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The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and RepositoriesA. W. Willis, Jr. collectionRepository: Memphis Public Library & Information Center Collection Description (CRHP): A World War II veteran, A. W. Willis, Jr., was one of the key leaders of the civil rights movement in Memphis. He was a lawyer and businessman, particularly involved with housing matters. As a member of the legal team of the local National Association for the Advancement for Colored People branch, he was involved with civil rights lawsuits and defended the sit-in demonstrators in Memphis. He also served on James Meredith's legal counsel when Meredith sought to integrate the University of Mississippi in 1961. In Memphis, one of Willis's children was one of the first to desegregate schools in the city. Willis also was highly involved in politics and a leader of both the powerful local black political club the Shelby County Democratic Club and statewide Tennessee Voters Council, an African American political organization. In 1964, he became the first African American elected to the Tennessee legislature in the 20th century. Three years later, he made a bid to be mayor of Memphis though he was unsuccessful. Although this collection does not contain any formal oral histories of Willis, it does include a transcript of a 1982 interview that Dr. Miriam DeCosta Willis conducted of Willis's aunt, Beatrice Willis Smith, about her life in Mississippi. In addition, Box 9 contains a video made after his death. It includes footage of interviews of Willis, his children, his friends, and his associates as well as a testimonial dinner held for him in 1987 that many African Americans active in civil rights attended. Collection Description (Extant): The A. W. Willis, Jr. Collection was donated to the Memphis Public Library and Information Center by Willis's widow, Dr. Miriam DeCosta Willis on January 10, 2003. Comprised of ten boxes, this collection contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, programs, reports, and other documents relating to Willis's public and private life starting in the early 1950s and continuing after his death in 1988. The collection also contains an impressive amount of photographs. There are five boxes of photographs ranging from family snapshots and portraits to landmark events in Memphis's Civil Rights Movement. There are several photographs done by Ernest Withers, famous for his Civil Rights photography. Access Copy Note: A finding aid that contains annotated descriptions of each folder is available for access at the Memphis and Shelby County room. An image of it and some information from it is available at the collection URL listed below. Collection URL: http://memphislibrary.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p13039coll1/id/424 Digital Status: No Extent: 10 boxes Language: English Interviewees: Beatrice Willis Smith, A. W. Willis, Jr. Rights (Extant): Permission to reproduce or publish this item is required and may be subject to copyright or other legal restrictions imposed by parties outside of the Library. Please contact the History Department of the Memphis Public Library & Information Center. Subjects:African American businesspeople Genres:Interviews |
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