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Current Issues in Black Political Activism Recordings

An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University


Finding aid created by: IRP
Date: 19 Jul 2023

Biographical History

In the early 1970s, Black activists recognized the urgent need for a fresh wave of Black political activism. To address this need, the first National Black Political Convention was held from March 10 to 12, 1972 in the high school gym in Gary, Indiana. Over ten thousand African-Americans from 50 states attended the convention united around the idea of addressing the need for social and economic changes for the black communities in the United States. The primary objective of the convention was to inspire more Black Americans to run for public office, thereby increasing representation in the public sector and advocating for fundamental political and socio-economic transformations.

At the convention, "The Gary Declaration: Black Politics at the Crossroads" was released. It highlighted the fact that the current political system, predominantly governed by white politicians, is not inclusive and equal towards Black people, and does not adequately address the issues faced by the Black community. One of the key takeaways was that the only way to overcome this problem and transform the political system was through the birth of new independent Black Politics. Renowned attendees included Richard Hatcher, the mayor of Gary; Jesse Jackson, civil rights activist; and Charles C. Diggs Jr., a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Diggs and Hatcher were the two keynote speakers at the National Black Political Convention.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Current Issues in Black Political Activism Recordings contains six audiotape recordings of talks given by prominent Black activists during the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana in 1972.

Arrangement of the Collection

The recordings are organized in alphabetical order by the last name of the speaker.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advance notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Access to audiovisual material requires advance notice to produce a use copy.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Subject Headings

Persons

Bond, Julian, 1940-2015.
Clay, William L.
Dellums, Ronald V., 1935-2018.
Diggs, Charles C.
Fauntroy, Walter E.
Hamilton, Charles V.
Hawkins, Augustus F.
Mitchell, Parren J.
Rangel, Charles B.
Stokes, Louis, 1925-2015.

Corporate Bodies

National Black Political Convention (1972 : Gary, Ind.)

Subjects

African Americans -- Civil rights.
African Americans -- Politics and government.
Black power -- United States.
Civil rights movements -- 20th century.
Political conventions.

Places

United States -- Race relations.

Genres and Forms

Audiotapes.
Sound recordings.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Current Issues in Black Political Activism Recordings,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Unknown, 2023.

Table of Contents

Recordings

Inventory