Gladys) Papers

Dates: 1960-1968   Collection number: MS 104   Creator: Jordan, Gladys M.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Gladys Jordan Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Gladys Meriwether Jordan (1910-2019), pioneer educator and first African American woman to teach at the Emeryville High School, was born November 16, 1910 in Boynton, Oklahoma. The Gladys Jordan papers include teaching notes, lesson plans, school study aids, bibliographies, class handouts, brochures, attendance bulletins, and ephemera related to Jordan's work providing African American history content for primary and secondary education. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Joseph (E. F.) Photograph Collection

Photographer Emmanuel Francis (E. F.) Joseph (1900-1979) was born on November 8, 1900 in St. Lucia, West Indies. He was the first professional African American photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area operating a commercial and studio photography business in his home initially at 1303 Adeline St. and then at 384 50th St. in Oakland. The E.F. Joseph photograph collection includes 2487 photographs from Joseph’s work as a portrait and commercial photographer. The collection is organized into four series: Portraits, Commercial photography, Assorted photographs, and Letter and customer card. View online items Dates: 1915-1964   Collection number: MS 126   Creator: Joseph, E. F. (Emmanuel Francis), 1900-1979.   Collection Size: 22.5 linear feet (28 boxes)   Guide to the E. F. Joseph Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Joseph Lewis Walton photograph collection of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge under construction, 1933-1936

Joseph Lewis Walton was an ironworker on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge during its construction in the 1930s. Walton's daughter, Sandra M. Flinton, assembled this collection from Walton's photo albums. Some of the photos show Walton at work on the bridge and are so indicated.   (OHC COLL 2019-11) The collection contains 77 black-and-white photographs ranging in size from 3 x 4.5 in. to 4.75 x 7.25 in. Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.    

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Josephine Rhodehamel papers relating to Ina Coolbrith, 1947-1981

Research notes, manuscripts, and publication-related materials created and compiled by author Josephine DeWitt Rhodehamel in relation to her 1973 book Ina Coolbrith, Librarian and Laureate of California.   (OHC COLL 2025-1)   70 folders and 6 card files in 14 boxes (10.8 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Juanita Miller papers, 1886-1968

Primarily correspondence and photographs of longtime Oakland, California, resident Juanita Miller. Also includes handwritten and typescript notes on the annual productions she put on in Joaquin Miller Park's Woodminster Amphitheater to celebrate the literary legacy of her father, poet Joaquin Miller, drafts of her writings, and her applications for recognition as a Native Daugher of the Golden West and for her father as a Pioneer of California, blank postcards from a series she copywrited featuring her father and their life together at "The Hights," and two volumes of posthumous clippings relating to her father. Notable correspondents include her father, poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox, author and politician Robert B. Roosevelt, and lecturer George Wharton James. The photographs mostly date from her adult years, many showing her annual productions in Woodminster Amphitheater.  Juanita Joaquina Miller was born in New York, New York, in 1880, the only child of poet Joaquin Miller and his second wife, hotel heiress Abbie Leland Miller. After her father's death in 1913, Juanita Miller continued living at "The Hights," dedicating the rest of her life to the arts and to relentlessly promoting her father's legacy and writings. She died in an Oakland convalescent hospital in 1970 after a brief illness. (OHC MSS MILLER, JUANITA) 12 folders (.5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Kahn's Department Store collection, 1903-1960

Israel Kahn came to Oakland in 1879 and opened his first retail store at 10th Street and Broadway. The business prospered and in 1912 moved to a large new building at 16th Street and Broadway. The building was expanded in 1923, becoming one of the largest department stores in California. In 1960 the store was renamed Rhodes Department Store. More changes ensued and the store closed in the early 1980s. In 2001, after extensive restoration, the building reopened as the Rotunda Building.   The collection includes assorted memorabilia, employee association documents and newspaper articles.   (OHC COLL 2019-8) 7 folders in box (0.21 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Key (Troyce) Papers

Blues musician and night club owner Troyce Key (1937-1992) was born on September 7, 1937 in Jordon Plantation, Louisiana to Verdell and Lula May Key. The Troyce Key papers include correspondence, photographs, financial records, flyers, publicity material, and publications documenting the musical career of blues musician and nightclub owner Troyce Key. The papers are organized in to four series: Eli Mile High Records, Eli’s Mile High Club & Restaurant records, photographs, and assorted material. Dates: circa 1920s-1997 (b. 1958-1992)   Collection number: MS 83   Creator: Key, Troyce.   Collection Size: 5 linear feet (11 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Troyce Key Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Key System Transit Lines records, 1906-1957

Tickets, transfers, timetables, newsletters, and miscellaneous brochures and documents relating to the Key System of streetcars, buses, and ferries serving East Bay and transbay commuters.   (OHC COLL 2013-16) 4 folders in 1 box (.3 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Ladies' Relief Society collection, 1883-1972

(OHC COLL 2021-2) 2 boxes (1.5 linear feet) Browse a detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.   The Ladies' Relief Society of Oakland, California was incorporated in 1872 to provide relief to destitute women and children. The society organized annual festivals to raise funds and attract donors, and over the years established a home for aged women, and children's home and nursery. Renamed the Ladies' Home Society in 1956, the society disbanded in 2007. The focus of the collection is the society's children's home, and includes a logbook  documenting admissions to the children's home from 1890 to 1913. Also included in the collection is a children's home visitors register (1883-1909) and a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about the Ladies' Relief Society (1915-1932, 1955-1972).  

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Lake Merritt Area Master Plan Advisory Committee collection, 1993-1995

Committee rosters, agendas, meeting notes, and reports from the Lake Merritt Area Master Plan Advisory Committee. The committee was appointed by Oakland mayor Elihu Harris in September 1991, and was charged with assessing public interest in Lake Merritt planning, recommending an appropriate planning structure, and examining funding sources. The committee was chaired by Brooks R. Kolb through Dec. 1994. (OHC COLL 2015-15) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Lake Merritt Institute collection, 1994-1999

Lake Merritt Institute (LMI), founded in 1992, is a non-profit public interest organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of Lake Merritt in Oakland, California. The collection contains the files of R. Dean Galloway, LMI Board of Directors member in the 1990s. The files include executive committee minutes, governance policies, bylaws, financial information, newsletters and material on LMI activities. (OHC COLL 2015-14) 6 folders in 2 boxes (.65 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Laney College collection, 1980-2000

Materials relating to Laney College, including announcements, newsletters, press releases, and schedules from various departments and programs. Also includes photographs of campus life and events, as well as portraits of faculty and students.    (OHC COLL 2016-9) 45 folders in 4 boxes (4.5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Larsen (Richard D.) Photograph Collection

The Richard D. Larsen photograph collection consists of 55 photographs of an Arbor Day tree planting ceremony in Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, California on March 7, 1978. Many of photographs show California Governor Jerry Brown speaking to a crowd at the event, the California National Guard Historic Music Fifes and Drums of Old Calaveras performing in historical costume, and members of the Oakland National Guard assisting in the planting of tree saplings. Dates: 1978   Collection number: MS 106   Creator: Larsen, Richard D.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Richard D. Larsen Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Lasartemay Family Papers

The Lasartemay family papers include correspondence, essays, funeral and theater programs, invitations, résumés, and newspapers clippings documenting mostly the family’s participation in various civic organizations. The papers are organized in to three series: Eugene P. Lasartemay (1903-1993), Ruth Hackett Lasartemay (1902-1991), and Elena R. Lasartemay. The bulk of the papers relate to Eugene P. Lasartemay’s participation in various Oakland area civic organizations including the East Bay Negro Historical Society, Northern California Council of Camera Clubs, and the Boy Scouts. Also included is a copy of Eugene P. Lasartemay’s book For Love of Jack London: His Life with Jennie Prentiss – a true love Story and court documents related to Exie McDonald’s probate court hearing, where Lasartemay served as the estate’s executor. The biographical subseries includes Eugene P. Lasartemay’s résumés, funeral programs from his memorial service, and assorted newspaper clippings related to his involvement in the East Bay Negro Historical Society. Dates: 1946-1995   Collection number: MS 95   Creator: Lasartemay, Eugene P.   Collector: East Bay Negro Historical Society.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Lasartemay Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Lee (Barbara) Papers

The Barbara Lee Papers consist of legislative bills and working files, correspondence, speeches, constituent case files, audiovisual material, subject and administrative files documenting Barbara Lee’s six years as state assemblywoman for California’s 16th District, two years as a state senator for California’s 9th District, and records created by the California Commission on the Status of Black Males (CCSBM). Dates: 1977-1998   Bulk Dates: 1991-1998   Collection number: MS 086   Creator: Lee, Barbara, 1946-   Collection Size: 80 linear feet (80 boxes)   Guide to the Barbara Lee Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Leisure Arts Club Scrapbook

Dates: 1941-1975   Collection number: MS 12   Creator: Leisure Arts Club   Collection Size: .2 linear feet (1 oversized volume)   Guide to the Leisure Arts Club Scrapbook Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Leisure Arts Club was founded on January 31, 1941 at the home of Althea Clark. Its purpose, as outlined in its constitution, was to develop self culture, to study the arts, to do charitable work, and to cooperate with groups interested in racial betterment.   The collection consists of one scrapbook which documents the club's activities between 1941 and 1962. It includes a copy of the club's constitution and by-laws, as ratified in 1947, as well as minutes from the first few meetings after its formation in 1941. In addition, the scrapbook encompasses guest registers and invitations, correspondence, clippings, and programs documenting the club's work with charities, its musical and social events, and its affiliation with the California State Association of Colored Women's Clubs. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Leona Quarry housing development collection, 1996-2003

Letters, petitions, city documents and other material regarding the controversy to redevelop the defunct Leona Quarry in Oakland, California. Initial plans for a shopping center were abandoned in favor of a housing development. (OHC COLL 2013-21)   2 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Leonard M. Clark diary, 1905

Excelsior diary for 1905 kept by Oakland, California, Attorney Leonard M. Clark. Regular and extensive entries for January 1 through June 19, with sporadic and brief entries for the rest of the year. Address list, memoranda, and accounts are in the back of the volume. (OHC MSS CLARK) 1 v. ; 12 cm. Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Letter to Miss Effie, 1931 December 17

Unsigned letter from a Berkeley, California, woman to a Miss Effie, describing seeing unemployed men in Downtown Oakland during the Great Depression, listening to the radio, and her family goings-on. Includes a typed transcription of the letter made by Oakland History Room staff. (OHC MSS EFFIE) 1 leaf Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Letters regarding the San Francisco earthquake and fire, 1906

Letters from residents of the San Francisco east bay written following the San Francisco earthquake and fire on April 18, 1906, relating their experiences of the earthquake and its aftermath, work in relief efforts, damage to buildings, and the smoky sky over San Francisco. (OHC MSS EARTHQUAKE) 1 folder, .02 linear feet. Go here for a more detailed description of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Letters to Captain George E. Black, 1880-1881

Fourteen letters to Captain George E. Black of Oakland, California, written to him while he was in Fairplay, Wisconsin during the winter of 1880 to 1881. Nearly half of the letters are from his wife and three are from his brother in Connecticut. (OHC MSS BLACK) 20 leaves Arranged chronologically.   Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Letters to Jane Voiles regarding Oakland Historic Houses, 1942-1943

Nine letters to Oakland resident Mrs. Jane Voiles containing the senders' personal reminiscences of their childhood homes, and surrounding neighborhoods, in Oakland, California. Includes the houses of Frank Soulé, W.G. Glascock, Nathaniel Gray (located at 760 10th Street), Edward C. Williams, Albert Miller, John Wedderspoon (located at 14th and Union, later owned by John L. Bradbury), George W. McNear, Henry D. Bacon, Ralph W. Kirkham, Edward Tompkins, and C.L. Shafter, as well as some information on Fabiola Hospital, the Adams Point district and Lake Merritt. Also includes a hand drawn floor plan for the Wedderspoon House, and a map of the Gray's block of 10th Street, between Brush and West Streets, listing most of the surrounding neighbors. (OHC MSS VOILES) 1 folder, (.02 linear feet) Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Letters to William Dallam Armes, 1891, 1904

Wiliam Dallam Armes graduated from the University of California in 1882 and served as Associate Professor of American Literature in the English Department for many years. He was a founding member of the Sierra Club and served as the Club's first secretary. Collection includes letters from naturalist John Muir, poet Fred Emerson Brooks, and NYU professor Francis Hovey Stoddard.  (OHC MSS ARMES) 7 leaves Arranged chronologically.   Go here for a more detailed description of this collection's contents. Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Lieutenant Peter Kujachich letters, 1945-1946

