General information by and about the Harvard-Radcliffe Society for Minority Rights, 1951-1959
Records of the Association of African and Afro-American Students of Harvard and Radcliffe, 1963-1976 (HUD 3125.2000)
Frequently referred to as AFRO, the Association was founded in the spring of 1963 and officially recognized that December. The student group identified itself as Pan-Africanist, and automatically granted membership to any black student at Harvard. The group served both a social and political function, although the emphasis changed from year to year. By 1977, the group was defunct, due to a lack of funding and student support, and had been replaced by the new Harvard-Radcliffe Black Students Association. The group is alternately referred to as AAAAS, AFRO, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Association of African and Afro-American Students.
Boxes 1 and 2 of the Records of the Association of African and Afro-American Students at Harvard and Radcliffe are open for research. University records in boxes 3 and 4 are restricted for 50 years from their date of creation. Student records in boxes 3 and 4 are restricted for 80 years from their date of creation. Specific restrictions are noted at the folder level.
Records of the Harvard Black Students Association, 1977-2005, and undated (HUD 3222.5000)
The Harvard-Radcliffe Black Students Association, also known as the BSA, was established during the 1976-1977 academic year, in response to a call to protest an article in the Harvard Lampoon. Replacing the then-defunct Association of African and Afro-American Students at Harvard and Radcliffe (AFRO), the BSA aimed to present the black student perspective on minority issues at Harvard, such as affirmative action and the development of Harvard's Afro-American Studies Department.
Box 1 of the Records of the Harvard Black Students Association is open for research. University records in boxes 2 and 3 are restricted for 50 years from their date of creation. Student records in boxes 2 and 3 are restricted for 80 years from their date of creation. Specific restrictions are noted at the folder level.
Records of the Association of Black Harvard Women, 1975-2003, 2007 (HUD 3222.4000)
The Association of Black Radcliffe Women, also known as ABRW, was organized in April 1975 to bring black female undergraduates at Harvard and Radcliffe together for academic, cultural, political, and social purposes. After the 1979/1980 academic year, the group appears to have taken a short hiatus, returning in 1983. In 1999, the name of the Association changed to the Association of Black Harvard Women, also known as ABHW. Since 1999, the Association has hosted the annual Tribute to Black Men. Among other initiatives, the Association sponsors the Alberts V. Scott Leadership Academy (previously called the Alberta V. Scott Young Scholars Program) for black female high-school students.
University records in boxes 1 and 2 are restricted for 50 years from their date of creation. Student records in box 1 are restricted for 80 years from their date of creation. Specific restrictions are noted at the folder level.
Records of the Harvard-Radcliffe Afro-American Cultural Center, 1969-1975, 1981-1982, and undated (HUD 3125)
The Harvard-Radcliffe Afro-American Cultural Center was established in 1969 as a non-profit corporation administratively and financially separate from Harvard University. The Center sponsored events and programs involving the community and dispensed funds to member organizations. The Center faced financial difficulties in 1974 and shortly thereafter became a fully student-run organization.
The folder “General information” and publications published or sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Afro-American Cultural Center are open for research. University records in the collection are restricted for 50 years from their date of creation. Student records in the collection are restricted for 80 years from their date of creation. Specific restrictions are noted at the folder level.