Barbara J. Kukla Papers, Newark Public Library, Page 1 Barbara J. Kukla Papers Charles F. Cummings New Jersey Information Center The Newark Public Library 5 Washington Street, PO Box 630, Newark, New Jersey 07101-0630 Phone: (973) 733-7775; Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.npl.org/Pages/Collections/njic.html © 2016, 2019 All rights reserved. Title: Barbara J. Kukla Papers Date: 1901-2018 [bulk 1970-2012] Extent: 14.3 linear feet (22 Hollinger boxes, 1 Paige box, and 3 16x20 oversized boxes) + unprocessed cassette tapes Processed: Beth Zak-Cohen, 2016, 2019 Abstract: This collection consists of the papers and collected materials of Newark reporter and author Barbara J. Kukla. Provenance: Gift of Barbara J. Kukla, 2016, additional gift 2018 Preferred Citation: Barbara J. Kukla Papers, Charles F. Cummings New Jersey Information Center, Newark Public Library Restrictions on Access Access Restrictions No public access to oversized box 3 due to fragility of materials. Photocopying of materials is limited and no materials may be photocopied without permission from library staff. Use Restrictions Researchers wishing to publish, reproduce, or reprint materials from this collection must obtain permission. Processing Notes: Some material was received in research files, other material was loose. Loose material was sorted and categories created as needed, research files were kept mostly in order, but rearranged as needed for ease of use. Several loose categories already existed (education, politics/government, music, churches) Barbara J. Kukla Papers, Newark Public Library, Page 2 and these were used as a basis for 5 series of mixed materials and subject files, adding a miscellaneous series. These series were split into biographical and subject files (except Series 5 due to small size), with miscellaneous biographical material added to the last series. Glossy photographs and oversized materials were separated from all files and sorted by subject in alphabetical files in series 7 and 8. The 1995 James Baxter Terrace Journal was added from the CFCNJIC Collection, since many other issues of the journal were part of this collection, and the journal had little historical information. An additional donation was made in 2018 including many more periodicals from Tiny Prince, which were moved to his collection MG Prince, more issues of the Newark Herald News, research files, and research binders, as well as some misc. material. It was interfiled, except for jazz research files which were added to a new box. The jazz research consisted of several separated files as well as three alphabetical binders of notes/material by biographical name or place name. Material was removed from binder and placed in folders kept in order. Some unattached material at the start of the first binder was given its own folder. So, for example box 17, folder 5, contains the parts of the N-Z binder including Q-Sm and therefore would include such figures as Willie “The Lion” Smith. The second donation also included almost 60 cassette tapes of jazz research interviews, which were made into Series 9 and marked as staff access only due fragility. We hope to digitize these tapes in the near future. Lastly the second donation included CDs which were separated to the audio collection and periodicals, separated to the periodical collection. Upon second processing two documents “Order of the Anvil” and “Masonic Bethany Lodge 31”, and “"Biographical Sketches Posthumous Recognition” were missing. These were photocopied documents, not original and are available at digital.npl.org. Biographical Note Barbara J. Kukla was born in 1940 and grew up in North Arlington, New Jersey. Her interest in journalism began when she was 12 years old and started writing for The Viking Saga, the student newspaper paper at North Arlington High School, where she graduated in 1958. During her senior year, she was the paper's editor-in-chief. After graduating Bloomfield College in 1963, she worked for the Bloomfield Independent Press and The Herald-News of Passaic before moving to The-Star Ledger, where she spent nearly 37 years, mostly as editor of the popular Newark This Week section. She also was the paper's Sunday city editor for seven years. Early in her career, she interviewed Viola Wells, a famous Newark singer known as Miss Rhapsody who introduced her to many people in the Newark community, especially its jazz artists. Kukla's first book, Swing City: Newark Nightlife 1925-1950, published in 1990 by Temple University Press, is dedicated to Miss Rhapsody. Reissued as a paperback by Rutgers University Press in 2002, it is considered the authoritative work on the Newark jazz scene. Since then, Kukla has written many more books and six calendars about Newark. They include: Defying the Odds: Triumphant Black Women of Newark; Sounds of Music: The Dolores Collins Benjamin Story; Newark Inside My Soul: A 50-Year Memoir and America’s Music: Jazz In Newark, Newark Women: From Suffragettes to the Statehouse, and City of Champions. Barbara J. Kukla Papers, Newark Public Library, Page 3 As a charter member of the Newark Public