Collection: Angela Davis collection | Johns Hopkins University Libraries Archives Public Interface (2024)

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Collection

Identifier:MS-0959

Staff Only

Collection Overview
Collection Organization

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials related to Angela Davis’s social and political activism and impact from 1970-1987. The bulk of the collection consists of booklets, posters, flyers, published articles, and petitions produced by Angela Davis legal defense and support committees from 1970-1972 as part of the “Free Angela Davis” campaign. The majority of these items were created in support of Davis following her arrest in October 1970; however, the collection does contain a single pamphlet published by a right-wing, anti-communist publication titled The Fact Finder, which denounces Angela Davis and the support she received from the YWCA as "communist propaganda."

The collection contains materials produced by the Communist Party of the United States, including campaign flyers and brochures from the 1972 and 1984 presidential elections. These items promote Davis’s appearances at campaign rallies and her candidacy for vice president alongside Gus Hall in the 1984 election.

The collection also contains lectures, interviews, and writings by Davis, including the booklet titled Lectures on Liberation, a selection of lectures Davis gave in her “Recurring Philosophical Themes in Black Literature” course at UCLA, and the booklet titled The Black Family: The Ties that Bind, co-authored with her sister, Fania Davis.

Content Warning

This collection contains a pamphlet titled The Fact Finder (box 1, folder 4) which contains outdated racial terminology. Please take care when using the collection and contact Special Collections with feedback or questions about the materials.

Dates

Creation: 1970 - 1987
Creation: Majority of material found within 1971 - 1972

Creator

Davis, Angela Y. (Angela Yvonne), 1944- (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Contact Special Collections for more information.

The collection is open for use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Extent

1.37 Cubic Feet (1 legal-sized document box, 1 flat box (18.5 x 3 x 14.5), 1 flat box (31 x 1.5 x 25))

Language of Materials

English

German

Additional Description

Arrangement

The files in this collection are listed chronologically by date. Foldered documents are stored in box 1. Posters and newspapers are stored in flat boxes 2 and 3.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was purchaed from D. Anthem in August 2023.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Kristen Diehl in February 2024.

Related Names

Subject

Davis, Angela Y. (Angela Yvonne), 1944- (Person)
Black Panther Party (Organization)

Subjects

Genre / Form

booklets
fliers (printed matter)
petitions
posters

Topical

Black power
Civil rights
Communism
Political activists
Prison reform
Women political activists -- United States

Title: Guide to the Angela Davis collection
Author: Kristen Diehl
Date: 2024 February
Description rules: Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description: English
Script of description: Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

https://www.library.jhu.edu/library-departments/special-collections/

Contact:
The Sheridan Libraries
Special Collections
3400 N Charles St
Baltimore MD 21218 USA

specialcollections@lists.jhu.edu

Collection organization

Citation

Cite Item

[Name of folder or item], [Date], [Box number], [Folder number], [Collection title], [Collection number], Special Collections, The Johns Hopkins University.

Cite Item Description

[Name of folder or item], [Date], [Box number], [Folder number], [Collection title], [Collection number], Special Collections, The Johns Hopkins University. https://aspace.library.jhu.edu/repositories/3/resources/1678 Accessed March 06, 2024.

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Reference this page: https://archivesspace.library.jhu.edu/repositories/3/resources/1678

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We are committed to correcting and contextualizing these records as we identify them, and we invite you to contact us at specialcollections@lists.jhu.edu if you encounter harmful language in our finding aids or collections.

Special Collections
specialcollections@lists.jhu.edu
The Sheridan Libraries
Special Collections
3400 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218 USA

Peabody Archives
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Peabody Institute
Arthur Friedheim Library
1 East Mount Vernon Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21202 USA

John Work Garrett Library (Evergreen Museum and Library)
specialcollections@lists.jhu.edu
4545 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218 USA