Journalism

Dates: 1847-1997. Size: 179 linear feet. Accession #2007/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Robert S. Abbott founded the Chicago Defender in 1905; his nephew John H. Sengstacke took over the family’s newspapers upon Abbott’s death in 1940. The papers trace the Abbott-Sengstacke family history from the mid-19th century in Georgia through Abbott’s move to Chicago and creation of a journalistic empire, to the death of Sengstacke in 1997. The papers are arranged in three superseries: Robert Abbott, John Sengstacke and Myrtle Sengstacke. Extensive documentation of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the Chicago Defender, the Pittsburgh Courier, the Michigan Chronicle, Provident Hospital and the political history of Chicago is included. The papers feature correspondence, manuscripts, organizational and subject research files, biographical materials, programs, clippings and memorabilia. A large collection of photographs is being processed and will be available at a later date. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1938-1965. Size: 1.25 linear feet. Accession #2010/04. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Jesse Lee Albritton was a Chicago-based labor organizer and author of regular columns featured throughout the 1940s and 1950s in the Chicago Crusader and Federation News. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1876-1997 (Bulk dates: 1970-1997). Size: 69 linear feet in 23 boxes plus 2 oversize folders. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Austin Community Collections. The collection contains issues of community newspapers including The Austin Herald, The Austin News, The Austinite, The Austin Voice, The Austin Weekly News, and The Windy City Word. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1921-1983. Size: 1 linear foot in 1 box, plus 13 microfilm reels. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection contains materials relating to the Back of the Yards community, including news clippings, historical sketches and microfilm reels of the Back of the Yards Journal and the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC) scrapbooks. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1940-2015. Size: 35 linear feet in 50 boxes including 970 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection. The collection contains issues and clippings of Back of the Yards Journal, the paper that worked closely with the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC), along with Journal News, City NewsHound and a selection of corresponding photographs. Collectively, these newspapers served Chicago’s New City, Brighton Park, Archer Heights, McKinley Park, Bridgeport, Gage Park and Clearing neighborhoods and emphasized local stories not covered by Chicago’s larger publications. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1939-1999. Size: 177 linear feet. Accession #1981/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. At Johnson Publishing Company, Ben Burns was executive editor of Ebony and Negro Digest magazines. He was later the editor of Sepia magazine. The papers center on Burns’ career in journalism and his authorship of a memoir, Nitty Gritty. The collection consists of correspondence, photographs, manuscripts, clippings, memorabilia and Burns’ personal library. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1880-1987. Size: 8.5 linear feet in 6 boxes and 2 bound volumes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. Collection consists of the official newsletter of the Chicago Press Club, minutes of the board of governors’ meetings (1949-1987), guest books of club visitors and portraits of club presidents by Chicago artist/illustrator Felix Palm. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1939-1965. Size: 1 folder; 10 oversize prints. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. Founded in 1939, the Chicago Press Veterans Association provided working newspaper men and women a forum for sharing their common experiences. In the early 2000s the organization changed its name to the Chicago Journalists Association. The collection consists of ten panorama photographs taken at annual banquets from 1939-1965. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1914-2004. Size: 36 linear feet. Accession #2007/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Chester Commodore was the editorial cartoonist for the Chicago Defender for more than 50 years. In his capacity as one of the earliest established black editorial cartoonists, Commodore offered both humor and protest by using his cartoons to highlight and fight injustice both locally and nationally. His papers include his original cartoons, including the “Accent” caricatures that ran from 1974-1979, correspondence, photographs, newspapers and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1940-1959. Size: .5 linear feet in 1 box. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. This collection contains news clippings that John Drury wrote for his newspaper columns called “Historic Chicago Sites,” “North Side Notebook, and “Old Chicago Houses.” The articles provide biographical information, historical sketches and reminiscences that reflect his views about what life was like on the North Side of Chicago from the late 19th Century through the first half of the 20th Century. [Finding Aid]

Dates: 1878-1934. Size: .5 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the Englewood Community Collections. A small collection of neighborhood newspapers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [Finding aid]

Dates: circa 1970s-2013 (Bulk dates: 1985-1999). Size: 2 linear feet, includes 1604 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Chicago journalist, Ann Gerber, began writing for Lerner Newspapers in 1950 and eventually became the society gossip columnist and editor for their weekly publication, Skyline. The photographs in her collection were used to illustrate her society column. The images feature scenes from Chicago social events such as award ceremonies, charitable occasions and opening nights as well as portraits of athletes, artistic directors, award winners, debutantes, business leaders, entertainers, journalists, local celebrities, philanthropists, politicians, and other newsmakers. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1988-2000. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #1996/08. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Greg Harris has been a nationally syndicated cartoonist whose work appeared in more than 50 African American newspapers. His papers include original cartoon drawings, newspaper clippings, correspondence and notes. [Partially processed]

