Washington State University Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Records

Washington State University Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Records, 1995-2020

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Washington State University. Talmadge Anderson Heritage House
Title: Washington State University Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Records
Dates: 1995-2020 (inclusive)
19952020
Quantity: 0.5 Linear feet of shelf space, (1 Box + 1 Oversize folder)
Collection Number: Archives 407 (collection)
Summary: Event programs, posters, addresses, committee minutes, correspondence, and financial records relating to Martin Luther King celebrations at Washington University between 1995 and 2018.
Repository: Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open and available for research use.
Languages: English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

WSU’s first African-American Heritage House was created in 1975, in the old Regional School Laboratory located adjacent to Cleveland Hall. In 1996 the center was renamed as the Talmadge Anderson Heritage House and moved into Cleveland Hall, and the old facility demolished. In 2007-2008 the university renovated three historic houses in the College Hill neighborhood, each for a different community of color: African/African Americans (Talmadge Anderson Heritage House (935 B St.)), Chicano/Latinos (Casa Latina (955 B St.)), and Native Americans (Native American Cultural House (975 B St.)). One for Asian/Pacific Islanders (Asian Pacific American Cultural House (905 C St.)) followed not too much later.

The Elson Floyd Cultural Center, opened in 2017, was planned to take the place of these four Heritage Houses, but no space was allocated for them in the final plans. The four houses were sold ca. 2020-2021, and their collections and holdings were repurposed or discarded.

WSU’s first official recognition of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. came in 1986, when a week of events was held culminating in James Farmer, founder of the Congress of Racial Equality, speaking to about 600 people in the CUB. From then, a committee formed of representatives of several campus groups, including Affirmative Action / Equity and Diversity and the Cultural Houses has been responsible for organizing events honoring King’s legacy. In 2002 it was titled the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration, and that seems to be the “official” title, though it will be abbreviated at place in this guide.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection contains material which had been held in storage in the Talmadge Anderson Heritage House, related to Washington State University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. events, held each year in January. Holdings vary from year to year, but can including programming materials, including speeches, posters, and event schedules; planning committee minutes, correspondence, and financial records. The 2009 and 2010 folders also contain CDs of photographs and videos. At the back of the collection is a folder with a list of 1992-2005 Distinguished Service Award winners.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

The CDs of photographs and videos have been copied to MASC’s digital archival storage.

Restrictions on Use

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Washington State University Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Records, 1995-2020 (Archives 407)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The folders are arranged chronologically by date, with each folder dated by a given celebration’s year. As the celebrations occur annually in January, these folders usually also contain materials dating to the previous year. Several oversized posters are stored in an oversized folder.

Location of Collection

(MASC STAFF USE) Oversized folder filed in the map cases.

Acquisition Information

After the WSU Heritage Houses were closed, the belongings of each house were collected by WSU for disposal. University Archivist Mark O’English went through each on Jan. 17th, 2023, and the materials here were among those selected for preservation. They were initially retained as UA2023-01.

Processing Note

University Archivist Mark O’English processed this collection in January of 2023. A few folders of MLK materials held in unprocessed WSU Equity and Diversity materials (UA2012-07 and UA2007-08) were removed from those and incorporated into this collection during processing.

Separated Materials

Among other materials salvaged from the Talmadge Anderson Heritage House were transcripts for materials held in the Black Oral History Interviews, 1972-1974 (CT 2) (added into that collections’ supporting material), slides from the filming of South by Northwest and from a goodbye presentation for Talmadge Anderson, a pair of busts of black pioneer legislator William Owen Bush, and a variety of audiovisual recordings of campus events held as the Preliminary Guide to the Talmadge Anderson Heritage House Collection of Audio-Visual Recordings, 1949-2009 (UA 2023-02)

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description
Box	Folder
1	1	1996
1	2	1997
1	3	1998
1	4	1999
1	5	2000
1	6	2001
1	7	2002
1	8	2003
1	9	2005
1	10	2006
1	11	2007
1	12	2008
1	13	2009
1	14	2010
1	15	2011
1	16	2012
1	17	2013
1	18	2014
1	19	2015
1	20	2016
1	21	2017
1	22	2018
1	23	Distinguished Service Awards winners, 1992-2005
o.s.		Posters, 1995-2020

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

African Americans -- Civil rights
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day

Personal Names

King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 -- Anniversaries, etc.

Corporate Names

Washington State University. Black Studies Program
Washington State University. Talmadge Anderson Heritage House -- Records and correspondence

Archives West Finding Aid

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