Filer Compton Collection

Collection

Identifier: SPC-2022-012

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Filer Compton Collection (1957-2020; bulk 1960-1990) contains 17 boxes and 9.4 linear feet of approximately 25 magazines and newspapers titles. The newspapers mostly cover news that are local to the city of Compton as well as the greater Los Angeles area, whereas the magazines are from a national perspective. The collection focuses on a variety of topics such as political news, social and civil rights issues, cultural and entertainment news mostly within the African American community but also include other communities of color. Its publications range from the late 1950s to the early 2000s, but most are of the 1960s and 1970s. The bulk of the collection contains issues of Jet Magazine, but almost as large is the collection of Ebony Magazines. Also included are ballots and newspaper clippings. Series I: contains issues of Ebony Magazine. Series II: contains issues of Jet Magazine. Series III: contains issues of The Crisis. Series IV: contains various magazines titles including Sepia, American Visions, Life, Sentinel, XXL, New Week, The Black Politician, and Grapevine, also included are pamphlets for the Compton Civic Symphony Orchestra Benefit Concert and the Bicentennial Exhibition, “Black Heritage”. Lastly, this series includes miscellaneous items, such as magazine covers and magazines with no identifications. Series V: contains newspapers that are then split into 5 subseries. Sub-Series A: contains issues from the Los Angeles Times as well as miscellaneous newspaper clippings. Sub-series II: contains issues from the Los Angeles Sentinel as well as miscellaneous newspaper clippings. Sub-series III: contains issues from the Heral American as well as miscellaneous newspaper clippings. Sub-series IV: contains issues from The Bulletin as well as miscellaneous newspaper clippings. Sub-series V: contains issues from The Compton Bulletin as well as miscellaneous newspaper clippings. Sub-series VI: contains miscellaneous newspaper publications, some of which have of one issue while others have multiple issues, also included are miscellaneous newspapers clippings. Series VI: contains two ballots.

Dates

1957-2020
Majority of material found within 1960-1990

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Biographical / Historical

The collection is made up of both magazines and newspapers that were published between the late 1950s to the early 2000s, but the majority are from the 1960s and 1970s. The newspapers are mostly local to the Los Angeles area, specifically the City of Compton, whereas the magazines are from a national perspective. Topics covered include social and political news within the African American community such as coverage of Martin Luther King Jr’s 1968 assassination, the election of African American politicians, and topics regarding women’s rights issues. Cultural and entertainment news, like the literary postings in the Crisis magazine and celebrity news found in Ebony. Other topics covered are the Chicano movement, Labor rights issues, the 1968 moon orbit and landing, and many others. The collection was donated by Blondell and Maxcy Filer. Blondel worked as a Nurses Aid and Attendant at UCLA Harbor General Hospital from 1962-1966, was a Teachers' Assistant at Dickson Elementary School from 1968-1971, she also worked as a Journalist where she worte a weekly article for the Bulletin, "Women's World," in which she wrote of issues from the women's perspective. Maxcy Filer was a councilman turned lawyer who took the bar exam 48 times! His eagerness for law and the reason for his perseverance to pass the bar came from the Civil Rights Movement, when it was the lawyers' wins in courts that desegregated schools and banded discrimination in jobs and other public places. Before passing the bar, he worked varrious law related jobs, including working as a law clerk for his lawyer son, Kelvin.

Extent

17 boxes

9.4 Linear Feet (six record storage cartons, three document cases, 8 oversized boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection consists of approximately 25 magazines and newspaper titles, as well as newspaper clippings and ballots. The collection predominantly focuses on African American social and political news, civil rights issues, and cultural and entertainment news. A large portion of the collection consists of Jet magazines but almost equally as large is the collection of Ebony magazines. Some of the titles also included are The Crisis, Los Angeles Times, The Bulletin and more.