Dates: circa 1940s-2008. Size: 41 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Kenan Heise came to Chicago in 1963 to join columnist Jack Mabley at the Chicago American. His work covering the poor led to his signature “Action Line” column that began in 1965 in the Chicago American and later moved to Chicago Today and eventually to the Chicago Tribune. Kenan Heise authored over 35 books, primarily on Chicago topics, and owned Chicago Historical Bookworks in Evanston. The papers in this collection include research files and manuscript drafts for his columns and publications. [Partially Processed

Dates: 1978-1985. Size: 48 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Music Information Center. Includes manuscripts, articles, press releases and press kits that were used to publish this local popular monthly entertainment journal. [Unprocessed]

Dates: 2000-2008. Size: 3 linear feet. Accession #2008/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Chicago Defender editorial cartoonist Tim Jackson is also renowned as the creator of the website Pioneering Cartoonists of Color, the most extensive database of information about early African American cartoonists. Jackson also worked for LifeTimes, a publication issued by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. The papers consist of his original cartoons, preliminary sketches and graphic design drawings for LifeTimes. [Partially processed]

Dates: 1991-1998. Size: 3 linear feet (150 videotapes migrated to DVDs). Accession #1999/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Vernon Jarrett was a pioneering journalist, award-winning columnist for the Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, founding member of the National Association of Black Journalists, civil rights activist and community leader. This collection contains DVDs of more than 150 episodes of his television programs Face to Face and Sunday in Chicago. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1910-2013. Size: 16 linear feet. Accession #2015/02. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Dewey Roscoe Jones was a Chicago-based journalist for the Chicago Defender. He rose to the role of Managing Editor while writing feature articles, book reviews, and columns. Jones left the Defender in 1932 to work as the Associate Advisor on Negro Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. He returned to Chicago in 1938 to serve as the Assistant Director of Hull-House, Jane Addam’s progressive settlement just southwest of the city’s Loop. The collection contains newspaper articles, correspondence, manuscripts, photographs and memorabilia documenting the personal and professional lives of Dewey Roscoe Jones and his wife, Faith Jefferson Jones Killings. [Finding Aid]

Dates: circa 1890-1994. Size: 107 linear feet. Accession #1992/09. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Marjorie Stewart Joyner was national supervisor of Madame C.J. Walker Beauty Colleges, chair of Chicago’s Bud Billiken Parade and Chicago Defender Charities, benefactor of Bethune-Cookman College and an activist in the Democratic Party in Chicago. Her papers include correspondence, business records, programs, serials, clipping files, photographs and memorabilia. Organizational materials from the United Beauty School Owners and Teachers Association, Alpha Chi Pi Omega Sorority and Fraternity, Cosmopolitan Community Church and the Bud Billiken Parade are also included. [Finding Aid]

Dates: 1920-1981. Size: 1 linear feet. Accession #2004/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. David Kellum was a leading figure at the Chicago Defender from the 1920s through the 1950s. He is credited with the invention of the Bud Billiken character and was an early coordinator of the Bud Billiken Parade. This collection contains reproductions of early Bud Billiken photographs and an oral history interview about David Kellum conducted with his son, James Kellum. [Finding Aid]

Dates: 1963-1971. Size: 2 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. The archive of Chicago’s Nicholas Senn High School student Barbara Kuck contains 78 alternative publications from 1968 and 1971, including 22 issues, drafts and notes related to The Paper which she edited and published. [Finding Aid]

Dates: 1951-2002. Size: 36 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. Collection consists of the personal correspondence of “Eppie” Lederer, author of the syndicated advice column, “Ask Ann Landers.” [Partially processed]

Dates: 1931-2011, bulk 1984-2011. Size: 21 linear feet in 44 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Authors and Publishing Collection. Adam Langer is a novelist, journalist and playwright. His books include the novels Crossing California, The Washington Story, Ellington Boulevard and The Thieves of Manhattan, as well as the memoir My Father’s Bonus March. The collection documents Langer’s career. It contains drafts of his published and unpublished books, scripts, research notes, promotional materials, articles he wrote for the Chicago Reader and nearly a full run of Chicago-based Subnation. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1901-1940s. Size: 3 linear feet, includes 79 cartoons. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. John T. McCutcheon worked as a political and satirical cartoonist on the staff of several Chicago newspapers between 1889 and 1946. He spent the bulk of his career at the Chicago Tribune where his cartoons offered commentary on a range of topics spanning economics, politics, social change and international affairs. The majority of the cartoons in this collection come from his time at the Tribune. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1987-2005. Size: 29 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. The PerformInk Collection contains press releases and other promotional materials that Chicago-area theaters sent to the PerformInk offices between 1987 and 2005. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1971-2004, Bulk dates: 1980-1995. Size: 25 linear feet in 45 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Patrick T. Reardon is a poet, author and journalist living and working in Chicago. He worked at the Chicago Tribune newspaper for 32 years, spending most of that time covering urban affairs, such as housing, demographics, race relations and development. He wrote and directed teams of reporters in developing award-winning, in-depth, multi-part articles on a wide range of social and policy issues centered on Chicago and Illinois. Over his career, he collected the publications found here as reference and research for his various writings. Represented are reports, papers, directories, analyses, data books, surveys and more produced by local, state and federal governments, as well as by nonprofit organizations, corporations and educational institutions. The publications cover a wide range of topics including education, housing, poverty, city planning and employment. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1996-2013. Size: 42 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections. Residents’ Journal is a newspaper written by and for residents of Chicago public housing. Led by former Chicago Daily Defender journalist Ethan Michaeli and Mary C. Piemonte (née Johns), the publication began in 1996 with funding from the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA). When this funding ended in 1999, the staff opted to form the not-for-profit organization, We the People Media, to take over Residents’ Journal and the Urban Youth International Journalism Program. Together, the two programs trained thousands of adults and youths in all aspects of journalism and news production. The collection contains the editorial and production notes, newspapers, photographs and research files created to document life in Chicago’s public housing. [Partially Processed]

