Camilla Williams: African American Opera Pioneer (1919-2012)

Camilla Williams with her
mentor Geraldine Farrar
during Williams' debut in
Madama Butterfly, May 1946.

The Amistad Research Center's staff was saddened to learn of the passing of pioneering opera diva Camilla Williams, who died at her home in Bloomington, Indiana, this past Sunday. Williams was a lyric soprano who was credited with being the first African American woman to hold a regular position with a leading United States opera company. Her accolades were many and well-deserved, but she was best known for her performances in the title role in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, and was a protégé of the creator of the role, Geraldine Farrar. Williams toured internationally throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa beginning in 1950. After retiring from opera in 1971, she taught at Brooklyn College, Bronx College, and Queens College before becoming the first African American professor of voice at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. A tribute to Williams can be found on the school's website.

Williams preparing for the role
of Mimi in La Boheme, 1947.

In 2011, Williams' autobiography entitled The Life of Camilla Williams, African American Classical Singer and Diva was published by The Edwin Mellen Press. According to Amistad's Director of Library and Reference Services, Christopher Harter, Williams was thrilled to see the publication of what she proudly called "my book." "Ms. Williams and I spoke on the telephone last year and she was pleased that her autobiography had recently been published, but she wanted me to make sure Amistad had a copy in its library!" Not only is the Amistad Research Center pleased to own a copy of the book, but the Camilla Williams papers are one of the premier collections at the Center. The collection not only provides a rich view into Williams' life and accomplishments, but it is an amazing resource for the study of African American classical and operatic singers.

Flyer for the NAACP's Freedom Spectacular
with Camilla Williams listed as a performer, 1964.

Posted by Christopher Harter

(Images from the Camilla Williams Papers. May not be reproduced without permission.)

Current exhibition at Amistad: Athletics and the African American Experience

At Amistad, we’re starting off this Olympics year fittingly – with an in-house exhibition on athletics within the wider context of American social history.  The exhibition showcases correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, etc. on great athletes such as Jesse Owens, Althea Gibson, and Jackie Robinson; the Negro Leagues; the collection on Southwestern Athletic Conference sports of noted sportswriter Russell Stockard; and, perhaps lesser known, proposed boycotts of the 1968 Summer Olympics that influenced John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s famed Black Power salute protest atop the podium in Mexico City.

Well before the 1968 Olympics, a global boycott of the forthcoming games began to organize in response to the International Olympic Committee’s vote to readmit South Africa into the Olympic games. The American Committee on Africa helped to spearhead a campaign promoting a mass boycott of the games based on the International Olympic Committee’s decision, which seems in stark opposition to the Olympic Charter’s ban on racially discriminatory practices. After this widespread public outcry, the IOC ultimately reversed its position, and the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games went on as scheduled.

(Hall of Famers in their respective sports, Joe Morgan and Jerry West are among the signatories in the Amistad exhibition.)
 

In a year which saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, the violent Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and the ascendance of George Wallace as a viable presidential candidate, it is no surprise that the 1968 Olympics were also highly politicized by American athletes.   

The possibility of an Olympic boycott by African American athletes emerged on the campus of San Jose State University, where sociologist Harry Edwards decried the accomplishments of Black athletes amidst wider social inequity: “What value is it to a black man to win a medal if he returns to a hell in Harlem.”  Lee Evans, John Carlos, and Tommie Smith – all members of the SJSU track team – were among the most vocal of the boycott’s supporters.

 

(Tommie Smith and John Carlos, among the signatories above from the San Jose State University track team, seized their moment months later atop the Olympic podium after placing first and second, respectively, in the 200m sprint.)

Though the threat of boycotts to the Olympics and other protests amidst racism in America and around the world never manifested in a widespread boycott, they did foreshadow one of the most poignant, overtly political, statements ever made in a sporting context.  The petition above demonstrate that Smith and Carlos’ statement of defiance – raising their fists and refusing the look at the American flag as the “Star-Spangled Banner” played – was not a spontaneous, impulsive reaction.

The contributions of Smith and Carlos, as well as many sporting greats before them, are chronicled in the exhibition at Amistad.  The exhibition, "More Than Just a Game: Athletics and the African American Experience," will be on display in the Center's reading room and exhibition gallery through March 29.

Posted by Andrew Salinas

(Images from the American Committee on Africa records, Amistad Research Center. May not be reproduced without permission.)

The Origins of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the staff of the Amistad Research Center would like to highlight one of the recently processed collections at the Center, the Lloyd Davis Papers, which provide insight into the foundation of the upcoming holiday.