Four letters and one postcard from Bay Area native Lieutenant Peter N. Kujachich, United States Naval Reserves, to Miss E. Lorenzini and Miss Morgan of Berkeley, California, written at the very end of World War II. The letters primarily contain his observations about the places he was stationed, including Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, Manila, Philippines, Jinsen (Incheon), Korea, and Shanghai, China with brief mention of Princeton University, life aboard ship, and his voyage through the Panama Canal. His letter of April 14, 1945 touches upon the death of President Franklin Roosevelt. (OHC MSS KUJACHICH) 5 letters in 1 folder, .02 linear feet Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Linda Shinn diary, 1926

Short diary kept by Oakland, California, resident Linda Shinn from January 1 to February 13, 1926. Mentions family life in Oakland, California and driving to Walnut Creek. 1 folder (.02 linear feet) (OHC MSS SHINN) Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Liza Malm photograph collection of the Delger Block renovation during the Old Oakland/Victorian Row redevelopment project, 1981-1994

The photographs in the collection are exterior shots mostly of the 9th Street and Broadway corner of the Delger Block before, during and after its renovation as part of the Old Oakland redevelopment project.  (OHC COLL 2020-4) 1 box (0.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Loma Prieta Earthquake remembrance collection, 1989-1990

Following the Loma Prieta Earthquake of October 17, 1989, the Oakland Public Library undertook a project to collect memories of the earthquake from the local community. A one-page form with the title “October 17, 1989 Earthquake: Where Were You?” was prepared and distributed throughout the library system. Library visitors recorded their memories on the form, often completely filling both sides of the form with their reminiscences. Some library visitors took the forms home, attached extensive narratives and mailed them back to the library. 175 responses were received, mostly between late October 1989 and June 1990, and they are preserved in this collection.  (OHC COLL 2016-10) 5 folders in box (.21 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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London Circle Players and Oakland Civic Theatre collection, 1955-1996

Posters, mailers, programs, photos and reviews from the London Circle Players and the Oakland Civic Theatre.   The London Circle Players operated from 1955 to 1964 in Oakland's Jack London Square. Its founder and director was E. W. "Ted" Smalley. It closed in 1964, after nine seasons, when it lost its venue, a converted warehouse space at 399 Water Street, to redevelopment at the Port of Oakland. In 1965, with support from the Oakland Recreation Department, Ted Smalley started a new company, the Oakland Civic Theatre. It presented plays, mostly at the Lakeside Park Garden Center, for 31 seasons. It closed in 1996 after losing its Oakland Recreation Department funding.   (OHC COLL 2018-1) 6 boxes (2.5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Louise Jorgensen / Christmas Pageant collection, 1910-1999

Louise Jorgensen (1896-1995) was born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland, where she attended the public schools, graduating from Oakland Technical High School in 1916. She had a lifelong passion for dance and dance instruction, which she pursued as a staff member the Oakland Recreation Department, as an instructor at the Oakland Y.W.C.A., and in various other capacities. Ms. Jorgensen is most remembered as director and choreographer of the Oakland Christmas Pageant.   (OHC COLL 2014-17) 34 boxes (11.5 linear feet) Collection is arranged in 4 series: Louise Jorgensen (Boxes 1-12) -- Christmas Pageant (Boxes 13-32) -- May Festival (Box 33) -- Susanna Club (Box 34). Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Lumsden (Harold Baxter) Papers

Black labor leader Harold Thaxter Lumsden (1899-1996) was born on November 24, 1899 in Hagley Gap St. Thomas, Jamaica to Edward Lumsden and Dorcas Thaxter. The Harold Thaxter Lumsden collection includes photographs, biographical material, sympathy card, and a pamphlet, We also serve: 10 per cent of a nation working and fighting for victory, related to African American workers in the San Francisco Bay Area during World War II. The collection consists of portrait and family photographs of Harold Thaxter Lumsden, a reproduction of his birth certificate, and his obituary and funeral program. Dates: 1899-1996   Collection number: MS 129   Creator: Lumsden, Harold Thaxter.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Harold Thaxter Lumsden Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Magruder (Sylvia Anna) Papers

Dates: 1885-1964   Collection number: MS 59   Creator: Magruder, Sylvia Anna.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Sylvia Anna Magruder Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Sylvia Anna Magruder (née Duncan) was born on July 1, 1880 in New Orleans, Louisiana the youngest daughter of Rev. Stephen Duncan and Sylvia Duncan. She graduated from New Orleans University and worked as a teacher and matron for ten years before marrying Rev. E.J. Magruder in 1908. The couple moved to California the following year, and in 1926 E.J. Magruder was appointed as the pastor at the First A.M.E. Church in San Francisco, California. Sylvia Anna Magruder served various civic and religious organizations in the San Francisco area, including the Y' Women of the San Francisco Buchanan St. YWCA and Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. She also worked for African American civil rights and advocated the hiring of the city’s first African American railway conductor, police officer, and social worker. The Sylvia Anna Magruder Papers include correspondence, certificates, funeral and musical programs, newspaper clippings, and photographs documenting the life and volunteer activities of Sylvia Anna Magruder. The papers are arranged into two series: biographical material and photographs. Biographical material include correspondence from politicians and civic organizations thanking Magruder for her volunteer work, certificates from the Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, funeral and musical programs, and assorted newspaper clippings. Photographs in the collection are mostly portraits of Sylvia Anna Magruder and members of the Duncan family, photographs taken at Sylvia Anna Magruder’s birthday celebrations, and photographs related to Magruder's participation in the YWCA and Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Malone (J.J.) Audiovisual Collection

Bay area blues musician, record company executive, and night club owner John Jacob (J.J.) Malone (1935 – 2004) was born on August 20, 1935 in Peets Corner, Alabama. The J.J. Malone audiovisual collection consists of recordings documenting his life and musical career. The recordings are arranged in to six series: Live recordings, studio recordings, promos, KALX interview, home movies, and assorted. Dates: 1972-2001   Collection number: MS 210   Creator: Malone, J.J.   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes)   Guide to the J.J. Malone Audiovisual Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Mansfield (Otis Tarleton) Papers

The Otis Tarleton Mansfield Papers include six photographs of Otis Tarleton Mansfield and other African American soldiers who served in the U.S. Army and Navy during World War I. The papers also include Mansfield’s honorable discharge from the U.S. Naval Reserve Force and his war service certificate. Dates: 1918-1921   Collection number: MS 74   Collector: Mansfield, Otis Tarleton.   Collector: Branch, Curtis.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (1 folder)   Guide to the Otis Tarleton Mansfield Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Marguerite Rodgers papers, 1907-1941

Marguerite Rodgers was appointed to a position in the Reference Department of the Oakland Free Library in July 1911. In 1928 she was made head of the Pictures Division where in the course of a long career she amassed a substantial collection of photographs, art prints and other graphic materials. She retired in 1961. The Oakland History Room of the Oakland Public Library received this collection in Apr. 2007 from the Deschutes Historical Society of Bend, Oregon. Primarily personal and professional correspondence. Also includes notes and memoranda relating to her library career and some materials regarding her personal finances. (OHC COLL 2013-26) 6 folders in 2 boxes (.6 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Mary Austin letters to Carrie Sterling, 1912-1914

Four letters and one card from novelist Mary Austin to her friend Carrie Sterling, wife of poet George Sterling. The letters primarily discuss Austin's writing, and life in New York City and Carmel, California. Some letters mention Jack and Charmian London, George Sterling, and the Forest Theater. Also includes one card to "Dear Poet." (OHC MSS AUSTIN) 10 items Arranged chronologically.   Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Matthews (Miriam) Photograph Collection

Born in 1905 in Pensacola, Florida to Reuben Hearde and Fannie (Elijah) Matthews, Miriam Matthews (1905-2003) was the Los Angeles Public Library's first professional African American librarian and an important early collector of African American art and history. Matthews earned degrees in librarianship from the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Chicago and served as a branch and regional library manager for the Los Angeles Public Library for 33 years between 1927-1960. She was active in professional and civic organizations and received numerous awards for her contributions to African American history. The Miriam Matthews Photographic Collection consists of 121 photographic prints collected by Miriam Matthews (1905-2003) largely related to African American history in California. Roughly half of the collection is photographs of notable African American politicians taken by photographer Harry A. Adams in Southern California between 1955-1964. The remaining photographs are reproductions of images held by other institutions. Dates: 1955-1964   Collection number: MS 19   Collection Size: 25 linear feet (1 box)   Creator: Matthews, Miriam   Guide to the Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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McGhee (Brownie) Papers

The Brownie McGhee Papers consist of audio cassettes, photographs, programs, and VHS videotape documenting the life and musical career of blues musician Walter B. "Brownie" McGhee (1915-1996). The collection is arranged into three series: I. Brownie McGhee, II. Blues is Truth Foundation, III. Interviews with Styve Homnick. A majority of the Brownie McGhee series consists of 83 audiocassettes of interviews with Brownie McGhee conducted by Leslie Ann Wright and her partner Mike Twomey in preparation of his autobiography. The interviews document McGhee's musical career including his experiences living with blues musician Leadbelly and performing in New York City in the 1940s, traveling internationally as a blues musician, the West Coast Blues scene in California, and his long career in film and television. The collection offers a detailed first person perspective of a blues-folk musician whose career spanned most of the 20th century. View online items Dates: 1990-1996   Collection number: MS 180   Creator: McGhee, Brownie, 1915-1996.   Collector: Twomey, Michael   Collection Size: 3 linear feet (4 boxes)   Guide to the Brownie McGhee Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter Records

The Men of Tomorrow, Inc. was a male African American civic and professional organization started in Oakland, California in 1954. Founded by Jefferson Beaver, Richard A.G. Foster, Aramis Fouche, Theodore R. Hardeman, H. Solomon Hill, L. Sylvester Odom, Kenneth F. Smith, and George R. Vaughns, the group eventually grew to include over 300 members including many notable judges and politicians, including Evelio Grillo, Lionel Wilson, and Allen Broussard, and would eventually establish additional chapters in San Francisco, Richmond, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. The Men of Tomorrow, Inc Oakland Chapter records document meetings, conferences, and the administration of the organization between 1959-1985. Dates: 1959-1985   Collection number: MS 3   Collection Size: 1.25 linear feet (3 boxes)   Guide to the Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter Records Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Middleton (Bernice) Papers

    Dates: 1938-1994   Collection number: MS 55   Creator: Middleton, Bernice.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Bernice Middleton Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Bernice Middleton (1915-2002) was born in 1915 in Arkansas to Rev. T.J. and Pearline Middleton. After graduating with an R.N. license from the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps she moved to California where she worked as a nurse in the armed forces. Following the outbreak of World War II, she moved to San Francisco to work at a veterans’ hospital in 1943. After working as a nurse at various hospitals and private practices in San Francisco in the 1940s, she returned to school at Wilberforce University in Ohio and after graduation took a position as Assistant Dean of Women at Morris Brown University in Atlanta, Georgia in 1953. Returning to California, she was appointed Dean of Girls at the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley, where she taught for the next seven years, before teaching at Ceres Unified School District (1960-1967) and Modesto Junior College. The Bernice Middleton papers include certificates, correspondence, photographs, meeting minutes, funeral programs, newspaper clippings, and a handwritten autobiography documenting the life and career of Bernice Middleton (1915-2002). We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Midgett (Memry) Papers

The Memry Midgett papers consists of photographs, correspondence, musical programs, and artifacts documenting the musical career and family history of jazz pianist and social worker Memry Florence Midgett (1920-2013). View online items Dates: circa 1860s-2013   Bulk Dates: circa 1860s-1945   Collection number: MS 163   Collector: Midgett, Memry, 1920-2013   Collection Size: 2.75 linear feet (10 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Memry Midgett Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Millie's Column: [newspaper column], 1960-1974

Clippings of Millie Robbins' daily San Francisco Chronicle society column, "Millie's Column," which told stories of San Francisco's most notable characters, families, and neighborhoods, both past and present. (OHC COLL 2014-13) 7 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Minnie Faegre Knox papers, 1916-1974

(OHC MSS KNOX) 10 folders (.3 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  Letters to and from Minnie Knox, mostly discussing the publication of her poetry, as well as programs, bulletins, and speeches relating to her involvement in several local clubs, articles, short stories, poetry, speeches and address by Minnie Knox, and some photographs of her, including portraits and images from Poets' Dinners and other events. California Writers' Club materials are primarily issues of their monthly Bulletin while those of the College Women's Club relate primarily to addresses she gave at their 30th and 50th anniversary dinners. The Poets' Dinner materials consist primarily of place cards, place card rhymes, and typescript copies of the "coronation" speeches given by Minnie Knox over the years. Several of the speeches and addresses relate to her involvement with the American Legion and Daughters of the American Revolution. Poet Minnie Faegre Knox was born on April 20, 1886, in Flandreau, South Dakota, and received her post-secondary education at the University of Minnesota (graduating in 1908). She married Walter K. Knox 1909 and they eventually settled in Oakland, California, where she wrote poems and plays and joined clubs in the area. Minnie Knox was an editor of the California Writers' Club and a member of the College Woman's Club of Berkeley and the Daughters of the American Revolution, among other organizations. She died on December 12, 1980, at age ninety-four and is buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.