Schools Historic Preservation Committee, she also wrote the Newark Public Schools Directory of Distinguished Alumni in 2016. For many years, Kukla operated the Friends of Barbara Kukla Scholarship Fund, a group that raised $50,000 to aid Newark Public Schools children. She is a member of Bethany Baptist church. She has one daughter, Dashanta Faucette-Knight, and one granddaughter, LaFire Faucette. Scope and Content This collection consists of the collected papers of Barbara J. Kukla, who has worked in Newark for over fifty years as an author and reporter. These materials were collected by Barbara, both through her work and for personal interest. Some of the significant topics represented in these files are: music, theater, poetry, fine arts, books, African-American heritage and history, African-American life, women’s issues, women’s history, public schools, charter schools, universities, colleges, religion (churches, pastors), politicians, elections, community groups, women’s groups, civil rights groups, and history. Most files focus on Newark, with some New Jersey and national information. The bulk of material covers the 1970s to the 2000s. Series 1-6 contain paper materials, the majority of which are clippings, pamphlets, leaflets, event journals, and fliers. Series 7 contains photographs. Series 8, the oversized series, contains mostly paper copies of newspapers, as well as posters, emphysema, and paper materials. Series Descriptions SEE Series 6B for miscellaneous biographical information, Appendix 1 for a list of names and organizations in the collection. Series I: Arts & Culture [box 1-4, 16, 21] 1A Biographical Files [1, 16 & 21] This subseries consists of files of research on gospel singers which Kukla used to construct a calendar on Newark’s gospel history (calendar is filed in Series 1B, Box 2, Folder 16). The files are alphabetical by last name. Material is mostly printed news articles, with some copies of other materials (fliers, photos). Two dates are given for these files, the date of the original news article or material and the date of the copy (generally 2011). A 2018 addition to this series is jazz research files. There are three binders (alphabetical) of research material on jazz musicians as well as several files of additional research material. 1B Subject Files [2-4] This subseries consists of subject files filed alphabetically, usually by subject, genre, or organization name. Subjects include music, theater, fine arts, poetry, photography, film, and cultural events (including library, museum, history, African-American heritage events). Material includes calendars created by Kukla, playbills, pamphlets, fliers, and booklets, documenting arts and culture in New Jersey. Research materials for Kukla’s gospel calendar are filed under “Gospel Calendar” (See also: Series 1A and Series 8, Box OV-1, Folder 6). There’s are many jazz music related event fliers under Jazz Music. Also of note, an extensive collection of playbills from New Jersey theaters and information on historical celebrations of Black History Month and Martin Luther King Day in the Newark area. 2 Community Groups and Community Leaders [box 5-8] 2A Biographical Files This subseries includes material on specific figures who served as community leaders in Newark. Material includes pamphlets, event journals, obituaries, and clippings. Files Barbara J. Kukla Papers, Newark Public Library, Page 4 are alphabetical by last name. Of note is material on Mary Burch and Connie Woodruff, both of whom featured in Kukla’s book Defying the Odds: triumphant black women of Newark. 2B Subject Files This subseries consists of material on community groups, clubs, committees, civil rights groups, women’s clubs, non-profits, and ethnic organizations (mostly in Newark and New Jersey) and the events they sponsored. The files are alphabetical by group name, with a miscellaneous file at the end. The bulk of material is event programs, fliers, pamphlets, and event journals, with some historical information. Of note is material on many African-American centric groups who worked in Newark including The Leaguers and National Council of Negro Women Inc. 3 Education [box 17-18, 20] 3A Biographical Files This subseries includes material on specific figures who served as teachers and educational leaders in Newark. The bulk of material is clippings and fliers but event journals and other miscellaneous papers are also included. Of note, is the extensive material on the Marion Bolden from the early 2000s, as well as rare early material from the life of Alma Flagg – Newark’s first African-American female principal. 3B Subject Files This subseries consists of material on education, mostly in Newark and New Jersey, include administration, colleges, schools, teachers, and school sports. The material is filed alphabetically by school name, organization name, subject, or sorority name. Material includes clippings, pamphlets, fliers, papers, and event journals. 4 Politics & Government [box 9-11] 4A Biographical This subseries includes material on specific figures who served as politicians in Newark, New Jersey, and nationally.