Dates: 1920-2006. Size: 75 linear feet. Accession #1994/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Doris Saunders served as a librarian at the Hall Branch during World War II. In 1949, she went to work at Johnson Publishing Company, establishing its corporate library and later directing its Book Publishing Division. From the 1970s through the 1990s, she was chair of the Department of Mass Communications at Jackson State University. Her papers include correspondence, manuscripts, Bronzeville-era memorabilia, subject research files, rare serials, programs and memorabilia. Selected items from this collection are available in the Library's Chicago Renaissance Digital Collection. [Partially processed]

Dates: 1959-1965. Size: 1 linear foot. Accession #2006/05. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Carl E. Smith was the general and managing editor for several black magazines in Chicago during the 1950s and 1960s. The collection includes rare serial titles: Tone, Marque and Musically Speaking. [Partially processed]

Dates: 1883-1961. Size: 5.25 linear feet in 2 boxes. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the South Chicago Community Collections. This collection is comprised of three titles published in the South Chicago neighborhood: The Calumet Record, The Daily Calumet and The South Chicago Daily Independent.  While this collection contains no significant runs of any of the papers, many of the newspapers were saved because they specifically spoke to the history of the South Chicago neighborhood. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1894-1982. Size: 1.25 linear feet. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the South Shore Community Collections. The collection contains twelve partial runs of newspapers from the South Shore neighborhood, some of which are rare. The newspapers from the 1960s and 1970s illustrate the changing population of the South Shore neighborhood. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1930-1987. Size: 96 linear feet in 108 boxes, includes 1240 photos, 368 35mm photo slides, 18 audio cassettes and 1 oversize folder. Accession #1987/01. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Era Bell Thompson, author of American Daughter and Africa, Land of My Fathers, was a pioneering photojournalist for Ebony and international editor for Johnson Publishing Company for more than 30 years. She was also an important figure in the Chicago Renaissance; her ties to the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature span nearly 50 years. Thompson’s papers include correspondence, diaries, financial records, audio and videotapes, monographs, journals, subject clipping files, photographs and memorabilia. [Finding aid]

Dates: 2003-2017. Size: 5826 electronic files (75.2 GB), .25 linear feet in 1 box (including 31 slides). Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Chicago Theater Collection. Hedy Weiss served as the theater and dance critic for the Chicago Sun-Times 1984-2017. This collection is comprised of electronic files of theater and dance production photos received by Weiss as part of press kits via CD from more than 85 theaters. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1890-1983. Size: 2.5 linear feet in 2 boxes, 13 oversized folders and 87 photographs. Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection. The Wermich North Center News Collection contains records from the Wermich family, who published the neighborhood newspaper the Northcenter News. Items in the collection include issues of the newspaper from the 1940s-1960s; minutes, correspondence and newspaper clippings about the North Center Commercial Association; miscellaneous files about other neighborhood organizations, and photographs. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1880-1966. Size: 75 linear feet in 6 boxes, including 12 oversize folders, 70 bound volumes, and 6 microfilm reels. Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, Neighborhood History Research Collection, part of the West Side Community Collections. The West Side Newspaper Collection consists of partial runs of West Side newspapers including The Austinite, Garfield News, Garfieldian and the West Town News, among others. [Finding aid]

Dates: 1996-2003. Size: 2 linear feet. Accession #2002/06. Chicago Public Library, Woodson Regional Library, Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature. Rita Coburn Whack, a novelist, television and radio producer, and on-air radio contributor, won an Emmy for writing in her documentary film, Curators of Culture: Chicago’s South Side Community Art Center, in 2005. Her papers include 41 oral history interviews and other audiovisual materials from her public radio work and from documentaries she created for public television. [Finding Aid]