The following Rubenstein Library manuscript collections explore topics related to mental heath, reproductive rights and medicine in the Latino community and in Latin America. These materials are either in Spanish, English or bilingual.
Abortion Conversation Project, "Our Truths/Nuestras Verdades" zine, no. 1 and no. 2, 2005 from the Reproductive Health Ephemera
Collection, 1826-2009 and undated - History of Medicine Collections
The Reproductive Health Ephemera Collection consists of pamphlets, flyers, brochures, booklets, bumper stickers and other items that document the work of organizations concerned with women's reproductive health and reproductive rights, largely in the United States and United Kingdom. Collections contains items from both pro-choice and pro-life organizations. Also includes advertisements and information about products related to birth control and to ideas of vaginal hygiene.
Cholera epidemic in Havana official reports, 1833 March 10-12 - History of Medicine Collections
Collection comprises 17 reports, from different neighborhoods in Havana, in Spanish, containing information on deaths and new illnesses attributed to the cholera outbreak. The disease first arrived in the Caribbean in late February 1833, and went on to kill an estimated 30,000 people on the island, spreading like wildfire through barracks full of slaves and on into the countryside. The documents are written and signed by local authorities in Havana, and all but one are addressed to the Governor and Captain General of Cuba, a position held by Mariano Ricafort Palacin y Abarca (1776-1846) at the time. There is detailed information regarding deceased slaves, prisoners, soldiers, and residents, including names and ages; along with address as well as social status in some cases. Occasional notes regarding burial or medical treatments are present, as well.
Percy E. Ryberg papers, 1906-1991 - History of Medicine Collections
The collection consists primarily of psychiatrist Percy Ryberg's personal correspondence (in particular with his wife, Barbara), diaries, and other personal papers (1908-1991), some of which speak to his youth in Argentina. Ryberg's career as a physician and psychiatrist is represented through professional correspondence, writings, and medical research material. The material includes articles on the treatment of alcoholism in the mid-twentieth century, the publication of his book Health, Sex and Birth Control, and research on histamine reactions on the skin. Other topics that may be mentioned in the papers include mental health treatment, gender identity, schizophrenia, and spiritual and astrological aspects of medicine.
Maria de Bruyn papers, 1988-2012 and undated - History of Medicine Collections
Maria de Bruyn is a medical anthropologist who worked for non-profit organizations in The Netherlands and United States, as well as international non-governmental and United Nations agencies, in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) with a special focus on HIV and AIDS and health-related human rights. Collection includes materials in Spanish and from Latin America.
Bobbye S. Ortiz papers, 1919-1993 and undated, bulk 1950-1990 Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture
Bobbye Ortiz was a social activist and Marxist feminist. The collection consists chiefly of personal correspondence; extensive subject files on international political and cultural movements; photographs and slides; ephemeral publication material such as grassroots newsletters, pamphlets, broadsides, and clippings; cultural artifacts, including buttons and T-shirts; and over 300 sound recordings of spoken voice and music (see separate catalog record for sound recordings). The collection documents the personal life and career of an international feminist, Marxist activist, and mother, who also served as editor of the magazine Monthly Review and was the founder of the organization WIRE (Women's International Resource Exchange).
Victoria Ortiz papers, 1923-1999 and undated, bulk 1960-1990 Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture
Activist and author, faculty member at the University of California-Berkeley School of Law; daughter of Bobbye S. Ortiz. The Victoria Ortiz Papers span the years 1923 to 1999, with the majority of the papers dating from 1960 to 1990. contain newspaper and magazine articles, organizational materials, photographs, pamphlets, speeches, and reports related to Cuba, Mexico, and Latin America. Scholars of U.S. anticommunism and student movements in the 1960s may find of interest materials related to Ortiz's 1963 trip to Cuba, taken with 58 other college students in defiance of U.S. policy. Like the Bobbye Ortiz Papers, extensive collections of materials on international women's liberation; like her mother, Viki was most interested in the status of women in Latin American nations.