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Monique's daily male: [newspaper column], 1962-1966

Clippings of Monique Benoit's San Francisco Chronicle newspaper column, arranged chronologically. The column profiled a wide variety of San Francisco men in business, government and the arts. Born in France, Monique Benoit came to the U.S. in 1955 with her husband, William. She wrote an advice/etiquette column for the San Francisco Examiner before becoming a San Francisco Chronicle columnist in 1962. She died in 2011 at the age of 84. (OHC COLL 2014-15) 25 folders in box (.4 linear feet). Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Montjoy Family Photograph Collection

The Montjoy Family Photograph Collection consists of 653 photographs of family and friends of the Montjoy family between 1900s-1980s. The bulk of the photographs are family photographs of the Montjoy family taken at residences in Alameda and Oakland, California during the 1920-1930s and include photographs of family outings at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California and at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. The collection also includes photographs of students and campus buildings of Wiley College in Marshall, Texas in the 1920s. Dates: circa 1900s-1980s   Bulk Dates: 1926-1973   Collection number: MS 53   Creator: Montjoy, William R.   Creator: Montjoy family   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Montjoy Family Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Moore (Melzrine and Warren) Papers

The Melzrine and Warren Moore papers include military records, correspondence, church and funeral programs, and photographs documenting the life of Melzrine Moore (1922-1994) and Warren Moore (1921-1993). The papers are organized into four series: Warren Moore, Melzrine Moore, photographs, and assorted printed material. The bulk of the Warren Moore material relate to military service and employment at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona and the Naval Supply Center in Oakland, California. The Melzine Moore items are mostly educational records, including report cards, a commencement program, and diplomas, related to her attending the Colored High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The collection also includes six family photographs of the Moore family in Oakland, California, an assortment of church and funeral programs, and a World War II ration booklet. Dates: 1931-1994   Collection number: MS 111   Creator: Moore, Melzrine.   Creator: Moore, Warren.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Melzrine and Warren Moore Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Moore (Warren) Audio Recordings Collection

The Warren Moore Audio Recordings Collection consists of 1633 audiocassettes of church sermons, funeral programs, business meetings, prayer clinics, bible lessons, radio broadcasts of sermons on KRE and KDIA, sermons delivered at the annual Oakland City Revival, religious humor and music, business seminars, speeches delivered at the Democratic National Convention and interviews with members of the Moore family related to the family’s history between 1972-2002. Dates: 1972-2002   Collection number: MS 172   Creator: Moore, Warren   Collection Size: 1633 cassette tapes (48 cassette boxes)   Guide to the Warren Moore Audio Recordings Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Moore-Atkins (Deitra) Collection

The Dietra Moore-Atkins collection consists of church programs, conference programs, and assorted religious handouts mostly of Baptist churches in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s-1980s. The collection is organized in to three series: Church programs, Conference programs, and religious handouts. Dates: 1960-2010   Collection number: MS 92   Collector: Moore-Atkins, Deitra.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Deitra Moore-Atkins Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Mosley (Archians) Photograph Collection

The Archians Mosley Photograph Collection consists of 164 photographs documenting the activities of the 184th Medical Collecting Company while stationed in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany in the early 1950s. The photographs mostly show soldiers while on the U.S. army base in Schwäbisch Hall performing military drills, receiving medical treatment, and socializing, though there are also photographs of Schwäbisch Hall street scenes, St. Michael’s Church, Comburg monastery, and photographs of soldiers aboard ship approaching New York City. Dates: 1951   Collection number: MS 40   Creator: Mosley, Archians.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Archians Mosley Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Mount Olive Baptist Church scrapbook

The Mount Olive Baptist Church was founded by Rev. George Johnson Jr. on February 11, 1963. The collection consists of one scrapbook documenting the first two years of the church's existence from 1963-1964. It encompasses correspondence, rosters, financial reports, membership applications, records of baptisms and births, Sunday bulletins, Sunday school reports, church minutes, and building fund drive reports. The scrapbook includes a photograph of Johnson and a copy of the church covenant, outlining its mission and doctrine. Dates: 1963-1964   Collection number: MS 124   Creator: Mount Olive Baptist Church (Hayward, Calif.).   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (1 oversized box)   Guide to the Mount Olive Baptist Church Scrapbook Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Collection

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Collection includes newsletters, brochures, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, convention programs, ephemera, scrapbooks, and records created by national, regional, and local California branches of the NAACP. The collection is organized into five series: West Coast Regional Office records, California regional and local branch records, NAACP publications, 2nd Annual Youth Conference scrapbook, and newspaper clippings. Dates: 1912-2002   Collection number: MS 87   Creator: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.   Collector: East Bay Negro Historical Society.   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (3 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Netherland (Mayme C.) Collection

Dates: circa 1870s-1912   Collection number: MS 41   Creator: Netherland, Mayme C.   Collection Size: 1.25 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversize)   Guide to the Mayme C. Netherland Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Mayme (Mary) C. Netherland (1877-1973) was born to Oscar Thomas Jackson and Mary Ellen Jackson (née Scott) in Oakland, California. Her maternal grandfather, John Scott (1815-1916), was born a slave in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. At the age of 23, he escaped and joined a band of Cherokee Indians. During this time, he helped other slaves escape along the Underground Railroad. After two years of freedom, Scott was caught and sold to Lieutenant Hoskins of the U.S. Army. Scott served alongside Hoskins in the Mexican-American War and was a member of John C. Fremont’s 1844 expedition to California. At the end of the expedition, Scott escaped again and found a rich gold mine in Calaveras County. The Mayme C. Netherland Photograph Collection includes 41 photographs of friends and family of Mayme C. Netherland. Included in the collection are circa 1880s-1900s tin-type portraits and cabinet card portraits of African American women and men, as well as photographs of Netherland’s grandfather, father and husbands. View online items We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Newkirk (George L.) Papers

The George L. Newkirk Papers consist of photographs, biographical material, and administrative files created while Newkirk served as the Director of Labor Relations and Management Development at the San Francisco Municipal Railway between 1985-1993. Dates: 1967-1993   Collection number: MS 31   Creator: Newkirk, George L.   Creator: San Francisco Municipal Railway.   Collection Size: 2.5 linear feet (5 boxes)   Guide to the George L. Newkirk Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce Records

The Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce (NCBCC) was established in Oakland, California in 1978 by the members of the United Men of Action, Inc. to promote and support black businesses and black tourism in Northern California. The Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce records consist of constitution and bylaws, meeting minutes, brochures, newsletters, and photographs of the organization and assorted conference programs and flyers related to black business. Dates: 1979-1998   Collection number: MS 158   Creator: Coffey, Oscar J. Jr.   Creator: Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (3 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce Records Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Oakland Art Association collection, 1916-1919

Materials relating to members, financial and legal affairs, and events sponsored by the Oakland Art Association. The Oakland Art Association was founded in 1915 with Dr. William S. Porter serving as its first president. In its early years the association worked closely with the Oakland Art Gallery in hosting exhibitions and securing art works for the gallery. (OHC COLL 2014-3) 4 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Art Gallery collection, 1916-1952

Primarily correspondence. Includes some programs. The Oakland Art Gallery, later called the Oakland Art Museum, was established in January 1916 as an administrative unit of the city of Oakland. Its name was changed to Oakland Art Museum in 1953. Its first director was Robert Harshe, while William H. Clapp served the longest as director, from 1918 to 1952. The first gallery was located in the loft of the Oakland Auditorium. Although intended as a temporary location, the auditorium remained the home of the collection until, in 1969, the collection was merged into the new Oakland Museum. (OHC COLL 2014-1) 5 folders in 1 box (.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Art Museum collection, 1953-1965

Primarily correspondence. Includes some programs. The Oakland Art Museum, originally called the Oakland Art Gallery, was established in January 1916 as an administrative unit of the city of Oakland. Its name was changed to Oakland Art Museum in 1953. Directed by Paul Mills from 1953 to 1969, the museum was located in the loft of the Oakland Auditorium. Although intended as a temporary location, the auditorium remained the home of the collection until, in 1969, the collection was merged into the new Oakland Museum. (OHC COLL 2014-2) 3 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Ballet Company collection, 1974-2006

The Oakland Ballet Company was founded in 1965 by Ronn Guidi, who served as artistic director until 2000. Guidi was succeeded by Karen Brown, who in turn was succeeded by Graham Lustig in 2010. Guidi brought renown to the company with revivals of Ballets Russes ballets and American ballet classics, and with the creation of new works.   The collection contains flyers, programs and posters for individual productions, as well as season announcements and subscriber solicitations, press releases, newsletters, and other material. The collection also includes color slides and DVDs of ballet performances.   (OHC COLL 2015-20) 5 boxes + 1 portfolio (1.6 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Black Cowboy Association Records

The Oakland Black Cowboy Association Records consist of administrative records, flyers, posters, videocassette recordings, clothing, and photographs documenting mostly the Oakland Black Cowboy Parade between 1976-2014. Dates: 1967-2018   Collection number: MS 190   Creator: Oakland Black Cowboy Association   Collection Size: 6.75 linear feet (6 boxes + 2 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Oakland Black Cowboy Association Records Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Oakland City Center collection, 1960s-1990s

This collection contains planning and promotional materials about Oakland City Center, primarily from the construction and commercial real estate firms that developed the project and from the Oakland Redevelopment Agency. The collection includes brochures, reports, photographs and other material. Also included is a large collection of color slides. (OHC COLL 2015-7)   1 box (.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.      

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Oakland Civil Service Board collection, 1918-1990

Early charter provisions, manuals, examinations, compensation and training materials from the Oakland Civil Service Board. Examination listings form the bulk of the collection. Established in the City of Oakland by the adoption a City Charter, effective July 1, 1911, the Civil Service Board establishes positions, fixes compensation, and administers examinations for most positions with the City of Oakland. (OHC COLL 2015-4) 9 folders in 1 box (.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Economic Development Council Newsletter Collection

Dates: 1965-1968   Collection number: MS 198   Creator: Oakland Economic Development Council (Calif.)   Collection Size: 2 linear feet (1 oversized box)   Guide to the Oakland Economic Development Council Newsletter Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) View online items The Oakland Economic Development Council was a local agency established in 1965 to implement programs associated with the Office of Economic Opportunity and the ‘War on Poverty’ in Oakland, California. The council’s programs were funded through Office of Economic Opportunity and Ford Foundation grants and were administered at Neighborhood Service Centers in North Oakland, West Oakland, East Oakland, and Fruitvale. Programs included family planning clinics, preventative health programs, legal aid services, job training, remedial instruction, small business development, dental and eye services, head start and day care, youth employment, and emergency aid and housing for women and children. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Oakland election ephemera collection, 1871-1939

Flyers, handbills, and pamphlets on Oakland, California elections for the period 1871-1939. They primarily concern Oakland mayoral and council member candidates, and proposed city charter amendments. (OHC COLL 2013-6) 5 folders in box (.1 linear feet) Arranged chronologically.   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Housing Authority photographs : construction of Peralta Villa and Campbell Village, 1940-1942

Photographs, taken 1940-1942 by M. L. Cohen Co. General Photographers of the construction of two early Oakland Housing Authority projects, Campbell Village and Peralta Villa. Photographs document all stages of construction, including the demolition of the existing housing stock of mainly single family homes.   (OHC COLL 2020-8) 29 folders in 2 boxes, .9 linear feet Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  View Campbell Village photographs from this collection online.  View Peralta Villa photographs from this collection online.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Junior Chamber of Commerce Records, 1935-1978

The Oakland chapter of the Junior Chamber of Commerce (also called the Oakland Jaycees) was founded in 1929. Members were men between the ages of 21 and 35. Chapter presidents, elected annually, planned and oversaw meetings, events and programs for the year. Events and programs were evaluated by judges at the California statewide level. Assorted records dealing with events and programs are the core of the collection. Coverage begins in 1935 and ends in 1978; records for 1936-1939 and 1975-1976 are lacking.   The events and programs described in the collection reflect the social and cultural currents of the times, and range widely between recurring events (e.g., the Oakland Miss America pageant and the Oakland Mother of the Year contest) and individual programs on an array of topics including juvenile delinquency, urban renewal and building investment portfolios. A notable 1953 event coordinated with National Guard Day included U.S. army troops in mock battles at Lake Merritt.   (OHC COLL 2021-1)   31 boxes (17 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Mayor’s Commission on Disabled Persons collection, 1993-1995

Agendas, minutes, and other materials from the Oakland Mayor’s Commission on Disabled Persons, later the Mayor’s Commission on Persons with Disabilities. Since 1990, the commission has acted as the City’s designated advisory body for ADA compliance. (OHC COLL 2015-9) 1 box (.5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Naval Supply Center records, 1940-1998.

