Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
American Civil Liberties Union of Utah photograph collection, 1957-1992
Overview of the Collection
- Collector
- American Civil Liberties Union
- Title
- American Civil Liberties Union of Utah photograph collection
- Dates
- 1957-1992 (inclusive)19571992
- Quantity
- 122 photographs
- Collection Number
- P0538
- Summary
- The American Civil Liberties Union of Utah photograph collection reflects the directorships of Robyn Blumner and Michelle Parish, and portray the people involved with the ACLU as staff, board members, and cooperating attorneys. Also portrayed are fund raising events and issue-related protests.
- Repository
-
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860
Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Utah was founded in 1958, joining a growing number of regional and state organizations affiliated with the national American Civil Liberties Union.
Organized in New York in 1915 after World War I disputes over first amendment liberties, the parent ACLU was involved in civil liberties issues nationwide and played a pivotal role in the development of constitutional law in the 20th century.
The Utah affiliate of the ACLU was chartered by a group of citizens concerned with the abuse of constitutional rights in the state. The first "director" of the affiliate was Adam Duncan. However, the affiliate did not employ a paid Executive Director until 1972. This person was Steve Cook, who was replaced by James H. Joy in 1974. Issues dealt with by the affiliate through the 1950s, '60s and early '70s included police practices, school prayer, election issues, minority discrimination, prisoner rights, religious discrimination, and censorship. In the 1970's, ACLU chapters were formed in Ogden and Logan.
In 1976 the organization hired its first full-time Executive Director, Shirley Pedler. As a result of the execution of Gary Gilmore, Pedler's tenure is most memorable for the fight against the death penalty. In addition to other civil liberties problems, the affiliate also contested employment discrimination based on religion (Amos v. L.D.S. Church) during this time. Pedler served until 1987, when she was replaced by Robyn E. Blumner, who was, in turn, succeeded by Michelle A. Parish in 1989. This period saw the ACLU of Utah make more and more of an impact on civil liberties issues as a result of expanded public education efforts, increased litigation, and significant increases in membership and funding. Issues in which the affiliate involved itself in during these years included capital punishment cases, employment discrimination, AIDS, and polygamy. During this time, the ACLU of Utah also played a significant role in the examination of abuses at the Utah State Penitentiary and county jail facilities throughout the state. The affiliate also stepped into the national spotlight while litigating against the practice of school prayer and battling restrictions on abortions in Jane L. v. Bangerter.
At the end of 1992, Parish was succeeded by Carole Gnade as Executive Director of the ACLU of Utah.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Utah records (Ms 650) consist of documents concerned with both the administrative functions of the local chapter, and the civil liberties issues which the chapter was involved. Though the collection covers the organization since its founding, the bulk of the collection consists of records from the directorships of James Joy (1974-1976), Shirley Pedler (1976-1987), Robyn Blumner (1987-1989) and Michelle Parish (1989-1992). Documents from the early years of the organization, as well as from the directorship of Steve Cook (1972-1974), are also found. Materials dealing with the ACLU of Utah in the mid-1960s are rare in the collection.
This collection of photographs reflect the directorships of Robyn Blumner and Michelle Parish, and portray the people involved with the ACLU as staff, board members, and cooperating attorneys. Also portrayed are fund raising events and issue-related protests. The inventory lists the identity of the individuals in each photo, when known. The fund raising events photographed, unless otherwise identified, are of the ACLU of Utah's Annual Dinner from the years of Michelle A. Parish's directorship. Additional information concerning the activities of the ACLU of Utah, and the people and events documented in these photographs, is found in Ms 650.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Preferred Citation
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | |
| 1 | 1 | Executive Directors
|
| 1 | 2 | Board Members, Attorneys, and Staff
|
| 1 | 3 | Issue Related
|
| 1 | 4 | People & Events
|
| 1 | 5 | People & Events
|
| 1 | 6 | People & Events
|
| 1 | 7 | People & Events
|
| 1 | 8 | People & Events
|
| 1 | 9 | People & Events
|
| 1 | 10 | Miscellaneous
|
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Abortion--Law and legislation--Utah
- Civil rights--Utah--History--Photographs
Personal Names
- Parish, Michele--Photographs
Corporate Names
- American Civil Liberties Union of Utah--Photographs
Finding aid prepared by Mark Jensen.
1993 (last modified: 2018)