Ipas records, 1965-2020; 1965-ongoing Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture and Human Rights Archive
Ipas works around the world to increase women's ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights, especially the right to safe abortion. The collection documents this global nongovernmental organization dedicated to ending preventable deaths and disabilities from unsafe abortion. It consists of Ipas publications, including both electronic and printed formats, as well as Latin America and Caribbean Programs material, Africa Programs material, Asia Programs, Marketing/Technology and Logistics/Product Promotion, and Distribution material, Chronological Files, Program Files and Internal Documentation, Executive and Management files, Training and Service Delivery Improvement, Policy Unit files, and Health Systems Research/Research and Evaluation.
El Pueblo, Inc. Records, 1994-2020; 1994-ongoing Human Rights Archive
El Pueblo Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Raleigh, NC that serves and supports the Latin American community of North Carolina through advocacy work, programs in Latino culture, health, public safety, and youth leadership. This collection contains photographs and other media documenting their events, relevant newspaper clippings collected by the organization, and administrative files related to the management and operation of the organization.
Margaret "Peg" Johnston papers, 1965-2020 and undated Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture
Collection comprises primarily printed materials that document Johnston's work as an activist at the national level. Includes the abortion provider newsletter Feminist Caucus News (1989-1991), which later became Networks (1992-1998 and undated). In addition, there are copies of Johnston's counseling aids, including the workbooks Abortion: Which Method is Right for Me?; Pregnant? Need Help? Pregnancy Options Workbook; and A Guide to Emotional and Spiritual Resolution After an Abortion. There are order forms, advertising, and occasional publications associated with the workbooks and other items offered for sale; an article pro-choice political activism for the 1996 elections; a few letters, notes, and memos by Johnston, including two undated pages with her notes on the material's historical significance. Also includes a copy of Morgen Goodroe's Abortion Resolution Workbook, greeting cards, Religious Groups for Choice ephemera, and other abortion counseling information.
Frank Espada photographs and papers, 1946-2010, bulk 1964-2000 - Archive of Documentary Arts
Frank Espada was a political activist and documentary photographer of Puerto Rican extraction based in New York and California. His photographic archives comprise thousands of black-and-white photographs and negatives and related materials concerning Espada's lifelong work documenting the Puerto Rican diaspora, civil and economic rights movements, indigenous Chamorro communities in Micronesia, and HIV/AIDS outreach in San Francisco. The Puerto Rican Diaspora project also includes over 150 oral history recordings. The Civil Rights series documents voter registration and school desegregation rallies in New York City, 1964-1970, as well as housing and anti-poverty movements, primarily in California.The professional papers include files related to activism, research and writings, exhibits, teaching, and publicity. The earliest dated item is a 1946 essay by Espada, "What democracy means to me."
Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of Durham, NC records, 1894-1992 Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture
Use search terms “latina” or “hispanic” to narrow down results
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of Durham was founded in 1920 and served the larger Durham community from the 1920s until the 1970s. The Harriet Tubman branch of the Durham YWCA served the AfricanAmerican community in particular and, through collaboration with the Central branch, fostered integration in a radically segregated Durham. In the 1970s, the YWCA became the home of the Durham Women's Health Co-op and the Durham Rape Crisis Center, which operated out of the YWCA Women's Center. These organizations were central to reform movements throughout Durham, from women's health and childcare to fair wages and civil rights. The YWCA of Durham records reflect both the administrative history of the YWCA, as well as the programs, projects, social events, and community outreach that formed the backbone of the organization.
Student Action With Farmworkers records, 1950-2022, bulk 1992-2022 Human Rights Archive
The records of the Durham, N.C. organization Student Action with Farmworkers comprise: administrative and event files; correspondence; reports, articles, and other publications; student project files; outreach and teaching materials; photographs, artwork, and scrapbooks; audio and video recordings; and materials related to labor organizing and protests across the U.S. Hundreds of student-led projects document through interviews, essays, photographs, videos, and other materials the lives of migrant farmworkers and their working conditions, mostly in NC but also in SC. Major themes in the collection include: history, working conditions, and abuses of migrant farmworkers in the U.S.; education and outreach efforts; housing, health, and pesticide safety; leadership development for migrant youth; grassroots theater; labor organizing and boycotts; and service learning. Materials are in English and Spanish.