Handbooks, newsletters, and other printed material created by or pertaining to the Oakland Naval Supply Center (formerly known as the Naval Supply Depot). The runs of The Acorn and The Oak Leaf in the collection are very incomplete, consisting of only 12 issues and 9 issues respectively. The related materials consist of an employee handbook (undated), an issue of the Naval Supply Corps Newsletter (1980), materials relating to the Naval Fuel Department anniversary (1963), Congressional reports, and a program for the disestablishment ceremony in 1998.   (OHC COLL 2024-2)   4 folders in 1 box (.3 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Oakland Oral History Project : oral history transcripts, 1997-1999

The Oakland Oral History Project aimed to collect the oral histories of senior Oakland residents of different ethnic backgrounds in Oakland. The project focused on race relations, with special emphasis on housing, labor, education, and cultural institutions, and inquired into the forces that shaped Oakland's racial, ethnic and cultural mosaic.   The collection includes transcripts and/or recordings for these interviewees: Mary Adams, Walter Bachemin, Elsie and Albini Giani, Walter Green, Edith K. Hill, Joseph Johnson, Gladys M. Jordan, Alvin W. Kidder, Jean Kushman, Elmer McConnelly, Issac and Hazel McGrew, Margaret Saito, Shirley Smith, Hadwick A. Thompson, Avery Wafer, and Earl Watkins.   (OHC COLL 2015-12) 1 box (0.7 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Orpheus concert programs, 1907-1953

Concert programs for the Orpheus Society of Oakland, California. Concerts from 1907 to 1909 were held in Ye Liberty Theatre. All other concerts were held in first the Oakland Auditorium Opera House, then the Oakland Auditorium Theater. (OHC COLL 2015-1) 86 items in 1 box (.5 linear feet) Arranged chronologically.   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Post Photograph Collection

Dates: 1922-2005   Bulk Dates: 1963-1996   Collection number: MS 169   Creator: Oakland post.   Collection Size: 56 linear feet (116 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Oakland Post Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Oakland Post Photograph Collection consists of 11,000 photographs appearing in the Oakland Post newspaper between 1963-2005. A majority of the photographs are portraits of African American politicians, business and community leaders, entertainers, athletes, and community and social groups from Oakland, California. The collection documents significant social and political events in Oakland, California, including social protest movements during the 1960s-1980s, festivals and sporting events, visits to Oakland, California by notable figures such as Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton, and activities of Oakland politicians. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Oakland Symphony Orchestra collection, 1935-1987

Primarily a collection of concert programs and season announcements from the Oakland Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1933 under the direction of conductor Orley See. The orchestra disbanded in 1986 after financial difficulties forced it into bankruptcy. In 1988 it was succeeded by a new orchestra, the Oakland East Bay Symphony, renamed the Oakland Symphony in 2015.   (OHC COLL 2016-3)   27 folders in 4 boxes (1.6 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland Unified School District Newsletter Collection

The Oakland Unified School District Newsletter Collection consists of 18 issues of the New Directions (1966-1969) and Urban Education (1969-1971) newsletters. The newsletters were published by the Oakland Unified School District with federal funds from the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and featured articles and photographs of ESEA programs, school integration and busing, curriculum, scholarships, administrative news, and free lunch, ESL, and head start programs. View online items Dates: 1966-1971   Collection number: MS 199   Creator: Oakland Unified School District (Calif.)   Collection Size: 2 linear feet (1 oversized box)   Guide to the Oakland Unified School District Newsletter Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Oakland, Calif. real estate brochures and flyers collection, 1878-1930s

Brochures and flyers promoting real estate development in Oakland, California, from 1878 to the 1930s. Real estate developers include Breed and Bancroft, Frank K. Mott Company., Herron & Holcomb, and the Realty Syndicate Company. Housing developments include Grand Avenue Heights, Herzog Tract, Joaquin Miller Acres, Linda Vista Terrace, Oak Park Tract, Oak Springs, Pleasant Valley Court, Santa Fe Tracts, and Thornhill Park. Includes one brochure from the Piedmont Building Association promoting housing development in Piedmont, California. (OHC COLL 2012-5) 39 pieces in 1 box (.21 linear feet) Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Oakland, California, in World War II ephemera, 1941-1945

Documents, fliers, booklets and other material from government and private sources concerning civil defense, rationing and other aspects of the war effort in Oakland, California. Special emphasis given to civil defense and rationing. (OHC COLL 2012-6) Approximately 100 pieces in 1 box (.4 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland-Africa Sister Cities International Records, 1970s-2000

In 1975, Oakland City Council passed a resolution approving the formation of Oakland-Africa Sister Cities Program. Oakland was joined to Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana. Oakland-Africa Sister Cities International (OASCI) was formed in 1976. Oakland-Africa Sister-Cities International was a non-profit corporation dedicated to international understanding and good will, through cultural, economic and educational exchange between the people of Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, and the people of Oakland, California, U.S.A. OASCI activities included school and community affiliated programs and events which served to increase individuals' interest and awareness in African-American history and current events. OASCI was headed by Ahlerman Van Lewis (1931-2001). Records in this collection relate to Oakland-Africa Sister Cities International, its founder Ahlerman Van Lewis, and other affiliated organizations.  (OHC COLL 2023-1) 24 folders in 2 boxes (.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm : oversize photograph collection, 1991

This collection houses oversize photographs by three photographers of the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm: Howard Adler, Jan Wilson Kaufman, and David Kerscing. The collection is arranged by photographer in three series. (OHC COLL 2018-5) 2 boxes (2.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm : Pearman collection 1991-1997

This collection is the work of Donald V. Pearman, an Oakland hills resident who saved his home in the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm with the aid of a garden hose. The experience prompted Pearman to launch an extensive research project on the fire. He conducted interviews of firefighters and homeowners, took photographs, gathered data and assembled reports and studies from many sources.   (OHC COLL 2018-4) 10 boxes (6.25 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm collection, 1991-1992

On the Sunday morning of October 20, 1991 strong winds re-ignited embers from a wildfire near the Caldecott Tunnel in the Oakland hills that the Oakland Fire Department had put out the day before. Oakland firefighters were on site that Sunday morning, watching for flare-ups, but they were overwhelmed by the rekindled fire, which quickly became a raging firestorm, destroying over 3,000 dwellings and killing 25 people.   The collection, covering the period Oct. 1991-Dec. 1992., includes reports and findings on the firestorm and its aftermath; audio cassette tapes of Oakland Fire and Police Dept. dispatches during the firestorm, and video cassette (VHS) tapes of local television coverage of the firestorm; aerial photographs and remote sensing data (from a joint project of NASA, the U.C. Berkeley Fire Lab and local fire officials); personal narratives and poems by fire victims, and other memorials (including material on the first anniversary of the firestorm); pet rescue materials; magazines and magazine/newsletter articles; and newspaper articles (in three overlapping compilations).   (OHC COLL 2018-3) 26 boxes (13.8 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm litigation : depositions and other material related to lawsuits concerning the Parkwoods Apartments, 1994

The owners of the Parkwoods Apartments were sued after the apartment complex was destroyed in the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm. The cases, Victor May, et al., vs. Paine Webber Properties, and David William Abilgaard, et al., vs. Paine-Webber Properties, were heard in the Alameda County Superior Court. This collection includes depositions (some with accompanying exhibits) background materials about the Parkwoods Apartments (primarily copies of original maps used in the planning and construction of the Parkwoods Apartments, and other assorted materials). (OHC COLL 2018-6) 2 boxes (1.7 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Overland Monthly Artist Files, 1887-1899

Primarily original drawings published in the Overland Monthly when Charles S. Greene was assistant editor or editor (1887-1899). Artists represented in the collection are Grace Hudson, Ernest Peixotto, Lafayette Maynard Dixon, Pierre M. Boeringer, George E. Lyon, Pearl Finer, G.H. Piper, an artist with the initials H.B., and several unidentified artists. Also includes a signed photograph of Frederic Remington and a letter regarding the estate of artist Alvin H. Sydenham. Biographical sketches of Charles Greene highlighting his work at both Overland Monthly and the Oakland Free Library are also included.   (OHC COLL 2022-3) 5 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Page (Arthur R.) Collection

The Arthur R. Page collection includes photographs, baseball programs, and newspaper clippings documenting the baseball and military career of Arthur R. Page, one of the first African American baseball players to play on integrated baseball clubs in the United States Navy. The collection includes 24 photographs of the United State Navy Barbers Point Pointers, a baseball club in the Hawaiian Area Inter Service Baseball League. Most of the photographs are team photographs and Page playing for the Pointers in the late 1940s and early 1950s. There are also two group photographs of the crewmen of the USS Atka, an ice breaker ship in the United State Navy, two Hawaiian Area Inter Service Baseball League programs, and an assortment of newspapers clippings of box scores of Barbers Point Pointers baseball games. Dates: 1947-1960   Collection number: MS 114   Creator: Page, Arthur R.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Arthur R. Page Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Pan American Association, Inc, of the East Bay records, 1941-1978

Primarily invitations, membership directories, meeting minutes, programs and photographs from the Pan American Association of the East Bay. Founded in Oakland by Mrs. Frank Colbourn in 1941 to foster interest in Latin America, the association held annual dinners and other programs until it disbanded in the late 1970s.   (OHC COLL 2018-7) 12 folders and 1 album in 4 boxes (1.75 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Par-Links Golf Club Scrapbook

Dates: 1958-1963, 1991   Collection number: MS 214   Creator: Par-Links Golf Club.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Par-Links Golf Club Scrapbook Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Par-Links Golf Club was founded by fifteen African-American women golfers of the East Bay on September 12, 1958. The collection consists of one scrapbook documenting the first six years of the club’s existence from 1958-1963. It encompasses the bylaws of the Par-Links Golf Club, tournament committee reports, an application for membership form, a history of the organization, newspaper clippings, two studio photographs of the charter members, and nineteen photographs of the club participating in a golf tournament. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Paul Martin papers, 1922-1944

Primarily letters, to and from Paul Martin, many regarding the San Francisco Symphony's performance of his orchestral composition, "Elegy to an Unknown Hero, Opus 14" in November 1929. Also includes several of Mr. Martin's writings on music, the beginnings of a Symphony in C minor, an application of copyright for his "Elegy to an Unknown Hero," and the Chinese national anthem transcribed for piano. Composer and educator Paul Martin served as principal for several Oakland, California, schools from 1902 until his retirement in 1938. (OHC MSS MARTIN) 2 folders (0.05 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Payton (Jay) Papers

Legendary Bay Area emcee Jay Payton (1925-2016) was born William J Payton on Oct. 29, 1925 in Asheville, North Carolina. Beginning in 1972 Payton hosted the KEMO-TV music show “Soul Is” (later “The Jay Payton Show”), a weekly entertainment show on Channel 20 featuring national and Bay Area African American musicians and performers. The Jay Payton Papers consist of photographs and 2 quad videotapes of “The Jay Payton Show” recorded in 1976. View online items Dates: 1955-2003   Collection number: MS 205   Creator: Payton, Jay.   Collection Size: 1.75 (2 boxes + 1 oversize box)   Guide to the Jay Payton Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Pearman (Reginald) Photograph Collection

Photojournalist Reginald A. Pearman worked as a staff photographer for the Oakland Tribune, Washington Post, and the Associated Press and over his career was a regular contributor to Time Magazine, National Geographic, and the New York Times. The Reginald Pearman photograph collection includes 614 photographic prints and negatives taken by Pearman when he worked as a photojournalist in the 1980s for the Oakland Tribune newspaper. Dates: 1983-1990   Collection number: MS 48   Creator: Pearman, Reginald.   Creator: Oakland tribune (Oakland, Calif.).   Collection Size: 3.5 linear feet (8 boxes)   Guide to the Reginald Pearman Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Peralta family land documents and related papers, 1820-1951 (bulk 1840-1880)

