Politics & Social Movements

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Pamphlets, handbills, articles, and other material relating to Upton Sinclair's EPIC [End Poverty in California] movement, and his election campaign against Frank F. Merriam in the November 1934 California governor's race. (OHC COLL 2012-1) Approximately 60 pieces in 1 box (.3 linear feet) Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.