YOU ARE HERE: > Here are some highlights from the Schlesinger Library's collection:
Anna Chennault
Amelia Earhart
June Jordan
Ms. Marvel
Pauli Murray
Suffragists
Anna Chennault
Born in Beijing, China, in 1925, journalist Anna Chen married General Claire Lee Chennault and emigrated to the United States with him in 1947. She participated in the “China Lobby,” a group in the United States that opposed Communist China. Anna Chennault was a highly respected advisor on Chinese issues, a popular Washington hostess, and an influential figure in the Republican Party.
Her personal papers, which she gave to the Schlesinger Library in 2005, include personal and professional correspondence; diaries; writings and speeches; business and organizational records; and clippings and articles—all spanning the period between 1942 and 1990.
Amelia Earhart
The Amelia Earhart eight-cent stamp was issued in 1963 to commemorate the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. The Schlesinger Library collection includes family papers, correspondence, and photographs that document Earhart¹s life and career, which was cut short in 1937 when her plane was lost in an around-the-world flight. The papers, among the most popular of Schlesinger treasures, continue to draw researchers from across the globe.
June Jordan
June Jordan—a college professor, prolific author, and activist—published essays, poems, and plays. She was an advocate of Black English as a teaching tool and a mode of expression. Jordan was also a champion of civil rights and GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) rights. Acquired by the Schlesinger Library with the generous support from donors and the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Studies, Jordan’s collection contains material from 1936 to 2002.
Ms. Marvel
The comic Ms. Marvel, starring a superheroine created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan for Marvel Comics, first appeared in January 1977. With The Essential Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1, the Schlesinger now collects Ms. Marvel’s first eponymous series, as well as her cameos in Marvel Super-heros and the Avengers.
In addition to comic books, the library collects graphic novels, both vintage and contemporary women’s magazines, and zines. For anyone wanting to explore the history of women in popular culture, the Schlesinger Library is a must-visit.
Pauli Murray
A persistent advocate for human rights, Pauli Murray was a poet, attorney, educator, and the first African American women to be ordained an Episcopal minister. Murray is among many African American Women whose papers are available in the Schlesinger Library, which documents the diverse history of women in the United States.
The origin of the Schlesinger Library dates to 1943, when Maude Wood Park, an early congressional lobbyist and suffrage activist, made an initial gift of books, papers, and journals documenting the women's suffrage movement. The library¹s collections have expanded beyond suffrage and now include a wide range of materials documenting the history of women in America. Today, the library contains more than 3,000 discrete collections and nearly 90,000 volumes. The photograph above depicts Radcliffe women's early commitment to suffrage; the badge depicts suffragists Lucretia Mott (top) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (bottom).
Image credits:
Anna Chennault Papers, Schlesinger Library
Amelia Earhart Papers, Schlesinger Library
June Jordan Papers, Schlesinger Library
Pauli Murray Papers, Schlesinger Library
Ms. Marvel, Volume 1; Trademark and copyright 2006 Marvel Character, Inc. All rights reserved.
Women's suffrage collections, Schlesinger Library