Primarily deeds, leases, diseños, and other property records relating to land lying within the original boundaries of Rancho San Antonio. Also includes research notes about Rancho San Antonio and the Peralta family. Folder 1 contains a copy of the official translation of the Spanish land grant issued to Don Luís Peralta in 1820, a manuscript translation of the original title, a photocopied manuscript copy of the mortgage documents and title searches through 1882, and photostats of several diseños. Folders 2-10 contain primarily deeds and leases to property at one time owned by the family member(s) named on the folder. Also included, in folder 3, a family tree showing the descendants of María Teodora, and in folder 8, many of the leases are between Thomas and Elizabeth Scott and other individuals. Folder 11 contains: copies of hand-drawn maps showing the locations of the family's homes in San Jose and on the Rancho; a "Digest of historical references to the Peralta family," compiled in 1924 (with additions in 1946) by Mabel W. Thomas; "The story of Rancho de los Codornices," by Mary T. Carleton; and "Rancho San Antonio and its division among the four sons of Luis Peralta," based on notes taken at the lectures of University of California professor J.N. Bowman (with accompanying notes). (OHC MSS PERALTA) 11 folders (.3 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Peralta Improvement League collection, 1965-1967

Newsletters, correspondence and petitions, primarily concerning the "Battle of the Fences" fence removal controversy. The Peralta Improvement League was a tenants' organization in Peralta Villa, a public housing project in West Oakland. It played a leadership role in the "Battle of the Fences," a controversy that arose when, without warning, the Oakland Housing Authority removed fences that tenants had erected to enclose spaces behind their units. Richard L. York was a prominent leader of the league. (OHC COLL 2014-9) 3 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Phyllis Wheatley Club of the East Bay Records

Dates: 1935-1995   Collection number: MS 147   Creator: Phyllis Wheatley Club of the East Bay   Collection Size: 2.5 linear feet (3 boxes + 1 oversized)   Guide to the Phyllis Wheatley Club of the East Bay Records Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Named after African American poet Phillis Wheatley (c.1754 – 1784), the Phyllis Wheatley Club of the East Bay was founded in 1914 by Mrs. Fred Williams and Hettie B. Tilghman. The original intent of the club was to cultivate young black women and encourage their contributions to the community. Over the next two decades, it quickly became a charitable organization focused on fundraising efforts that supported local organizations, community services, and programs in the East Bay. The Phyllis Wheatley Club of the East Bay Collection includes administrative records, correspondence, event invitations and programs. Administrative records consist of the club’s constitution and by-laws, meeting minutes and financial ledgers. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Pinder (Jean M. Martin) Papers

Dates: circa 1910s-1972   Collection number: MS 212   Collector: Martin Pinder, Jean M.   Collection Size: .75 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Jean M. Martin Pinder Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Jean M. Martin Pinder (1916-2014) was among the first African American women to graduate from the Yale School of Public Health and an advocate for health education policy and population family planning policy in pre- and early post-Independence-era Africa. The Jean M. Martin Pinder papers consist of various certificates and recognitions, photographs of Simms Martin family members, and a copy of Pinder’s 1935 San Francisco State University Franciscan yearbook inscribed by classmates and faculty. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Pittman (Tarea Hall and William) Papers

Dates: 1869-1992   Bulk Dates: 1917-1992   Collection number: MS 46   Creator: Pittman, Tarea Hall.   Creator: Pittman, William.   Collection Size: 12.25 linear feet (29 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Tarea Hall and William Pittman Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Noted civil rights leader, social worker, and radio personality Tarea Hall Pittman (1903-1991) was born in 1903 in Bakersfield, California to William and Susie Hall. In the 1930s, Pittman became active in civil rights organizations, serving as president of the California State Association of Colored Women’s Clubs from 1936-1938, organizing West Coast branches of the National Negro Congress, and hosting the radio program, Negroes in the News, on KDIA in Oakland, California which she would continue to host for over 45 years through the 1970s. She was an active member of the NAACP serving in various roles as an officer of the Alameda County Chapter of the NAACP, Regional Director of the West Coast Region, and Regional Acting Secretary of the NAACP. Pittman is a central West Coast figure in the Colored Women's Club movement, in addition to her work around significant civil rights issues including organizing protests to force war industries to hire African American workers during World War II, fighting to abolish the segregation of the Oakland Fire Department in 1952, and lobbying for the passage of fair employment practices legislation in California, Arizona, Alaska, and Nevada. The Tarea Hall and William Pittman Papers includes photographs, correspondence, awards, certificates, financial and legal records, newspaper clippings, programs, and ephemera documenting the life and career of William Pittman and Tarea Hall Pittman. View online items We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Pitts (Robert B.) Papers

US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) director Robert B. Pitts (1909-1985) was born in Macon, Georgia. After earning degrees from Howard University and the University of Washington, he served as the first regional director of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department from 1964-1970. The Robert B. Pitts collection includes a portrait of William and Mattalyn Pitts, proclamations in memoriam, letters of condolence, a program of the Westminster Neighborhood Center renaming ceremony, and assorted magazine articles and newspaper clippings documenting the career of HUD regional secretary Robert B. Pitts. Dates: 1895-1992   Collection number: MS 116   Collector: Pitts, Mattalyn.   Collection Size: 6.5 linear feet (11 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Robert B. Pitts Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Potts (Lillian M.) Papers

Lillian M. Potts (1917-2010) was born on November 16, 1917 in Eudora, Arkansas. In 1943, she met and married Weilan Potts and the couple moved to Berkeley, California. After working as a primary school teacher in Arkansas and California, she worked for the California Equal Employment Opportunity Commission until her retirement in 1980. Both Weilan and Lillian Potts were active in advocating for civil rights issues and were active in the N.A.A.C.P., with Weilan chairing the G.I. Assistance Committee in 1951 and Lillian acting as an advisor to the Berkeley Youth Council for five years during the 1960s. Lillian was also active in a number of civic and political organizations serving as president of the 20th Century Democratic Club and the Berkeley Victory Democratic Club, and treasurer of the FEPC Employment Commission. The Lillian M. Potts papers include correspondence, programs, newspaper clippings, photographs, ephemera, reports, and brochures documenting her involvement in California politics and civic and civil rights organizations. Dates: 1937-1998   Collection number: MS 88   Creator: Potts, Lillian M.   Collection Size: .75 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Lillian M. Potts Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Powell (Emmit A.) Papers

Emmit A. Powell (1933-2018), gospel radio and television broadcaster, was born December 18, 1933, in Tallahassee, Florida, the son of Emmit Powell Sr. and Ruby Mae Powell. After completing service duties he moved to San Francisco, California, and worked as General Manager of Traffic and Transportation Management for the Emporium-Capwell Company. Beginning in 1972, Powell operated a restaurant known as Powell's Place on Hayes Street in San Francisco. His radio career began at KPOO-FM in San Francisco in 1973. By 1975, Powell had became the gospel music programmer on KPFA FM which aired his long-running “The Gospel Experience” for over 45 years. In 1976, Powell founded Emmit Powell & the Gospel Elites, performing original gospel music. Powell was also the host of a Sunday morning show, “Emmit Powell’s Gospel Experience,” on community access television. The Emmit Powell papers include photographs, flyers, programs, and audiovisual material documenting Emmit Powell's career and the Gospel Elites. Included are recordings of radio broadcasts of "The Gospel Experience" on KPFA FM. Dates: ca. 1970s-2000s Collection number: MS 228 Creator: Powell, Emmit, 1933-2018 Collection Size: 8 linear feet (8 boxes) Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Press Coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mar. 2020-Mar. 2022

A collection of newspaper clippings on the COVID-19 pandemic with a particular focus on the San Francisco Bay Area and Oakland. Clippings are primarily from the San Francisco Chronicle. Other sources include the Montclarion and the East Bay Express. The collection also includes some printouts of advisories, orders and statistics issued by the Alameda County Health Department and by the city of Oakland in the early months of the pandemic. In general, press coverage peaked in the first months of the pandemic and spiked again with the appearance of the Delta and Omicron variants of the virus.   (OHC COLL 2022-2)   26 folders in 3 boxes (1.5 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Price (Electra Kimble) Collection

The Electra Kimble Price collection consists of a range of materials related to the Kimble and Price families, including photographs, a genealogy report on the Kimble family and ancestry, military papers, articles on family activities, educational and professional papers, and official records and certificates. The collection is arranged into four series: biographical, photographs, professional activities and Kimble and Price family. Dates: circa 1920-2005   Collection number: MS 67   Collector: Price, Electra Kimble.   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (3 boxes)   Guide to the Electra Kimble Price Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Proctor (Eudora C.) Papers

Dates: 1921-1991   Collection number: MS 28   Creator: Proctor, Eudora C., 1917-1993.   Collection Size: 3.75 linear feet (7 boxes)   Guide to the Eudora C. Proctor Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Performer and dance instructor Eudora “Dodo” Proctor (1917-1993) was born on September 29, 1917 to Clyde Proctor and Ellen Proctor. The Eudora Proctor Papers includes photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, musical programs, songbooks, and legal and financial records related to Proctor’s career as an entertainer, member of the USO, cosmetologist, and creator of the Eudora National S.L. E. Organization, a non-profit lupus organization. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Proverb Jacobs, Jr. collection of football game programs and other football-related publications, 1951-1999

Mostly programs for football games associated with Proverb Jacobs, beginning with his days as a player on the Oakland Technical High School football team in 1951-1952 and ending with his service as a professional scout with the San Francisco Forty-Niners from 1979 to1985. Also included in the collection are related publications, mostly from the Oakland Raiders, San Francisco Forty-Niners and the National Football League.   (OHC COLL 2020-9) 14 folders in 3 boxes (1.8 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Radden (Thelma Gibson) Papers

Nurse and educator Thelma Gibson Radden (1903-2004) was born on February 18, 1903 in Oakland, California to Charles Nelson Gibson and Maude Esther Gibson. She was a fourth-generation Californian with her family tracing their roots in the state to 1864, when her great-grandfather Nelson Ray moved to Placerville, California from Lexington, Missouri. Born a slave on the Verlinder Ray Plantation, he was freed following the death of his slave owner and he purchased the freedom of his wife, Lucinda Ray, and their three daughters after arriving in California and they were reunited as a family in Sacramento in 1877. The Thelma Gibson Radden papers consist of photographs, correspondence, artifacts, clothing, ephemera, and legal records documenting her life and professional career as a nurse and her family’s long history in California and Michigan. View online items Dates: circa 1880s-2004   Collection number: MS 206   Creator: Radden, Thelma Gibson   Collection Size: 8.75 linear feet (9 boxes + 2 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Thelma Gibson Radden Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Ray Raineri Collection of Historical Materials About Oakland, Calif. and Environs, 1890s-1990s

Ramond L. Raineri (1938-2015), who resided in Oakland and later Martinez, collected old photographs and other historical material about Oakland neighborhoods, Piedmont, Martinez and Contra Costa County. He also collected materials about transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area (trains, streetcars and ferries), the local Italian American community, and a wide range of other topics, including crate labels from California canning and packing companies, early automobiles and midget car racing.   (OHC COLL 2022-1) 6 boxes (3 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Realty Syndicate plat maps, 1905-1919

Plat maps of Oakland, California, prepared by the Realty Syndicate Company between 1911 and 1919. Organized by date. The Realty Syndicate Company was a real estate development firm headed by Francis Marion Smith and Frank C. Havens. The firm had a major impact on Oakland subdivision development and on urban rail transportation in the East Bay. (OHC COLL 2012-2) 155 maps in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Recollections : together with the geneology of the Mack Family from Inverness, Scotland, about 1665 and the letters of George Corydon Mack while crossing the plains in 1863 / 1929 / by Oscar Eugene Mack

Recollections of Oscar Eugene Mack, typed and bound, with newspaper clippings, photographs, and other ephemera pasted in. The recollections cover most of Mack's life, from his early childhood in Illinois, his voyage to San Francisco on the steamers Costa Rica and Sacramento and across the Isthmus of Panama, ranch life near Maine Prairie, and Westminster, California, his professional life, and major life events, including his marriage, and the birth of his children, to important world and local events. The inner workings of his many jobs are described in detail, including his time teaching, work in the subscription department of A. L. Bancroft & Co., time spent in the auditing and express money order departments of Wells Fargo & Co., work as an auditor with J.C. Nolan & Co., and his long career as a shoe salesman, selling to the trade. Includes a brief history of the Mack family in the United States, a typed transcript of his father's overland journal, and sixteen appendixes discussing a range of subjects, including, his guiding principles, human relations, Christianity, production and consumption, travels, and arithmetic. Of particular note are is his descriptions of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire and the damage to buildings and infrastructure in Oakland, and the flora and fauna surrounding every community in which he lived. (OHC MSS MACK) [iv], 651pages : photographs ; 28cm Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Records of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bear, 1895-1932

