Welcome to the University of Cincinnati Archives and Rare Books exhibit on the Marian Spencer Papers. Marian Spencer fought f
or Civil Rights in Cincinnati for nearly seventy years. Spencer served as the first African American woman on the City Council and as Vice Mayor. She chaired the NAACP of Cincinnati Education Committee, working to end racial isolation in local schools, and became the first woman to assume the NAACP chapter’s presidency. For more information on the remarkable life and career of Marian Spencer, please see click on the Biography, City Council Campaign, and School Desegregation tabs.
The Marian and Donald Spencer papers at the University of Cincinnati Archives include a wealth of information on the life of one of our city’s most important civil rights leaders. Visit the Archives and Rare Books Library to learn more about Spencer’s work with the NAACP, the City Council, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission Ohio Advisory Board, and many other community organizations. The Archives and Rare Books Library is located on the 8th floor of Blegen Library. See our website for hours, directions, and instructions on scheduling a visit.
Sam Whittaker designed this exhibit in the Fall of 2016 while a graduate student with the University of Cincinnati Department of History. This exhibit was updated in November 2023.