Collection: SC-0220

University Archives and Special Collections Joseph P. Healey Library University of Massachusetts 100 Morrissey Blvd. Boston, MA 02125 [email protected]

SARAH-ANN SHAW PAPERS 1967-1987

Accession Number: 115-41 Repository: University of Massachusetts Boston. University Archives and Special Collections Creator: Sarah-Ann Shaw Title: Sarah-Ann Shaw papers Date [inclusive]: 1967-1987 Extent: 2.5 linear feet (two record cartons, one document case, one roll of film, and one oversized folder) Language: English Citation: Courtesy of the University Archives and Special Collections Department, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston: Sarah-Ann Shaw papers Processing Information: Processed by Meghan Bailey and Brandon Wencek in July 2016. Finding aid created by Meghan Bailey in February 2019. Conditions on Use and Access: This collection is open for research. Copyright: Copyright restrictions may apply.

PROVENANCE The papers of Sarah-Ann Shaw were donated to University Archives and Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston on July 21, 2015, by Sarah-Ann Shaw.

PROCESSING NOTES The original arrangement of folders and original folder titles were retained in most cases. Folder titles created by the archivist and information added to original folder titles are indicated by brackets in the folder list. Additional accessions are anticipated.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Sarah-Ann Shaw was born in Roxbury, a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, to parents actively involved in the local community. Sarah-Ann's father, Norris King Jr., was an active member in the Roxbury Democratic Club. Her mother, Annie Bell Bomar King, was involved in the civil rights activities of Melnea Cass.

University of Massachusetts Boston University Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid

Collection: SC-0220 SHAW

Shaw attended the William P. Boardman Elementary School, Henry Lee Higginson Elementary School, and the Girls’ Latin School, which is now known as Boston Latin Academy. Shaw was active at St. Mark’s Social Center as a member of the Boston Action Group (BAG), and was associated with the NAACP Youth Movement. After graduating from the Girls’ Latin School in 1952, Shaw briefly attended Boston University, leaving in 1955 to get married.

Shaw was involved with activists like Otto P. Snowden and Muriel S. Snowden in 1957. During that time period, Bill Strickland, national Student Movement head, asked Shaw to lead the Boston Northern Student Movement. Her activities with the movement included coordinating student-led voter education, high school tutoring, and economic housing education with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Boston Action Group (BAG), the Southern Christian Leadership conference (SCLC), and the Unitarians.

Starting in 1968, Shaw was involved with Ray Richardson’s Say Brother (now known as Basic Black), a public affairs show on WBEZ-TV. Shaw appeared more than twenty times on the program. In 1969, WBZ-TV 4 hired Shaw as Boston’s first African-American reporter. Shaw worked with WBZ from 1969-2000 not only as a reporter but also as host of the public affairs program Mzizi Roots. Shaw’s work “helped define minority affairs programming and news content,” resulting in a long list of awards for her journalistic work, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Shaw also volunteered for Boston Partners in Education, served as a board member of Boston Neighborhood Network, and served as the president for both the Boston Coalition of Black Women and the League of Women for Community Service.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION 1. "Sarah-Ann Shaw | The HistoryMakers." The HistoryMakers, 2007. Web. 25 July 2016.

SCOPE AND CONTENT These records document the activities of Sarah-Ann Shaw as Boston’s first African-American television reporter and civil rights activist. Materials consist of correspondence, reporter’s notebooks, publications, articles, reports, statistics, and films.

RELATED MATERIALS The following source provides additional information on Sarah-Ann Shaw: Northeastern University, An interview with Sarah-Ann Shaw collection, 2009

ARRANGEMENT This collection is arranged in two series, of which Series II has been further arranged in subseries. The series and subseries arrangement of the records is as follows:

Series I. Papers, 1967-1987

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University of Massachusetts Boston University Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid

Collection: SC-0220 SHAW

Series II. Media, circa 1974-1986 Series III. Ephemera, circa 1968-1986

CONTAINER LIST Box 1: Series I. Papers, 1967-1987 1. East Boston Community News, 1976 January 6 2. Media images of Boston’s Black community, 1987 3. The Beacon Hill Update, 1980 October 13 4. Lifestyle Boston, 1985 February 12 5. Our Little Black Book: Sisters at Simmons College 1976, 1976 6. Information on families in need, brochures, circa 1980 7. The Domestic Debate over South Africa, articles, information, publication, 1969-1980 8. Health-related topics of research, information, newsletters, brochures, 1970-1975 9. Community Health Action Coalition information, article, correspondence, 1974-1975 10. Abortion license articles and correspondence, 1972-1973 11. Recreation, Institute for Services to Education, Inc., [poster], circa 1973-1974 12. Kwanza information packet, undated 13. Ten Outstanding Leaders, Reverend Charles Stith nomination, 1979 14. Debate and Understanding: A Semester Review of Black Americans’ Political Economic and Social Development, 1976 15. Jericho, Law and the Courts, National Institute of Corrections Technical Assistance Report, 1974-1979 16. NOW news from the President’s Council on Youth Opportunity, Coalition news, 1970- 1976 17. Welfare, reports, charts, statistics, 1967-1972 18. Prisons, Department of Corrections, Interim Report, 1972-1974 19. (1 of 10), 1985 July 11 20. College course schedule (2 of 10), 1976-1977 21. Boston’s NAACP History, 1910-1982 (3 of 10), 1982 22. The Quality of Justice in the Lower Criminal Courts of Metropolitan Boston, court cases (4 of 10), circa 1975-1976 23. Certificate of appreciation, Career Expo Planning Committee, Inc. (5 of 10), 1984 24. (6 of 10), 1974 November 18 25. Race Relations Reporter (7 of 10), 1974 August 26 26. Reporting and hosting correspondence (8 of 10), 1975 27. Race in the workplace, articles (9 of 10), 1972-1986 28. Simmons Now (10 of 10), 1975 November 29. Loose papers, bus segregation, fascism, correspondence, Vietnam War, AAMA meeting minutes, circa 1974-1978 30. Boston Housing Authority, articles, brochures, circa 1970-1974

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University of Massachusetts Boston University Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid

Collection: SC-0220 SHAW

31. Housing, news article, information, circa 1970 32. Hemenway Street, press release, 1970-1971 33. Candidacy of Father Drinan, correspondence, 1974 34. “Unsafe Housing: What you can and should do about it,” undated 35. Douglas Biklen, “The Elementary School Administration’s Practical Guide to Mainstreaming,” 1977 36. “Health thyself: The Consumer’s Guide to Better Health,” 1977 37. “Desegregating the Boston Public Schools: A Crisis in Civic Responsibility,” 1975

Box: 2 38. Dramatic film on race relations project proposal, circa 1973 39. Race Relations Information Center pre-release article on Indian water rights, correspondence, 1974 40. Belmont Citizen newspaper, 1976 February 12 41. National Urban League, Inc. meeting, a proposal for admission to the united way of Massachusetts Bay, 1975 April 42. Afro-American Media Association (AAMA) meeting notes, 1974 September 22 43. James C. Hyatt, “Toothless Tiger? All Sides Criticize Law Barring Job Bias By Federal Contractors,” 1975 November 12 44. The Bay State Banner newspaper, 1985 May 9 45. , 1987 January 2 46. The Real Paper, 1975 June 18 47. The Black Panthers and Bobby Seale case, Vietnam referendum, circa 1970 48. March on Washington, 1983 49. The Human Rights Reporter, issues 16-17, 1970 50. Organizational Lists, undated 51. Say Brother correspondence, 1970 52. Little City Halls, 1970 June 26 53. The Metropolitan Planning Project, The Fair Fighter, 1975 54. Jericho Newsletter of the National Moratorium on Prison Construction, 1975 November- December 55. Race Relations Reports Newsletter, 1973-1974 56. Race Relations Information Center, Minorities on State Police Forces survey, 1974 57. Josephite Black Arts Calendar, 1987 58. Recognitions and correspondence, 1974-1975 59. Afro-American Media Association, meeting notes, membership, Mzizi/Roots, 1974-1975 60. New Bedford news, 1970 61. Family photo [2 photographs] and postcards from Haiti, undated 62. Museum of Afro American History invitation for Blackstuff, 1975 63. Prison news and correspondence, Doing Time newsletter, 1974-1975 64. Freedom House Coalition publications, 1975

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University of Massachusetts Boston University Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid

Collection: SC-0220 SHAW

65. African-American Cultural Center at Tufts University correspondence, Community News, 1975 66. Stop financing of Apartheid brochure, undated 67. Journals, undated

Document Case: 3 Series II. Media, circa 1974-1978 Slides 1. Six unlabeled glass slides, undated 2. Candidacy of Father Drinan, correspondence [six glass slides, two unlabeled slides, and four slides labeled 1,3,4,5], 1974

Film 1. “Sara” roll of 16mm film, undated 2. Unlabeled roll of 16mm film, undated 3. “Kindereaden 6pm 2:06” 16mm roll, 1978 March 6 4. “Paul C..?” 16mm roll, undated 5. “Adoption/Shaw 6pm News SOF” 16mm roll, 1977 February 18 6. “Mrs. Cass, reporter Sarah, footage 320, WBZ-TV 4” 16mm film, 1974 April 19

Series III. Ephemera, circa 1968-1986 1. Poster; The Coalition of Black Women Presents: A New Attitude Managing Our Own Circumstances in the 80’s; A Statewide Conference of Empowerment for Black Women at Framingham State College, (four copies), 1986 June 29 2. Earphone, Zenith Replacement part, undated 3. Blank postcards, get well card, and marker, undated 4. Parker House glass ash tray, undated

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