Lloyd Davis (1928-2007) was a proponent of equal opportunities, a civil rights activist, a fair housing advocate, and longtime senior adviser for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. He also served as the first vice president and chief operating officer of the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change and as Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission.

Lloyd Davis, undated photograph

After graduating from Chicago's Tilden Technical High School in 1946, Davis enlisted in the United States Army. He was assigned to the 6th Armed Division at Fort Leonard, Missouri, where he was responsible for the administration of five companies, the supervision of a staff of non-commissioned officers, and the administration of the first program of racial integration at Fort Leonard.

Shortly after graduating from De Paul University, Davis enrolled in graduate school at Loyola University of Chicago in 1958. After graduating from Loyola, he accepted a position as Assistant Director of the New Haven Redevelopment Agency. He also served as the Director of the Dixwell Redevelopment and Renewal Project; the project mission was to relocate 928 families and demolish and renovate 382 structures in New Haven, Connecticut. Davis began his career with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1965 as an Intergroup Relations Specialist. His primary duties included the selection and planning of urban renewal areas, as well as determining the impact of urban renewal projects on cities.

In 1979, Davis became the first vice president and chief operating officer of the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, which had been founded by Coretta Scott King in 1968. In this capacity, Davis helped plan the building of the Martin Luther King Historic Site and lobbied Congress to establish the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, which was celebrated for the first time in 1986. Davis also created a federal commission to promote, oversee, and raise money for the King Holiday.

The Amistad Research Center processed the Davis papers under a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources. This collection reflects Davis’ work as a housing advocate and documents his tenure as the chief operating officer of the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. The papers include correspondence, photographs, programs, pamphlets, and biographical information, and document Davis' efforts to preserve and celebrate the legacy of Dr. King.

Posted by Christopher Harter

(Image from the Lloyd Davis Papers, Amistad Research Center. May not be reproduced without permission.)

Papers of Linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner Donated to Amistad

The Amistad Research Center works closely with potential donors to acquire collections of historical significance, whether they be the papers of individuals and families or the records of organizations and businesses. Sometimes this process of donor cultivation can take years and sometimes donations can come "out of the blue." A recent donation to the Center came unexpectedly from a long-time supporter of the Center and Amistad is proud to announce the acquisition of a small, but significant collection of materials related to linguist and academic Lorenzo Dow Turner.

Lorenzo Dow Turner (1890-1972) was an African American academic and linguist who did seminal research on the Gullah language of the Low Country of coastal South Carolina and Georgia. His studies included recordings of Gullah speakers in the 1930s. He taught at Howard University and Fisk University, created the African Studies curriculum at Fisk, served as chair of the African Studies Program at Roosevelt University in Chicago, and co-founded a training program for Peace Corps volunteers going to Africa.

Lorenzo Dow Turner

The Turner papers encompass approximately 4.26 linear feet of papers, photographs, sound recordings, and annotated books, offprints, and periodicals, as well as 6 feet of Turner's recording equipment. The papers consist of correspondence, writings (both by Turner and collected), family records, school records, and printed ephemera. Letters of note include a 1967 letter from William Brewer of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in which he provides his opinions on John Hope Franklin and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as a 1967 letter from a graduate assistant at Northwestern State College in Natchitoches, Louisiana, discussing "language problems" of her Black students.

Writings include typescripts on Gullah texts and the Sea-Island dialect of South Carolina, writings on African culture, and notebooks and gathered pages with an envelope marked "original of stories and proverbs in the Yoruba." Also present is the text of an address given by Ambassador S.O. Adeba, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, at Roosevelt University in April 1966 and a copy of Turner's dissertation on "Anti-Slavery Sentiment in American Literature Prior to 1865." Additional papers include an invitation to a series of lectures given by Turner at Roosevelt University, news clippings, a draft of a Turner's report on his research conducted on a Fulbright Scholarship in 1951, a hand script chart listing the importation of Africans into South Carolina for 1733-1807 by region of origin, and worksheets used for the Linguistic Atlas of the United States and Canada, compiled by Hans Kurath.

Wire recording and field
notes, circa 1950s

Photographic materials include approximately 100 black and white photographs, circa 1911-1930s, including portraits of Turner, as well as candid images of him, his wife, and unidentified individuals. Also present are a number of books, periodicals, and offprints that contain Turner’s ownership signature and annotations in his hand. Of special significance is the presence of a number of wire recordings and lacquer and metal phonograph records that contain Turner's linquistic field recordings from the 1930s and 1950s. As soon as the sound recordings are inventoried, the Center will pursue funding to digitize and make these materials accessible.