Ship's logs, weather books, medical logs, visitors registers, and other records from the U.S. Coast Guard's cutter ship Bear. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Bear patrolled the Alaska coast from 1886 to 1926 from her home port of Oakland, Calif. The patrols were five-month seasonal voyages that began in May. Decommissioned in 1926, the Bear became a maritime museum on the Oakland waterfront until 1932, when she was sold to Admiral Richard E. Byrd for his second antarctic expedition. The Bear had several more incarnations before sinking in a storm off the Massachusetts coast in 1963. (OHC COLL 2020-6) 19 boxes (8.67 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Rilea Family Papers, 1931-1964

Materials (1950-1964) relating to Rilea family genealogy, as well as documents and ephemera from the careers of brothers Ira M. Rilea Jr. and Howard E. Rilea.   The Rilea family came to West Oakland from Kansas in 1893. Ira M. Rilea worked as a Southern Pacific Railroad conductor. Ira’s sons Howard, Ira Jr., Eugene, and Walter, also worked in various roles at Southern Pacific.   Howard E. Rilea became active in community affairs through the West Oakland Improvement Club. After his retirement from Southern Pacific, Howard served as an Oakland City Council representative of District 3 from 1950-1967, and as Oakland Vice Mayor from 1959-1961. He was responsible for the establishment of Oakland’s Harrison Railroad Park at 7th Street and Harrison.   (OHC MSS RILEA)   1 folder (0.3 linear feet)   Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education Oral History Collection

The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education Oral History Collection consists of 29 oral history interviews conducted in 2001 by Earl Caldwell with prominent Black journalists that began their careers during the 1960s-1970s. A majority of the interviewees worked at television stations or newspapers in California or New York and include interview with: Leandra Abbot, Robert L. Allen, Ed Bradley, Audreen Buffalo, Mary Ellen Butler, Earl Caldwell, Belva Davis, Joy Elliot, Joy Elliot, George Goodman, Al Harvin, Charles Hobson, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Jane Tillman Irving, Lenore Jenkins-Allen, Jerri Lange, Claude Lewis, Austin Long Scott, Nancy Hicks Maynard, Marquita Poole-Eckert, Dennis Richmond, Gil Scott, Robert Terrell, Wallace Terry, Melba Tolliver, Mel Watkins, Hollie West, Ben Williams, and Valena Williams. View online items Dates: 2001   Collection number: MS 192   Creator: Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education Oral History Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Robert Patterson Autobiographical Manuscript, 1872-1877

Incomplete autobiographical manuscript of Robert Patterson. The manuscript covers his life in Ireland, (including his experience during the potato famine), immigration to the United States in 1846, life as pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, time in Cincinnati and Chicago (including his work in Chicago during the Civil War), the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, journey to California, the Modoc Massacre, and finally life in Oakland and San Francisco during temporary assignments as pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Oakland and First Presbyterian Church of San Francisco, including commentary on Denis Kearney and the Chinese community in San Francisco.    (OHC COLL 2025-4)   17 folders in 2 boxes (.4 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Robert W. Parkins scrapbook, 1928-1952

This scrapbook documents the early life of Robert W. Parkins, born Oct. 11, 1928 in Oakland, Calif. The scrapbook covers his childhood in Oakland to his military service in the U.S. Army in the early 1950s. Emphasis is given to school report cards and school awards and honors from his student days at Washington School, Golden Gate Junior High, and University High and Oakland Technical High schools. A brief entry inside the back cover notes that he taught at Oakland Technical High School for 13 years, and died Oct. 13, 1974. The scrapbook was compiled by his mother, Harriett Parkins.     (OHC COLL 2020-5) 1 scrapbook (9x11 in., 72 p.) in box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Roberts Family Papers

The Roberts Family Papers document the activities of a family who achieved many milestones for African-Americans in California. Frederick Madison Roberts (1880-1952) was the first African American to graduate from Los Angeles High School and the first African American state assemblyman. In addition, he worked for the first African-American mortuary to be established in Los Angeles. His wife, Pearl Hinds Roberts (1892-1984), attended both the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Boston Conservatory of Music. She became the first African-American woman pipe organist in Northern California and founded a very successful choral group which was acclaimed for its performance of spirituals. Frederick and Pearl's daughter, Gloria Pearl Roberts (1924-2011), also pursued a career in music and performed in both the United States and Europe as a concert pianist. View online items Dates: circa 1850s-1984   Collection number: MS 2   Creator: Roberts, Patricia F.   Creator: Roberts, Gloria P.   Collection Size: 3 linear feet (7 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Roberts Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Rockridge Woman's Club collection, 1923-2002

History, directory calendars, and other materials from the Rockridge Woman's Club, founded in 1911 in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland. Initially the club was a women's auxiliary to the men-only Vernon-Rockridge Improvement Club. Its first clubhouse, on Keith Avenue, was demolished in the 1960s to make way for freeway construction, and was replaced by a second clubhouse on Chabot Road. The club disbanded in the early 2000s.   (OHC COLL 2015-22) 3 boxes (1.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Rose (Joshua) Papers

The Joshua Rose Papers document Joshua Rose's (1906-1987) life and contributions to the Oakland community as an executive for the Oakland YMCA and as a member of the Oakland Recreation Commission and the first African American to serve on the Oakland City Council. Dates: 1924-1987   Collection number: MS 8   Creator: Rose, Joshua   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Joshua Rose Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Rousseau Family Papers

The Rousseau family was a family musical ensemble consisting of husband and wife, Walter H. and Margaret Rousseau, and their seven children: Anna E. Rousseau, James L. Rousseau, Charles P. Rousseau, Milton T. Rousseau, Margaret Rousseau, and Green M. Rousseau. Beginning the 1910s, the family began performing at church and vaudeville theater venues throughout California, including a four month long performance at the Panama-California International Exposition in San Diego, California in 1915-1916. The Rousseau family papers include photographs, correspondence, and contracts that document the musical performances and business activities of the Rousseau family. Dates: 1904-1958   Collection number: MS 44   Creator: Rousseau family.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Rousseau Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Royal (Alice) Collection

Alice Calbert Fauntleroy Royal (1923-2014) was born Alice Lucinda Calbert on January 15, 1923, in her grandparents’ home in Allensworth, California to William Riley Calbert and Sadie Hickerson Hackett Calbert. The Alice Royal Collection includes material assembled and donated to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland by Royal on the activities of family members Joseph W. Hickerson (1883-1971), Dorothy Hickerson Harris (1916-1989), and William E. Calbert (b. 1918). Dates: 1913-2011   Collection number: MS 140   Creator: Royal, Alice. Harris, Dorothy Hickerson. Hickerson, Joseph William. Calbert, William E.   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes + 1 oversize box)   Guide to the Alice Royal Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Ruffin (Goldie Byrd) Collection

Goldie Byrd Ruffin was a long-time resident of Oakland California with connections to African American political organizations and relatives that were active in civil rights and politics, including her uncles, George R. Vaughns and William E. Vaughns. The Goldie Byrd Ruffin Collection includes photographs, ephemera, and newspaper clippings collected by her about her uncle, George R. Vaughns, and correspondence, photographs, and clippings of his brother, William E. Vaughns. This collection shows an era of political activity of African Americans in Alameda County in the 1950s-60s and highlights the achievements of two prominent African American professionals, and their endeavors to further civil rights legislation and litigation. Collection number: MS 146   Dates: circa 1940s-1980s   Bulk Dates: 1956-1958   Collector: Ruffin, Goldie Byrd   Creator: Vaughns, William E.   Collection Size: 1.25 linear feet 1 box + 1 oversized box   Guide to the Goldie Byrd Ruffin Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Rushing Family Photograph Collection

The Rushing Family Photograph Collection consists of 200 photographs and ephemera. The bulk of the photographs document the lives of African Americans in northern Louisiana in the vicinity of the towns of Arcadia, Bienville, Minden, and Simsboro and Oakland, California. Collection is also significant for photographs of African American soldiers during World War I. Dates: circa 1860s – circa 1980s   Bulk Dates: bulk 1910s-1940s   Collection number: MS 216   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Rushing Family Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Ruth Estudillo papers, 1908-1930

Photographs of the Estudillo and MacKay families and a small autograph album (1908-1911) belonging to Ruth Estudillo with signatures of friends mainly from Oceanside School in San Francisco, California, and Lockwood School in Oakland, California. The eleven photographs show her childhood friend Phoebe Lamberts, George Davis (grandson of José Joaquín Estudillo), Bernice Frances Estudillo and a miss Thompson, her uncles Raymond and Theodore Estudillo, and Ruth with her husband, Jack MacKay, and their children, Isabella and Gordon. (OHC MSS ESTUDILLO) 1 folder (.05 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed description of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Save Outdoor Sculpture! Inventory Forms, 1990-1995

The Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) project was a nationwide inventory of outdoor sculptures. From 1990-1995, volunteers across the United States collected information on the history and condition of outdoor sculpture in their local communities. The information collected is part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's online Inventory of American Sculpture database. SOS! was jointly sponsored by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Heritage Preservation, Inc. This collection includes documents created by the Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) project in Alameda County, California, chiefly inventory forms containing written descriptions of sculptures and usually accompanied by photographs or slides of the sculptures. Includes information on works by prominent, lesser-known, and unidentified artists, as well as some architects. (OHC COLL 2022-4) 21 folders in 2 boxes (.8 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Schaupp (Edward E.) Papers

The Edward E. Schaupp papers includes artifacts, ephemera, and photographs mostly related to the civil rights movement in the 1960s. The collection consist of eight protest buttons related to SNCC, C.O.R.E., fair housing, and the March on Washington, two arm/head bands, an invitation to the Berkeley Chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality sip, and a letter from attorney William J. Woods informing Schaupp of the dismissal of his ‘mass bust’ case. The collection also includes three photographs of a street scene, four men in suits, and a man standing in the street. Dates: circa 1920s-1969   Collection number: MS 89   Collector: Schaupp, Edward E.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Edward E. Schaupp Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Sellers Family Papers

The Sellers Family Papers includes photographs, certificates, graduation and funeral programs, scrapbooks, and newspaper clippings that document the life and activities of members of the Sellers family. The bulk of the papers are family photographs of the Sellers and Johnson families of Oakland, California, Los Angeles, California, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and are mostly of family members between 1890-1930s posing at home, on vacation, or portraits. Dates: circa 1890s-1994   Collection number: MS 71   Creator: Sellers, Shirley Jean.   Collection Size: 2.25 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Sellers Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Shades of North Oakland Photograph Collection

Shades of North Oakland was a neighborhood photograph collecting project conducted by the African American Museum & Library at Oakland and the Oakland Public Library in July 1999. The project was an outgrowth of a statewide photograph project, Shades of California, that sought to document the daily lives and the historical, political, and cultural contributions of diverse communities in California. Dates: circa 1888-1999   Collection number: MS 99   Collector: African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)   Collection Size: .75 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the Shades of North Oakland Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Smith (James Alfred) Scrapbooks

The James Alfred Smith papers consists of two scrapbooks which document Smith's career between 1961 and 1983. They consist primarily of clippings relating to Smith's appointments and activities, his participation in conferences, his publications, and the history of Allen Temple Baptist Church during the seventies. In addition, they contain programs from services and events, announcements for speeches given by Smith and for special events, and correspondence relating to his teaching, pastoral, and community activities. Dates: 1961-1983   Collection number: MS 77   Creator: Smith, J. Alfred (James Alfred)   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (1 box)   Guide to the James Alfred Smith Scrapbooks Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Snow Museum of Natural History Records, 1917-1962

Oakland California's Snow Museum of Natural History opened in 1922. Specimens collected by big game hunters Henry A. Snow and Leslie Simson on a city-funded African safari in 1919 formed the majority of the collection. Henry Snow was the museum's first director, followed by his daughter, Nydine E. Snow, after his death in 1927. In its early years (1922-1926) the museum also featured some live animals which were cared for by Henry Snow's son Sidney Snow. This small zoo formed the roots of the Oakland Zoo with Sidney Snow serving as its first director. The Snow Museum closed in 1967 and many of its natural history exhibits were folded into the newly created Oakland Museum of California which brought three city-funded museums, including the Snow Museum, under one roof.   This collection includes correspondence, monthly reports and legal documents of the Snow Museum of Natural History in Oakland, California.   (OHC MSS SNOW) 8 folders (.3 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Southern crossing (proposed San Francisco Bay bridge) collection, 1946-1972

This collection contains assorted documents and newspaper articles concerning the proposal to build a bridge, commonly referred to as the "Southern crossing," to the south of the existing San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge. Always controversial, the proposal was rejected by Bay Area voters in the June 1972 primary election. (OHC COLL 2020-2) 8 folders in box (0.6 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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St. Joseph's Home for the Aged building conversion collection, 2010-2012

