In observance of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act, UC Libraries have created a display on the 4th floor of Blegen Library celebrating the papers of Theodore M. Berry, noted Civil Rights pioneer, community activist, and elected official from Cincinnati. Ted Berry’s papers represent one of the notable collections in the Archives & Rare Books Library’s Urban Studies Collection.
Three decades ago, Ted Berry donated his papers to the University of Cincinnati
where they are housed and available in the Archives and Rare Books Library. Over the years his children have generously added to those materials. Documenting both his personal life and his public career, these papers have been used in various research endeavors.
In 2010, the University of Cincinnati Libraries received a grant from the
National Historical Publications and Records Commission of the National Archives to fully process Theodore Berry’s papers and to create modern finding aids. For more information on the papers, visit http://libapps.libraries.uc.edu/exhibits/berry/.
The University of Cincinnati has also received a gift of the family papers of the nationally noted gospel music composer, Louise Shropshire, whose music inspired “We Shall Overcome.” UC will honor the donors of this collection during the program, “We Shall Overcome – The Legacy of Louise Shropshire,” at 4 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 18, in University Pavilion, Room 310. The event is open to the public.
In addition to the Ted Berry exhibit, the Archives and Rare Books Library has mounted two exhibits in support of the Shropshire program. Items from the Shropshire Collection are displayed inside the Library’s Reading Room on the 8th floor of Blegen Library. Photographs of Cincinnati Civil Rights leaders are on display just outside the entrance to the Archives and Rare Books Library.