Lorenzo Dow Turner was the subject of a 2007 biography by Margaret Wade-Lewis entitled Lorenzo Dow Turner: Father of Gullah Studies and published by the University of South Carolina Press.

Posted by Christopher Harter

(Images from the papers of Lorenzo Dow Turner Papers.  May not be reproduced without permission.)

e-Amistad Reports December 2011 edition now online

The December 2011 edition of e-Amistad Reports is now online. Amistad's quarterly electronic newsletter features news about the Center, its staff and collections, as well as upcoming events.  This issue features articles on the the recent acquisition of the personal papers of journalist Evelyn Cunningham and linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner, an exciting contest featuring Amistad's collections, and the Center's Annual Fund Campaign and how you can assist the Amistad in preserving its unique collections. Check it out!

I Found It In The Archives Contest



A researcher contacted the Center after discovering
this image at Amistad, which may be the first known
photograph of Pokegama Falls, Minnesota, a town
that was lost when a dam was built in 1901.

 When the staff of the Amistad Research Center receives a letter of thanks from a researcher who is grateful for our help, we are reminded of the “humanness” of our profession. As a way of celebrating the diverse audience of global researchers who use the Center’s collections, the Center is participating in the Society of American Archivists’ (SAA) “I Found It In The Archives” contest. This contest will give YOU!...our constituents…a chance to tell your story of how items that are important to you are being preserved, cataloged, cared for, and made accessible by archivists!

In conjunction with American Archives Month, Amistad is encouraging SAA’s special effort to involve people who have sought out archival collections by engaging them in a fun contest that makes use of online social platforms. "I Found It In The Archives" is a collective effort to reach out to individuals who have found their records, families, heritage, and treasures through Amistad’s collections.

As part of this contest, we are asking our users, friends, and researchers to share their stories of discovery. Amistad’s contest will seek one winner who has used the Center’s collections for scholarly research, class projects, family history research, documentaries, creative writing, or any other outcome. The winner of Amistad’s contest will receive a gift package of Amistad promotional material, including books, posters, and postcards, and be entered into a national competition, culminating in August 2012 when the national winner will attend the SAA Annual Meeting in San Diego, California.

The deadline for submission is February 10, 2012. Three semi-finalists will be selected from a panel of judges and their entries will be posted online for public voting. Time is short! Submit your entry today! Rules and an entry form can be found here.

Posted by Christopher Harter

(Image from the American Missionary Records. May not be reproduced without permission.)

Center Acquires Papers of Journalist Evelyn Cunningham

During 2011, the acquisition of new collections at the Amistad Research Center has been governed by the Center’s collection development policy and managed by a team approach to donor relations. This year, the Center has been fortunate to acquire a number of collections that further the Center’s collecting strengths, while addressing gaps in its holdings. As we begin to wind down the year, the Center’s staff is pleased to announce the acquisition of the personal papers of Evelyn Cunningham (1916-2010), journalist and aide to Nelson Rockefeller.


Evelyn Cunningham (left) on the
telephone in the press tent at the
1963 March on Washington.

The Evelyn Cunningham Papers (circa 1920-2004) consist of 6.6 linear feet documenting her work as a journalist and activist from Harlem, New York, and complement a small of amount of material donated by Ms. Cunningham in 2003. Her papers cover her colorful career as a columnist for the New York edition of the Pittsburgh Courier, for which she wrote a column titled "The Women" chronicling African American social life in Harlem. Cunningham's activities as a journalist provided her the opportunity to meet African American statesmen, celebrities, socialites and activists.

Her journalism career is documented by typescripts, photocopies, and clippings of her columns, as well as a small amount of correspondence. Of note are two undated letters from Cunningham to an unidentified individual that describe her early days with the Courier, as well as a small exchange (two letters) in 1957 with a reporter in Johannesburg, South Africa. Cunningham's notebooks include one dedicated to coverage of Martin Luther King Jr. and two devoted to the legal proceedings resulting from the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Cunningham's notebook for her

coverage of legal proceedings regarding

the Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1956

The collection also includes materials related to Cunningham's appointment as Special Assistant to New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and Director of the Women's Unit of the State of New York, as well as her service to Rockefeller while he was Vice President. Cunningham's civic involvement in such organizations as the Apollo Theater Foundation, the Harlem Congregation for Community Improvement, the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, the New York Coalition of 100 Black Women, and others is documented through correspondence, photographs, minutes, programs, and reports.

Posted by Christopher Harter

(Images from the Evelyn Cunningham Papers. May not be reproduced without permission.)