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Harold C. Williams Papers, 1962-2013

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Williams, Harold C. (Harold Cleophas), 1943-2012.
Title
Harold C. Williams Papers
Dates
1962-2013 (inclusive)
1972-2010 (bulk)
Quantity
12.5 cubic feet, including 5400 photographs, 67 videotapes, and 27 sound recordings, (15 boxes, including 1 oversize box)
6.5 Mbytes, (2 files)
Collection Number
MSS WilliamsH
Summary
The Harold C. Williams Papers document Williams' community activism, volunteer service, and civic leadership in Portland, Oregon, as well as his immediate and extended family. Harold C. Williams was an activist, volunteer, and leader in the African American community in Portland from the 1960s until his death in 2012.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Harold C. Williams was a community activist, civic leader, and educator in Portland, Oregon, from the 1960s until his death in 2012.

Born in 1943 in Texarkana, Arkansas, Harold Cleophas Williams came to Portland, Oregon in 1959 and finished his secondary education at Jefferson High School in 1962. Williams earned an Associate Degree in Education from Multnomah Junior College in 1965 and attended the University of California in Berkeley where he received a certificate in race relations in June 1967. Williams returned to Portland and completed BS and MS degrees in political science at Portland State University in 1969 and 1972. Williams served as director of a satellite campus of PSU in northeast Portland for two years and was appointed as the Director of Affirmative Action for the State of Oregon in 1973. He served in this position until 1978.

Active in the local chapters of the Urban League and NAACP, Williams was a strong presence in the Oregon African American community, working with at-risk youth at Maclaren Youth Correctional Facility and creating the "Success Academy" program in 2004. Williams' service to the community was also reflected in his membership on the board of Portland Community College, where he helped advocate for the formation of the Cascade branch campus in Northeast Portland. Williams married Cal Robertson in 1975 and together they raised three children: Natasha, Harold Jr. (also referred to as Harold Two), and Eric.

CH2A & Associates was established by Harold C. Williams and his wife, Cal Robertson Williams, as a consulting firm to the business and public sector. The firm specialized in affirmative action, labor relations, conflict resolution, personnel management, and counseling.

The Broadous Family consists of the descendants of Rev. and Mrs. Zachrah Broadous, Sr. of Texarkana, Arkansas. Rev. Zachrah Broadous, Sr., was Harold Williams' grandfather and died in 1943, the year that Williams was born. The extensive Broadous Family has gathered for family reunions every 3 years since 1948.

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Content Description

The Harold C. Williams Papers document Williams' community activism, volunteer service, and civic leadership in Portland, Oregon as well as his immediate and extended family. Much of the collection consists of materials assembled by Williams; photographs documenting his community involvement and family; and sound and video recordings of Williams making speeches and presentations.

The Papers include biographical and personal materials; records documenting his involvement with Portland Community College and Portland State University; and materials pertaining to African Americans in Portland, especially education, employment, and programs for at-risk youth. The collection includes a wide variety of formats, including videotapes, audio cassette sound recordings, photographs, photograph albums, and two digital photographs. Of special note are video recordings and photographs of Jesse Jackson.

Williams' religious life and church activities are reflected throughout the collection and include materials he assembled and wrote, photographs, and video and audio recordings of sermons, gospel choir festivals, and memorial services.

Williams' immediate family of his wife, Cal, and his children as well as his extended Broadous family are depicted in many photographs of life events such as birthdays, graduations, and weddings; family reunions; and vacations. Video and audio recordings of weddings and family reunions are also part of the collection.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Harold C. Williams Papers (MSS WilliamsH), Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Harold C. Williams Papers are arranged in 12 series: 1. Personal Materials, 1962-2010; 2. Community Involvement, 1968-2010; 3. Reports and Publications, 1972-2010; 4. Newspaper Clippings, 1969-2013; 5. Photo Albums, circa 1980s-1990s; 6. Personal Photographs, 1965-2011; 7. Occupational Photographs, circa 1967 - 2005; 8. Community Involvement Photographs, circa 1960s-2010s; 9. Video, 1987-2004; 10. Audio, 1987-2006; 11. Plaques, 1984-2012; and 12. Artifacts, circa 1996.

Acquisition Information

The Papers were donated to the Special Collections & Archives Research Center by Williams' son, Harold C. Williams, Jr., in 2014.

Related Materials

This collection is a component of the Oregon Multicultural Archives (OMA). The Urban League of Portland Records (MSS UrbanLeague) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Corvallis Branch Records (MSS NAACPCorvallis) include extensive materials documenting African Americans in Oregon.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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Subject Terms

  • African American youth--Oregon--Portland.
  • African Americans--Civil rights--Oregon.
  • African Americans--Education--Oregon.
  • African Americans--Employment--Oregon.
  • African Americans--Oregon--Portland.
  • African Americans--Religious life.
  • Christian life.
  • Juvenile corrections--Oregon.

Personal Names

  • Jackson, Jesse, 1941-

Corporate Names

  • Portland Community College (Portland, Or. : Cascade Campus)
  • Portland Community College (Portland, Or.)
  • Portland State University.

Geographical Names

  • Portland (Or.)--Race relations.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Digital photographs.
  • Film negatives.
  • Photograph albums.
  • Photographic prints.
  • Slides.
  • Video recordings.

Finding aid prepared by Avery Sorensen, James Gotchall, Pam Trotter, and Elizabeth Nielsen.
2015

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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