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“Bold (Not to Say Crazy)” “Bold (Not to Say Crazy)” Collecting Civil Rights Manuscripts during the 1960s Michael Edmonds Deputy Director, Library‐Archives Division Wisconsin Historical Society 315 collections 1,133 boxes 321 reels of microfilm 9,694 photos & other images Mississippi 116 collections US or regional 38 Wis (not gov) 35 Wis (govt records) 21 Louisiana 15 Alabama 11 Georgia 9 The Collectors, 1965‐1968 Alicia Kaplow Vicki and Bob Gabriner Mimi Feingold Russell Gilmore Leah Johnson Gwen Gillon Summer 1964 Bob & Vicki Gwen Mimi "Our minds were blown by this experience we had had… We were always trying to figure out ways to bring those two pieces of our lives together.” Les Fishel, WHS Director Russell Gilmore, WHS Field Services “Fishel didn't blink an eye. He said, this is great. "He was our guy on the ground… we couldn’t I mean, he said, we’ll pay you for it, we'll pay your way.” have pulled it off without Russ Gilmore." "These maniacs are actually willing to go into the Deep South, to towns they've never been to, and introduce themselves and collect material?... You gotta be out of your mind to do that.” "Look at it with the whole picture in mind, and it was a pretty bold thing to do (not to say crazy).” "We do not believe that people can really understand the civil rights movement if they just look at the papers of some national air‐conditioned office.” Elizabeth Martinez Carl and Anne Braden with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "Guns were everywhere... We felt unsafe all the time, constantly… We were also very aware that any black person we talked to could be lynched afterwards, just for talking to us.” July 21‐Aug. 20, 1966 Bob and Vicki Mimi Daisy Bates and L.C. Bates, Little Rock, 1957 Mississippi Delta Aaron Henry, FDP candidate for Mississippi governor, 1963 July 21‐Aug. 20, 1966 continued Bob and Vicki Mimi Met 58 donors in four states, taped 14 interviews, and shipped 16 collections to Madison Alicia Kaplow, WHS Stokely Carmichael, SNCC Vicki Gabriner Leah Johnson 1967: Leah Johnson (second from left), Russ Gilmore (standing), and student workers in the WHS Field Services office. Gwen Gillon Gwen Gillon (right) singing freedom songs with fellow SNCC staff, 1963 July 7‐21, 1967 Bob & Vicki Leah & Gwen Hollis Watkins, 1963 Mississippi Delta Fannie Lou Hamer Delta Ministry Office, McComb Victoria Gray, Fannie Lou Hamer & Annie Devine Bob Moses, Julian Bond, Curtis (Hayes) Muhammad, Willie Peacock, Hollis Watkins, Amzie Moore and E.W. Steptoe, 1963 July 7‐21, 1967 Bob & Vicki Leah & Gwen Sam Shirah, SNCC Charles Sherrod, Albany Movement Lawrence Guyot, MFDP Meridian, Mississippi Shipped 28 cartons of records, including files of the MFDP, COFO’s legal office, the Fourth Congressional District CORE office, and the Delta Ministry. 232 accessions, 1964‐1968 Online Archive of Original Records 36,000 pages of historical documents about Freedom Summer at wisconsinhistory.org/ freedomsummer Letters Diaries Photographs Meeting Minutes Phone Logs Flyers and Handouts Facebook Highlight a document three times a week (daily this summer) Traveling Exhibit for Schools Book of Eyewitness Accounts Questions?.
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