Black History

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.  

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Articles, reports and ephemera about the life and career of Marcus A. Foster, Oakland public schools superintendent from June 1970 until his assassination on Nov. 6, 1973. (OHC COLL 2013-25) 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.  

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.

    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.

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.

Articles, ephemera and other material focusing on Oakland Black Panther Party leaders, programs and activities beginning with the founding of the party in 1966. (OHC COLL 2012-11) 3 boxes (1.3 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.  

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.