Maps, building plan, and interior/exterior color photographs documenting the 2010-12 conversion of the St Joseph's Home for the Aged into low income senior housing. St. Joseph's Home for the Aged, located at 2647 International Blvd., Oakland, Calif., was constructed in 1912 by the Little Sisters of the Poor. It was later converted into an office complex called the St. Joseph's Professional Center, and in 1984 given Oakland landmark status. In 2010-12 BRIDGE Housing Corp. converted the complex into a low income senior housing facility called St. Joseph’s Senior Apartments. (OHC COLL 2013-8) 18 pieces in 1 box (.1 linear feet) Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Stephens Family Papers

The Stephens Family Papers consist of photographs and ephemera documenting Stephens Restaurant, Virginia Stephen Coker's winning entry in a 1915 newspaper contest, and Virginia Stephen Coker's achievements as a lawyer. Menus, tape receipts, and photographs from the restaurant provide a glimpse into one of Oakland's busiest establishments. The papers  include a typescript draft of a letter William Stephens (1870-1932) wrote in 1931 regarding opposition to his purchase of a house in Oakland, an example of unfair housing practices common to the era. Materials related to Virginia Stephens Coker (1903-1986) include the letter of congratulations she received upon winning the Panama-Pacific International Exposition naming contest, middle school report cards, her law school graduation announcement, and several State bar membership certificates. View online items Dates: 1896-1952   Collection number: MS 5   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Stephens Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Strange (Ruth) Papers

The Ruth Strange Papers include 13 photographs of friends and family of Ruth Strange. The collection includes two class photographs of the Hawthorne School in Oakland, California taken in 1922 and 1924, and also a photograph of Captain Roger Romaine, a Tuskegee Airman and member of the 99th Fighter Squadron during World War II. There is also manuscript on the genealogy of the Allen family written by Ruth Strange in 1990. Dates: 1912-1990   Collection number: MS 35   Creator: Strange, Ruth.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Ruth Strange Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Student political action and protest collection, University of California, Berkeley, 1971-1972

Flyers and handbills collected at Sproul Plaza on the University of California, Berkeley campus in 1971 and 1972, with a focus on social issues, student politics, and local/national elections. (OHC COLL 2016-5) 2 folders in box (.125 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Ted Wurm Articles on Railroad History, 1939-1992

Articles on railroad history written by Ted Wurm and published in a variety of newsletters, magazines, and newspapers. The articles focus on the history of railroad lines and routes in the Western United States, especially California with nearly half of articles being about the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, Hetch Hetchy Railroad, Mt. Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railroad, and Southern Pacific Transportation Company. Includes full periodicals, clippings, and photocopies of Wurm’s articles.   (OHC COLL 2023-2)   4 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Thomas J. Mooney collection, 1919-1939

Thomas J. "Tom" Mooney was a labor activist who was convicted of murder in the bombing of the Preparedness Day Parade in San Francisco in 1916. His conviction was widely disputed, and after 22 years in prison, he was pardoned in 1939. (OHC COLL 2014-7) 3 folders in 1 box (.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Thompson (Hadwick) Papers

Hadwick A. Thompson (1919-2002) was born on November 17, 1919 the son of Hadwick and Edna Thompson of Willows, California and the grandson of California pioneer Alvin Aaron Coffey. In 1947, Thompson and Clarence Williams became the first African American police officers to join the Oakland Police Department. Thompson was as a police officer with the Oakland Police Department for over twenty five years, working as a specialist in the community affairs department and supervising youth programs until his retirement in 1973. After his retirement, he continued to work as a police officer with the Bay Area Rapid Transit police force and as a fraud investigator with the Bank of California before retiring in 1992.  Thompson was also active in a many civic and service organizations. He serviced as the president of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, Oakland Chinatown Lions Club, and was a national director for the U.S. Navy League and was an active member of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, Commonwealth Club, California Pioneer Society, and Men of Tomorrow, Inc. The Hadwick Thompson papers consist of twenty photographs, correspondence, business cards, and a funeral program that document the life and activities of Hadwick Thompson as the first African American police officer to join the Oakland Police Department. Dates: 1901-2002   Collection number: MS 45   Creator: Thompson, Hadwick.   Collection Size: .15 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Hadwick Thompson Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Towns (Royal E.) Papers

Royal E. Towns (1899-1990) was born February 10, 1899 in Oakland, California to William and Elizabeth Scott Towns. Towns was raised in West Oakland and attended West Oakland Free Kindergarten and married Lucille Dennis in 1920. He worked for a short time as dining car waiter before joining the Oakland Fire Department as a hoseman at Engine No. 22 in 1927. In 1941, Towns became the first African American to be appointed as the fire department’s chief operator, and eventually was promoted to lieutenant, a position he would hold until his retirement in 1962. The Royal E. Towns Papers consists of photographs, correspondence, publications, financial and legal records, and ephemera that document Towns’ work as a City of Oakland firefighter, photographer, director of public relations for Free and Accepted Masons of California, and as an amateur historian. View online items Dates: 1857-1990   Collection number: MS 26   Creator: Royal E. Towns   Collection Size: 17.8 linear feet (30 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Royal E. Towns Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Turner (Morrie) Papers

Morrie Turner (1923-2014), the first nationally syndicated African American cartoonist, was born on December 11, 1923 in Oakland, California. In the 1960’s Turner created “Wee Pals” a comic strip about an ethnically diverse group of friends. The “Wee Pals” originally appeared in only 5 newspapers but that eventually grew to over 100. In 1972 ABC produced 17 episodes of the “Wee Pals” as an animated series for their Saturday morning lineup. In 1965 Turner became one of the founding members of the East Bay Negro Historical Society (EBNHS). The Morrie Turner Papers consist of five boxes, original drawings and comic strips of the Wee Pals as well as copies of those clipped from the newspaper. Also included are coloring books by Turner, family photos, professional correspondence and contracts as well as an oral history interview with Turner and original hand puppets based upon the Wee Pals.  Dates: 1924-2014   Bulk Dates: 1965-2014   Collection number: MS 24   Creator: Turner, Morrie   Collection Size: 6 linear feet (4 boxes + 2 oversized)   Guide to the Morrie Turner Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Twomey (Michael) Music Collection

The Michael Twomey Music Collection consists of 221 cassette tapes of live music recordings of various jazz and blues musicians in clubs and concert venues around the San Francisco Bay Area between 1971-1996. The collection includes recordings of many significant jazz and blues figures such as Count Basie, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, John Scofield, Duke Ellington, and John Lee Hooker. A majority of the recordings were made at J.J.’s Blues, Yoshi’s, Kimble’s, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Great American Music Hall, Freight and Salvage, and Slim’s. The recordings are organized by artists’ last name, and includes concert venue, location, cassette numbers [#], and concert date. Dates: 1945-1996   Bulk Dates: 1971-1996   Collection number: MS 161   Creator: Twomey, Michael.   Collection Size: 2.25 linear feet (221 cassette tapes)   Guide to the Michael Twomey Music Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Uhuru House collection, 1990-1997

Flyers, pamphlets and other documents relating to Uhuru House and Uhuru Movement in Oakland, California, and the national Uhuru Movement. Also includes materials focusing on the effort to free Fred Hampton, Jr., from prison. Hampton was an officer of the National People's Democratic Uhuru Movement. (OHC COLL 2013-9) 4 folders in 1 box (.1 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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United States. Naval Supply Depot (Oakland, Calif.) Newsletter Collection

The United States. Naval Supply Depot (Oakland, Calif.) newsletter collection includes 34 volumes of the newsletter, Oak Leaf, of the United States Navy Supply Depot in Oakland, California. The monthly newsletter began publication in 1943 and featured photographs and news stories related to human resources and general Navy issues at the supply depot. View online items Dates: 1944-1945, 1961-1972   Collection number: MS 174   Creator: United States. Naval Supply Depot (Oakland, Calif.)   Collection Size: 33 volumes (1 oversized box)   Guide to the United States. Naval Supply Depot (Oakland, Calif.) Newsletter Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Uptown Oakland development files, 1989-2004 (bulk 1996-1998)

Oakland Heritage Alliance files related to the development of the Uptown area of Oakland, California. Files principally concern the designation of the “Uptown Retail and Rehabilitation Area,” of the Central District Urban Renewal Plan, and subsequent development proposals. Materials include city documents, development proposals, including for the Fox Theater, correspondence, including from merchants and Uptown Business Association; and newspaper clippings. Also includes planning documents for a tour of Uptown (2001-2002).   (OHC COLL 2024-1)   7 folders in 1 box (.4 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

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Walter (Mildred Pitts) Papers

The Mildred Pitts Walter papers document Mildred and Earl Walter’s participation in civil rights protests in Los Angeles in the 1960s as part of the Los Angeles branch of the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.) and as parents at Manual Arts High School. Dates: 1963-1968   Collection number: MS 217   Creator: Walter, Mildred Pitts   Creator: Congress of Racial Equality. Los Angeles Chapter.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Mildred Pitts Walter Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Watts (William M.) Papers

William M. Watts (1885-1980) was born on February 15, 1885 in Lodi, Texas to Perry and Jane Watts. After earning a medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, Watts practiced medicine at hospitals in Houston, Texas and Fresno, California before opening W.M. Watt's Private Hospital, the first hospital for African Americans in Oakland, California in 1926 at 3437 Harlan Street in North Oakland. While in Oakland, Watts contributed to Western American, a local African American newspaper, the medical advice column How to Keep Well. The hospital closed due to financial troubles in 1927, and Watts returned to Marshall, Texas to operate the Sheppard-Watts Hospital following the death of his brother. Watts continued to practice as a physician until his retirement in the late 1960s. The William M. Watts papers include photographs, patient and account ledger, license applications, newspapers clippings, funeral program, and one edition of the Jackson County Medical Journal. View online items Dates: circa 1910s-1980   Collection number: MS 37   Creator: Watts, William M., Dr.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the William M. Watts Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Wells (Robertha J.) Papers

Dates: 1906-1971   Collection number: MS 51   Creator: Wells, Robertha J.   Collection Size: .2 linear feet (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Robertha J. Wells Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Robertha J. Wells Papers include education material, certificates, programs, employment records, ephemera, and photographs documenting Robertha J. Wells, Earle Keikikane and the Wells family. The papers include diplomas, programs, and term papers documenting Robertha J. Wells education career, certificates, ephemera, and employment records related to Earle Keikikane’s career as a sailor and two poems written by Keikikane, and 15 photographs mostly of Wells’ mother and father, Robert E. Wells and Anna Abigail Jenkins Wells, in Bakersfield, California and Pasadena, California in the 1900-1910s. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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West coast maritime strikes of 1936 and 1946 collection, 1936-1948

Pamphlets and position papers from the ship owners' perspective. Materials regarding the 1936 strike are from the Coast Committee for the Ship-owners, San Francisco, while materials regarding the 1946 strike are primarily from the Waterfront Employers Association of the Pacific Coast, and Pacific American Ship-owners Association, San Francisco. (OHC COLL 2013-20) 2 folders in 1 box (.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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West Coast Negro Baseball Association Collection

The West Coast Negro Baseball Association was formed on March 9, 1946 at a meeting of the High Marine Social Club at the Elks Clubhouse in Oakland, California. The baseball league was spearheaded by two Berkeley firemen, Eddie Harris and David P. Portlock, who pitched the idea of forming a Negro baseball league on the West Coast that would use Pacific Coast League parks while teams were away. Abe Saperstein, founder of the Harlem Globetrotters, was elected president of the association with track star Jessie Owens serving as vice-president, and David Portlock as secretary. The league consisted of six teams: San Francisco Sea Lions, Seattle Steelheads, Portland Rosebuds, Oakland Larks, San Diego Tigers, and Los Angeles White Sox. The league's first official game was between the Oakland Larks and the San Diego Tigers on May 12, 1946 at Fresno Midget Auto Racing Park. The league played only one season, disbanding after the final game in July, 1946, though the Oakland Larks baseball team would continue to play as a barnstorming club through 1947. The West Coast Negro Baseball Association Collection includes correspondence, meeting minutes, financial records, by-laws, photographs, and ephemera related to the creation and operation of the West Coast Negro Baseball Association and the Oakland Larks. View online items Dates: 1945-1949   Collection number: MS 17   Creator: Harris, Eddie   Collection Size: .75 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the West Coast Negro Baseball Association Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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West Oakland Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documents, 1990s

Descriptive text and photographic documents for six historic structures in West Oakland, prepared as part of the I-880 (Cypress Freeway) reconstruction project in the 1990s. Particular emphasis on the Southern Pacific 16th Street station, tower and shops. (OHC COLL 2012-9) 1 volume (129 pages, 28 cm) and 159 photographs in 1 box (.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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West Oakland Home records, 1885-1924

(OHC COLL 2020-7)  7 boxes (3.57 linear feet) Browse a detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.   The West Oakland Home for Foundlings and Needy Children was founded by Rebecca McWade in the 1880s. She and a circle of women, initially known as the Little Workers of East and West Oakland, established the home on Campbell Street in West Oakland. Unlike similar facilities of the time, the home was nonsectarian and open to all races. In 1930 the home moved to a new location on Lincoln Boulevard and was renamed the Lincoln Child Center. The records in this collection are mainly logbooks of child admissions listing name, age, nationality, religion, orphan status, dates entered and discharged, and brief remarks for each child. The collection also includes Board minutes (1903-1924), an annual report (1912) and children's case letters (1899?-1905).        

