The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories

Fuentes, Sonia Pressman. Papers

Repository: Harvard University. Radcliffe Institute. Schlesinger Library

Collection Description (Extant): Correspondence, transcripts of speeches and other writings, articles and clippings, and notes of attorney, women's rights activist, writer, and public speaker, Sonia Pressman Fuentes . . . .

The papers of Sonia Pressman Fuentes contain correspondence, transcripts of speeches and other writings, a typescript of a diary of her experiences at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, notes, articles, and clippings. Much of the material retains its original groupings within folders. Where possible, these original folder titles have been maintained and appear in quotation marks.

Series I, BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL, ca.1929,1948-2009 (#1.1-2.10, E.1-E.2), contains early material relating to Fuentes' college and law school experience; articles and clippings about her career as a law student at the University of Miami and relating to her women's rights activities and memoirs; copies of autobiographical writings; book reviews of her memoirs; announcements and supporting material relating to awards; and correspondence relating to the Midday Club, a professional club based in Stamford, Connecticut, for women in leadership positions. In addition, Fuentes' web site, which includes photographs and other writings, will be captured periodically as part of Harvard University Library's Web Archive Collection Service (WAX). A PDF version of the 2007 web site, as well as searchable archived versions of the web site starting in 2010, are now available through this finding aid (#E.1-E.2).
Articles and clippings filed in other series may also contain personal and biographical details. The series is arranged alphabetically.

Series II, PROFESSIONAL, 1959-1998 (#2.11-7.10), contains articles and clippings, correspondence and memos, notes, and other records which cover her professional career as an attorney in the federal government and for private corporations. Because many of these professional activities overlap with her work in women's rights, there may be some overlap with papers in Series I.
Subseries A, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1960s-1998, n.d. (#2.11-7.6), contains correspondence, articles and clippings, and other materials created during Fuentes' tenure at the EEOC, including drafts, notes, research materials, and correspondence relating to a book Fuentes was writing about the issues faced by the Commission during its early years. The book was never completed. Included, as well, is an edited version of an interview of Fuentes conducted by Sylvia Danovitch, assistant to the chairman of the EEOC, on December 27, 1990. This interview was done in connection with the Commission's 25th anniversary, but never used for that purpose. Edited and unedited copies of a diary that Fuentes kept during her first six months at the EEOC, starting October 4, 1965, will be made available to researchers on January 1, 2025. The diary transcript (#3.7) originally included three computer disks, which have been removed and will be reviewed at a future date. The subseries is arranged alphabetically.
Subseries B, Other professional, 1959-1991 (#7.7-7.10), contains correspondence and articles relating to Fuentes' work at GTE, TRW, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The subseries is arranged chronologically in the order in which she held the positions.

Series III, SPEECHES AND RELATED, 1963-2009, n.d. (#7.11-10.27), contains transcripts of Fuentes' speeches relating to her work, women's rights, and her personal history. Also included are other writings, such as reports from her attendance at the International Conference on Women's Health in China, testimony on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, and reports written for the United States Information Agency. Files may contain related clippings, correspondence, publicity, and published versions of the talks, as indicated in the folder titles. Articles and clippings filed elsewhere throughout the collection may include other possible published versions. Some speeches she presented more than once, often with slight edits to the text. Also included is a transcript of an introduction of Fuentes by Anita Willens (#10.1). The series is arranged chronologically, and alphabetically within each year.

Series IV, AUDIOVISUAL AND OVERSIZE, 1956-2008, n.d. (#CD-40.1-2, T-361.2-11, Vt-167.1-6, FD.1, F+D.1), includes compact discs (CD-40), audiocassettes (T-361), and videotapes (Vt-167) of Fuentes' presentations, speeches, and interviews regarding women's rights, her memoirs, and as a breast cancer survivor. The series is arranged chronologically within formats.

Date(s): 1929-2009

Digital Status: Partial

Extent: 4.16 linear ft. (10 file boxes) plus 1 folio folder, 1 folio+ folder, 10 audiocassettes, 2 compact discs, 9 videotapes, electronic records

Finding Aid URL: http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/deepLink?_collection=oasis&uniqueId=sch01256

Language: English

Interviewees: Sonia Pressman Fuentes

Rights (CRHP): Contact the repository which holds the collection for information on rights

Subjects:

African Americans--Employment
African Americans--Relations with Jews
Civil rights--Cases
Discrimination in employment
Lawyers
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
United States. Civil Rights Act of 1964
United States. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Women's rights
Women--Employment

Genres:

Interviews
Lectures
Manuscripts
Photographs
Sound recordings
Speeches
Transcripts
Videorecordings