The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories

King Center

449 Auburn Avenue, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30312

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 404-526-8983

Repository URL: http://www.thekingcenter.org

Repository code: gamk

Repository description (CRHP): The repository houses multiple oral history collections and collections with audiovisual material documenting the leadership and life of Martin Luther King Jr. as well as the Civil Rights Movement more generally. Formerly known as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Social Change

Repository description (extant): The King Library and Archives in Atlanta is the largest repository of primary source materials on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the American Civil Rights Movement in the world. Significant records which document the social, cultural, economic and political impact of the civil rights movement are housed at the King Library and Archives.

The King Library and Archives' mission is to promote the appropriate application of archival principles in the preservation, processing, arrangement and description of materials relevant to the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the modern civil rights movement. The King Library and Archives serves to: (1) promote research and study on the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the modern civil rights movement, (2) acquire, promote and preserve information produced by or about Dr. King and the modern civil rights movement and (3) promote dissemination of information on Dr. King and the modern civil rights movement through the preparation of brochures, guides and exhibits.

The collection of the King Library and Archives consists of the papers of Dr. King and those of the organization he co-founded, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The archives also holds the records of 8 major civil rights organizations and the records of several individuals active in the civil rights movement. In addition, the archives includes more than 200 oral history interviews with Dr. King's teachers, friends, family and civil rights associates. These holdings exist today as the main link to understanding the events during the civil rights movement. The King Library and Archives has played a crucial role in assuring the survival and preservation of many of the documents and artifacts of the civil rights movement through several documentation efforts.

Repository type: Non-Profit Organization

Collections:

James Forman collection
Oral history collection
Hosea Williams tapes
Martin Luther King Center tape collection
Maggie Wanza collection