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White-Warner (Rhonda) Papers

Publisher and media consultant Rhonda White-Warner (1951-2014) was born on July 7, 1951 in Oakland, California. After graduating from Oakland Technical High School in 1969, she attended California State University Hayward graduating with a bachelor of science in child development in 1975. She began her career in the Oakland arts community in 1974 as a program director for the Alameda County Neighborhood Arts Program coordinating and offering technical assistance to Alameda County cultural organizations. In 1977, she was hired as a public information specialist for the City of Oakland’s Office of Parks and Recreation writing press releases and advertising the department’s cultural and recreational programs. By 1981 she created her first media consulting and event planning agency, Authenic Vint’age Promotions, contracting with local artists to assist with graphic design, media advertising, and event planning. The Rhonda White-Warner papers consist of consulting project files, subject files, photographs, back issues and administrative files of Tidbits magazine, administrative files and theatrical programs of the Oakland Ensemble Theatre, and assorted printed material largely documenting the African American performing arts community in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s and 1980s. Dates: circa 1950s-1996   Bulk Dates: 1980-1996   Collection number: MS 144   Creator: White-Warner, Rhonda.   Collection Size: 12.5 linear feet (11 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Rhonda White-Warner Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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White/Rudisill family photographs, 1905-1955 bulk 1920-1930

Photographs of members of the White and Rudisill families and their friends, mostly taken in and around Oakland, California between 1920 and 1930. Individuals noted in the photographs include: Margaret White Rudisill, Gerald White, Samuel Tennyson White, Cora White (née Simpson), Darl C. "Dick" Rudisill, Celeste Rucker (née Simpson), Mabel Hogan, Earl Madden, Ida McLain, Viginia Wagy (née Simpson), Harriet Simpson, Clara Simpson, Helen Bristow, and Burdette Spencer. Most of the images were taken at the White family home, 5724 Mendocino Avenue, in Oakland's Rockridge District, while other photographs depict Oakland Technical High School, the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco Bay, Stanislaus River area, and Yosemite National Park. (OHC MSS WHITE) 3 folders (.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Wiggan (Elvira Davis) Photograph Collection

The Elvira Wiggan Photograph Collection includes 18 photographs of friends and family of Elvira Davis Wiggan. Included in the collection is a 1860s tin-type portrait of an African American woman, several photographs of Elvira Wiggan’s uncle, Samuel Davis, and photographs of Elvira Wiggan’s father, John Davis, dressed in his Pullman porter uniform. Dates: circa 1860s-1941   Collection number: MS 18   Creator: Wiggan, Elvira Davis.   Collection Size: .2 linear feet (18 photographs)   Guide to the Elvira Davis Wiggan Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Wildy (Marion E.) Papers

The Marion E. Wildy papers consists of photographs, diplomas, yearbooks, programs, speech, and correspondence documenting his education, military service, and family life. The papers are organized into three series: photographs, education, and biographical material. The bulk of the photographs are portraits of Wildy’s friends and family in Oakland, California and Seattle, Washington in the 1920s and also include a 1941 photograph of Jackie Robinson in Hawaii, a 1923 class photograph of Golden Gate Junior High School in Oakland, California, and a group photograph of the California State Police force at Treasure Island during the Golden Gate International Exposition.  Dates: circa 1910s-1979   Bulk Dates: 1924-1942   Collection number: MS 133   Creator: Wildy, Marion E.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Marion E. Wildy Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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William F. Knowland scrapbooks and 1952 campaign manual, 1950-1973

The two scrapbooks in this collection are compilations of articles and speeches by various authors. The first, compiled in the 1950s, concerns labor-management relations and international affairs. The second, compiled in the early 1970s, concerns wildlands management in the East Bay hills, with an emphasis on fire hazard abatement. The third item in the collection is Senator Knowland's campaign manual for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 1952. (OHC COLL 2013-18) 3 volumes in 1 box (.3 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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William McCracken letters and photographs, 1933-1949

Primarily incoming letters and photographs relating to McCracken's eight years as Mayor of Oakland, California. The letters are mostly congratulatory or thankful in nature and the photographs are mostly of ribbon cuttings, banquets, and other ceremonial events. Also contains one folder of programs and campaign material, including programs for the opening ceremonies of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and the groundbreaking of the Broadway Low Level Tunnel in 1934. Of particular note in the collection are photographs documenting the goodwill visit of the German cruiser Karlsruhe in March, 1935, including images of the parade which show the German Nazi flag flying on Broadway and in front of Oakland City Hall, a banquet honoring Amelia Earhart, the opening of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan and his airplane, Oakland Pride Club activities, and the Presidential dinner with Franklin Delano Roosevelt commemorating the groundbreaking for the Golden Gate International Exhibition. (OHC MSS McCRACKEN) 9 folders (.3 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Williams (Benjamin V.) Papers

Journalist and television reporter Benjamin Vernon Williams (1927-2012) was born on January 25, 1927 in St. Louis, Missouri. After joining KPIX in 1966, he became the first African American television reporter in northern California. While working as a television news reporter at KPIX, he covered stories on the Free Speech Movement on the University of California Berkeley campus, Vietnam War protests, the assassination of Bobby Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, the Black Panther Party, Symbionese Liberation Army’s kidnapping of Patty Heart, and the trial of serial killer Juan Corona. In 1977, he was awarded an Area Emmy Award from the San Francisco Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his exclusive interview with Sara Jane Moore after her attempted assassination of President Gerald Ford in San Francisco, California on September 22, 1975. In 1972, he was promoted to weekend anchorman and in 1975 became Oakland News Bureau Chief. He worked for KPIX for over 25 years until his retirement in 1990. The Benjamin V. Williams papers consists on correspondence, news reports, audiovisual material, speeches, employment records, photographs, and memorabilia documenting Ben Williams’ long career as a journalist and reporter for KPIX and other news San Francisco Bay news organizations. View online items Title: Benjamin V. Williams papers   Dates: 1957-2012   Collection number: MS 194   Creator: Williams, Benjamin V.   Collection Size: 4 linear feet (8 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Benjamin V. Williams Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Williams (Henry Delton) Papers

Henry Delton Williams (b. 1941), costume designer who crafted pieces for Motown and Hollywood stars, was born in Alexandria, Louisiana. The Henry Delton Williams Papers includes performance costumes, clothing, and accessories designed by Williams, as well as correspondence, clippings, photographs and assorted printed material documenting his career as a gospel singer and fashion designer. Dates: 1950-2012   Collection number: MS154   Creator: Williams, Henry Delton.   Collection Size: 6.75 linear feet (5 boxes + 3 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Henry Delton Williams Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Williams (Henry) Jr. Film Collection

The Henry Williams Jr. Film Collection consists of 175 films and 3 reel-to-reel audiotapes mostly documenting the Black Panther Party and student and union protest movements of the late 1960s. The collection is organized into five series: Series I: Black Panther Party films; Series II: Union and student protest films; Series III: British films; Series IV. Chinese films; Series V. Assorted films. The Black Panther Party film reels include outtakes and b-roll footage shot in preparation of the California Newsreel film MayDay and includes film footage of Kathleen Cleaver, Bobby Seale, Huey Newton, and other party leaders. The union and student protest series consists of assorted footage of protest rallies in the late 1960s and 1970s, and includes footage of Vietnam War protests, UAW and OCAW union strikes, the Farah Manufacturing Company strike of 1972, and student protests at high schools in Oakland, California following the police shooting of Melvin Black in 1979. British films include six educational and newsreels from the 1940s-1950s and four unidentified Chinese films. The assorted series consists of 59 films of stock footage, educational films and unidentified films. For the unidentified films, a short description of the initial film frames has been supplied by the cataloger in brackets. View online items Dates: 1937-1979   Collection number: MS 195   Collector: Williams, Henry Jr.   Collection Size: 7 linear feet (6 boxes)   Guide to the Henry Williams Jr. Film Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Williams (W. Hazaiah) Papers

Theologian, civil rights activist, and educator William Hazaiah Williams Jr. (1930-1999) was born on May 14, 1930 in Columbus. The W. Hazaiah Williams Papers consists of the administrative files of the Center for Urban-Black Studies and assorted subject files, photographs, notebooks, and printed material documenting the career of theologian, civil rights activist, and educator W. Hazaiah Williams. Dates: 1950-1996   Collection number: MS 209   Creator: Williams, W. Hazaiah, 1930-1999   Creator: Graduate Theological Union. Center for Urban-Black Studies   Collection Size: 11.75 linear feet (10 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the W. Hazaiah Williams Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Wilson (Lionel J.) Collection

The Lionel J. Collection consists of newspaper clippings, political campaign flyers, biographical sketches, photographs, and programs documenting the political career of Oakland’s first black mayor Lionel J. Wilson (1915-1998). The collection is organized into five series: biographical material, programs, photographs, political flyers, and newspaper clippings. The bulk of the collection is newspaper clippings on Wilson’s political career, and also includes photographs of the Oakland City Council and various mayoral events, political flyers from Wilson’s mayoral campaigns in 1977 and 1981, biographical sketches, and programs from mayoral events including the mayor’s annual prayer breakfast and various banquets honoring Wilson. Dates: 1944-1998   Collection number: MS 134   Collector: East Bay Negro Historical Society   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Lionel J. Wilson Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Woods (Earline) Photograph Collection

Dates: circa 1917-1985   Collection number: MS 125   Creator: Woods, Earline.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Earline Woods Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Earline Woods photograph collection consists of 58 photographs of African American churches, families, and civic organizations in Sacramento, California. The collection is organized into four subseries: family photographs, Sacramento churches, Women's Civic Improvement Club of Sacramento, and Assorted. The family photographs subseries consists of portraits of relatives of Earline Woods from the Smith and Grey families of Sacramento, California. Church photographs include photographs of the congregations and choirs at St. Andrews A.M.E., Kyle A.M.E., and Shiloh Baptist churches in Sacramento, California. The collection also includes five photographs of members attending events of the Women's Civic Improvement Club of Sacramento. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Written historical / descriptive data and photographs, 442-448 23rd Street, Oakland, California

Historic building survey of former garage/auto repair facility at 440-448 23rd St, Oakland, Calif. Built in 1919, the building was vacant at the time of the survey in 2014, and was later demolished (except for a portion of the facade) to make way for the Hive mixed-use redevelopment project. (OHC COLL 2016-8) 3 folders in box (.15 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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Wyatt (Faricita Hall) Papers

Dates: 1924-1993   Creator: Wyatt, Faricita Hall   Collection Size: 1.5 linear feet (3 boxes)   Guide to the Faricita Hall Wyatt Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Educator, poet, and artist Faricita Hall Wyatt (1912-1993) was born on October 29, 1912 to William M. Hall and Susie Sylindia Pinkney Hall. Wyatt published two books of poetry The River Must Flow (1965) and By the Banks of the River (1974) and was also an accomplished painter. The Faricita Hall Wyatt Papers include correspondence, poetry manuscripts, photographs, awards, and guest books that document the life and career of Faricita Hall Wyatt. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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Young Women's Christian Association Collection

Dates: 1919-1977   Creator: East Bay Negro Historical Society.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Young Women's Christian Association Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) View online items The Young Women's Christian Association Collection consists of correspondence, event invitations and programs, meeting minutes, constitution and by-laws, and publications of the Young Women's Christian Association of Oakland collected by the East Bay Negro Historical Society. The collection is organized into two series: YWCA of Oakland and Assorted national YWCA publications. The bulk of the YWCA of Oakland series is administrative records of the Linden St. and Market St. branches of the YWCA of Oakland, the two black branches of the YWCA in Oakland, California. The administrative records include the Linden St. branch constitution and by-laws, meeting minutes, and programs and invitation to events held at the Linden St. branch. Publications include a transcript of a 1934 speech delivered by Ernestine Bryant, “The architectural mode of life” and YWCA of Oakland reports and newsletters. The assorted national YWCA publications series includes a March 1960 edition of the The Phyllis Wheatley Reporter newsletter and a 1949 YWCA pamphlet, Interracial policies of the Young Women’s Christian Associations of the United States of America. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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