Education

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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.  

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.  

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.  

    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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.  

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.  

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.

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.