Today’s post comes from Theresa Fitzgerald and Wanda Williams, archivists at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.
Come see our new Documented Rights exhibit, which opens today, Monday, October 3, 2011, and runs through March 2, 2012 at the new National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. This special exhibition illustrates this nation’s continuing process of defining human and civil rights. Exhibit hours are Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The National Archives at St. Louis will feature segments three, four and five of this national exhibit. Portions of the exhibit are also available online.
The fight for freedom and equality against a long standing tradition of bigotry, violence and hate is illustrated in a special portion of the Documented Rights exhibit titled Holding the Line. This exclusive segment, featuring documents from the holdings of the National Archives at St. Louis, details James Meredith’s struggle to be the first African American to integrate the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and the riots that ensued. Additional segments of the Documented Rights exhibit examine some of the following: baseball great Jackie Robinson’s court martial, the internment of Japanese-Americans following Pearl Harbor, and efforts waged by Native American organizations in the fight for Indian rights. The Documented Rights exhibit kicks off the dedication of the National Archives at St. Louis. The public is invited to visit the exhibit, see the new building, and learn about the wealth of National Archives holdings both locally and nationwide.
In correlation with the exhibit, a panel of scholars and activists will be assembled each month to study the effects of civil rights on differing groups such as: women, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Immigrants, and African Americans.
The first panel, to be held on October 20, 2011 is entitled The Struggle For Equality: Female Activism and the Evolution of Women In the Military. This panel will examine the struggles of women and their efforts to break down barriers. Panelists will examine some of the following topics: the women’s suffrage movement, efforts to advance civil rights on a state and national level; the integration of women into the workforce and the military during World Wars I and II; the challenges facing today’s military women and the role of gender in the larger struggle for citizen rights. The panel will be held at 6 p.m. at 1 Archives Dr., St. Louis, MO 63138.
If anyone would like more information on our exhibit or panel discussions, please contact us at: 314-801-0847 or at stlpublic.programs@nara.gov.
Theresa dn Wanda. What a great way to celebrate. I hope all of St. Louis and even some of those folks from Illinois come to see you.
I’m wondering what EXACTLY happened to the right to WRITE IN my vote for the real candidate ( or non-candidate ) of my choice?