Series V. Noted Figures, 1890 - 2018

This series contains pamphlets about a number of prominent Black Americans. The oldest item is a notice about the upcoming visit to Albany by Amanda Smith, a former slave who traveled throughout the world as a famous and well-received evangelist. Though the notice is undated, evidence puts its date at approximately 1890. There are several items about famous athlete, actor, singer, and political activist Paul Robeson. There is a q 1976 reprint of a 1950 pro-labor speech Robeson made to the National Labor Conference for Negro Rights. Also, there is a 1950 publication by a group formed to protest the seizure of Robeson’s passport by the U.S. government, and advocating for its return to Robeson. There is also a graphic biography of activist C.L. R. James. The bulk of the items regard figures active in the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. Several documents pay tribute to slain activist Reverend Martin Luther King; there is a contemporary appreciation of Malcolm X; there is also a 1968 published interview with Black Panther Huey Newton while he was serving time for murder (the conviction was later reversed).