African American History Manuscript Collections in the Rubenstein Library

Collection comprises correspondence and related material concerning the Carnegie Hall conference (January 6-8, 1904) and the subsequent formation of the Committee of Twelve for the Advancement of the Negro Race by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. The letters in the collection document the Committee of Twelve's work, contain commentary on the status of African Americans, and detail Washington's relationships with many of the key African American leaders of his day.

Charles Sumner (Chuck) Stone was a prominent African-American journalist, with a career spanning from his early days at the New York Age (1958-1959) to his position as editor and columnist at the Philadelphia Daily News (1972-1991). Between 1965 and 1967 he was special assistant and press secretary to New York representative Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

Primarily, materials in the collection address Thorpe's work at North Carolina Central University (formerly North Carolina College), and his tenure as visiting professor at Harvard and Duke universities. Topics include student activism, teaching, racial and departmental politics on campus, and the development of viable African American Studies programs.

Roscoe Conkling Simmons was an African American orator, journalist, and community leader who strongly supported the Republican party in the early twentieth century. This collection consists of pamphlets, speeches, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera documenting his public life and service to the Republican party.