African American History in the Archives

AR 108
21 boxes
1957-1974
Correspondence, minutes, financial records, constitution, membership lists, reports, statistics, bulletins, maps, newspaper clippings, court cases, depositions, notes, photographs, pamphlets, lists, and manuals. The collection also contains records and correspondence of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Texas Civil Liberties Union and minutes and/or newsletters of several Texas local ACLU chapters: Brazos County, Central Texas, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, High Plains, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio, and Waco. The records include materials on a wide range of political, economic, and social issues such as: civil disobedience during the Vietnam War, abortion, criminal justice, civil rights, separation of church and state, academic freedom, invasion of privacy, students rights, fair housing, and mental health.

Also included are records, correspondence, maps, and case files on the Fort Worth Independent School District regarding desegregation, including briefs and motions in the court case of Janie Passel vs. the Fort Worth Independent School District. Includes files from many local court cases regarding local school districts’ dress codes. Also includes files on The University of Texas at Arlington regarding a student disorder at the UTA- Abilene Christian College football game, 1969, and the Rebel Theme Controversy. Majority of correspondence is by Ruth Horne Estes, Ralph Estes, and Dr. Eck G. Prud’homme.

AR 330
4 boxes
1945-1981
Correspondence, memoranda, annual reports, financial statements, legal documents, minutes, case summaries, news releases, reports, newspaper clippings, and newsletters. This collection contains material relating to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Texas Civil Liberties Union in addition to the files from the Fort Worth Civil Liberties Union. Of particular interest are the case files concerning sexual harrassment charges.

AR 82
3 boxes
1957-1973
The Dallas Chapter of the Texas Civil Liberties Union (DCLU) was organized in 1962. The organization served as a local affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) which was created in 1920. Carl Brannin was a charter member of the ACLU and was an organizer of the Dallas chapter.

Records include materials from the local Dallas Chapter of the Texas Civil Liberties Union, the state-level organization, and the national level of the American Civil Liberties Union. Clippings pertain to local news items pertaining to the Dallas Chapter and local cases regarding civil liberties and rights.

AR 91
3 boxes
1915-1974
Journalist Carl Brannin (1888-1985) was a lifelong social activist and civil libertarian. Born in Cicso, Texas, he graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in textile engineering in 1909. In 1914, he moved from Dallas to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he became editor of the People's Press and organized the People's Power League. Married in 1918, he and his wife, Laura, were especially active in politics, labor organizing, and the civil rights movement. In 1922, Brannin began working with the Federated Press while traveling in Mexico, and in 1925, the Brannins visited Europe and the Soviet Union. In 1933, the family moved to Dallas where Brannin became a charter member of the American Civil Liberties Union and an organizer of the Dallas Civil Liberties Union. In 1936, Brannin ran for Texas governor on the Socialist party ticket, however, in 1938, he and his wife left the party and joined the Democratic party. In 1947, they became members of the First Unitarian Church in Dallas. Concentrating their efforts on the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s, Brannin served on the local executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Brannin was also involved with Americans for Democratic Action, Clergy and Laymen Concerned, and the Southern Leadership Conference.

Papers contain biographical information, correspondence, clippings, photographs, recordings, and printed material. Correspondence, clippings, and printed materials pertain to a wide range of topics including: Dallas Educational Film Committee, First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Ford Motor Company strike in Dallas, House Un-American Activities Committee, housing, civil rights, school integration, welfare, and elections at local, state, and national levels.

AR 285
12 boxes
1904-1987

Correspondence, minutes, financial records, speeches, newspaper clippings, newsletters, constitutions, reports, rosters, press releases, notes, and miscellaneous printed material. Brannin’s papers focus on the Dallas Civil Liberties Union during the period that he served as member of the Board of Directors, membership chairman, and secretary, 1962-1974, but also include personal materials, records of the Texas Civil Liberties Union, 1964-1974, and records of the American Civil Liberties Union, 1954-1974, including their periodical, Civil Liberties.

AR 55
2 boxes
1946-1971

Francisco F. Medrano, who became known as Pancho Medrano, was a prominent figure in labor and civil rights movements in Texas. Medrano was born in Dallas, Texas on August 2, 1920, and became a heavyweight boxing champion early in life. He went on to work as a laborer and became an official for the United Auto Workers (UAW) in 1960. Medrano became very active in local politics, championing civil rights and labor causes, including the United Farm Workers' campaigns. He was a prominent unifier of Black and Brown Civil Rights activists and movements in Texas. He died in 2002.

Papers contain correspondence, newspapers, newspaper clippings, photographs, leaflets, flyers, newsletters, articles, and booklets. Materials document Medrano's political and union activities. Of note are materials relating to police brutality and civil rights.

AR 390
9 boxes
1966-1993

Texas Civil Rights Project Records consist of administrative and operational materials, often showing the daily functions, outreach and objectives in running a public assistance legal clinic. Also included is the original charter, constitutional by-laws, volunteer outreach and attorney outreach information, mailing lists used, a biography of James Harrington, materials pertaining to the Comal, Carver and EALC clinics. The bulk of the collection consists of case files, including correspondence between defense and plaintiff attorneys, between courts of law and both parties in the sundry civil and criminal cases documented. Legal cases primarily encompass first and fourth amendment conflicts between citizens or organizations and local, State or Federal authorities. The magnitude of cases are detailed in the container list accompanying this finding aid. There are published articles and brochures covering a wide range of high profile cases, press releases and essays associated with TCRP legal defense achievements. There are also several booklets, brochures and bumper stickers promoting the purposes, outreach and goals of the organization. The collection's scope and detail allows research and rare glimpses into the workings, preparation, investigations and final outcomes of many of the precedent-setting cases. The records also include extensive statistical data from Federal, State and legal clinic client demographics.