Archives and Rare Books Library received national grant to process historic Cincinnati schools desegregation case records

By Christopher Harter, Julianna Witt and Melissa Cox Norris

Last September, The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) awarded the University of Cincinnati’s Archives and Rare Books Library a $109,349 grant to support a project to complete archival processing of the records of the Cincinnati Branch of the NAACP related to the 1974 Bronson v. Cincinnati Board of Education, the city’s most significant legal case in the fight for school desegregation.

Filed in 1974, the Bronson case was not the first litigation to address segregation and discrimination in the Cincinnati Public Schools, but it was the first to create some accountability for the Cincinnati School Board. Housed in the Archives and Rare Books Library (ARB), the collection contains the Cincinnati Chapter of the NAACP’s legal records related to the case, including correspondence, court filings, background research on segregation in education in Cincinnati and Hamilton County, the conditions of schools, curriculum and how the Cincinnati Public Schools addressed the decree that was agreed upon as a result of the case.

ARB has hired project archivist Julianna Witt to organize the approximately 215 linear feet of materials in the NAACP records and create an online finding aid. As of March, Julianna has organized approximately 85% of the collection and rehoused 40% into new archival folders and boxes. Once fully processed, the Cincinnati NAACP records will be available for research through the online publication of a full-text searchable finding aid created using the ArchivesSpace collection management system.

The NAACP records document not only the legal framework and arguments in the Bronson case, but it also provides insight into difficulties faced by the Cincinnati branch and the national office in communicating and financially supporting the legal case. The collection also contains documents on many related court cases occurring in Ohio and legal troubles within the Cincinnati Board of Education. Many of these cases had a great impact on the direction and outcome of the Bronson case, such as the previous Cincinnati desegregation case Deal v. Cincinnati Board of Education. These additional materials provide more context surrounding the Bronson case and deepen the understanding of the local political landscape during the ten years that the case made its way through the courts.

In consultation with the Cincinnati Branch of the NAACP and local scholars and activists, the University of Cincinnati will sponsor a public program in early fall 2025 related to the history of public education in Cincinnati and civic engagement. In addition, a public exhibition will be designed and installed focusing on the Bronson case. Those interested in the project can follow an ongoing series of blog posts on the project, which is slated to run through September.