Research Guides: The Black Student Experience at Harvard: historical sources: Archival collections: records of student groups

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 By 1977, the group was defunct, due to a lack of funding and student support, and had been replaced by the new Harvard-Radcliffe Black Students Association.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.

Publications by the Association are cataloged individually by title in HOLLIS. They are open for research.

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.

Publications by the Cultural Center are cataloged individually by title in HOLLIS. They are open for research.

Records of the Harvard-Radcliffe Caribbean Club, 1993-1994 (HUD 3264.1000)

The Harvard-Radcliffe Caribbean Club was created in 1978 by a group of West Indian students who felt the need for a club where students of Caribbean descent and those interested in the Caribbean could promote a better understanding and a greater awareness within the University and surrounding communities of the peoples, affairs and cultures of the Caribbean through the sponsorship of cultural events and foster a greater sense of community among students of Caribbean ancestry. In 1993, the Club co-published a periodical with the Harvard African Students Association. The records document the history, activities, and interests of the group. They include flyers and a program file for the Caribbean Club Carnival.

Open for research with the following exceptions: Harvard University records are restricted for 50 years. Personnel and student records are closed for 80 years. Specific restrictions are noted at the folder level.

General information by and about the Kuumba Singers of Harvard College, 1970- (HUD 3506)

Founded in 1970 as the Harvard-Radcliffe Gospel Choir, the name changed (circa 1973?) to Kuumba Singers. The organization promotes, preserves, and presents the full spectrum of African American choral music. Repertory includes spirituals, gospel, African folk, blues, jazz, and rhythm and blues. Includes flyers, pamphlets, and programs.

Open for research.

The Harvard Black Law Students Association was founded in 1967 for the support, guidance, and direction of Black students at the Law School in academic, professional and social endeavors. Collection contains one poster advertising a cabaret sponsored by the Association from April 29, 1978.

Open for research.

General information by and about the Harvard African Students Association, 1979- (HUD 3125.1000)

The Harvard African Students Association (HASA), founded in 1977, is an organization committed to encouraging cultural, intellectual, political, and economic awareness about the African continent. Members of the group include both undergraduate and graduate students. HASA sponsors many events throughout the school year, including the annual Harvard Africa Week. Website and social media collected by the Harvard University Archives as part of the records of the Harvard African Students Association.

Open for research.

Organized in 1950, the Harvard Society for Minority Rights was Harvard's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. This collection consists of poster boards promoting Harvard Society for Minority Rights events. Events include fundraiser concerts with folk musician Pete Seeger, a viewing of the 1949 film "Lost Boundaries," and a jazz concert featuring Bobby Hackett (Robert Leo Hackett).

Open for research.

Celebration of black women [programs], 2003-2005 (HUD 3222.7000)

Programs from the 9th, 10th, and 11th annual celebration of black women, sponsored by the Harvard Black Men's Forum. Founded in the 1970s, the Black Men's Forum was revived in 1994. The Forum is a Harvard student organization dedicated to issues affecting Black men at Harvard and in society in general.

Open for research.

A silver celebration of faith and family, 1970-1995 (HUD 3506.295)

Program from the 25^th Anniversary show of the Kuumba Singers. Founded in 1970 as the Harvard-Radcliffe Gospel Choir, the name changed (circa 1973?) to Kuumba Singers. The organization promotes, preserves, and presents the full spectrum of African American choral music. Repertory includes spirituals, gospel, African folk, blues, jazz, and rhythm and blues. Includes flyers, pamphlets, and programs.

Open for research.

General information by and about the Organization for Black Unity, November-December 1969 (HUD 3656.4000)

Representatives of Black groups at Harvard formed the Organization for Black Unity, frequently referred to as OBU, in November 1969. The organization included Black students from the College and the Graduate Schools, as well as some Black workers in the University. The goal of the organization was to consolidate political efforts and to coordinate speakers and social events for Black groups on campus, as well as to coordinate interdisciplinary skills toward the building of a Black nation. The group appears to have disbanded in mid-1970.

Website: Harvard Black Graduate Student Alliance (2018-2019)

The Harvard Black Graduate Student Alliance, formerly known as the Black Graduate Alliance, seeks to foster a greater sense of unity among the various Black communities across all the Harvard University graduate schools. The Alliance website provides information on the goals of the group, its executive board, and how to contact the group. Website and social media collected by the Harvard University Archives as part of the records of the Harvard Black Graduate Student Alliance.

See also:

Harvard Black Graduate Student Alliance Facebook feed (2018-2019)

Website: BlackC.A.S.T. (Harvard Black Community and Student Theater Group) (2019)

The Harvard Black Community and Student Theater Group (BlackC.A.S.T.) provides students of color with a greater opportunity to be involved in theater and gives students of all races and ethnicities the chance to become acquainted with performance art of the African Diaspora. The BlackC.A.S.T. website provides information on leadership, productions, and its history. Website collected by the Harvard University Archives as part of the records of Harvard BlackC.A.S.T.

Website: Harvard Graduate Music Forum Conference 2017 : Black Lives Matter : Music, Race, and Justice (2017-2019)

The Black Lives Matter: Music, Race, and Justice Harvard Graduate Music Forum Conference is an interdisciplinary music conference seeking to interrogate the place of music, musicians, and sound in light of the Black Lives Matter movement and the crises to which it responds. The conference website provides information for the rationale of the conference, the conference schedule, guest speakers and discussants, a call for papers, and information for navigating Harvard. Website collected by the Harvard University Archives as part of the records of the Harvard Graduate Music Forum.

Website: Eleganza Show (2020)

The Eleganza Show is focused on celebrating the rich diversity of Harvard’s student body through cutting-edge fashion and dance. It provides a space for all identities to engage in the exciting, energetic beauty of self-expression. Through the annual show, it also emphasizes a commitment to the community by donating all profits to the Center for Teen Empowerment, a Boston nonprofit that engages at-risk youth in vehicles for artistic expression. The Eleganza website provides information on their history, leadership, sponsors, and models. Website and social media collected by the Harvard University Archives as part of the records of Harvard BlackC.A.S.T.

Harvard KeyChange is the co-ed forum for Black a capella expression on Harvard College's campus. Founded in 2006, KeyChange performs music solely from the African Diaspora. The KeyChange Twitter feed provides notices of events and additions to online accounts. Social media collected by the Harvard University Archives as part of the records of Harvard KeyChange.

The Harvard Generational African American Students Association seeks to provide a space both to foster community on Harvard's campus and to raise awareness/spark social change in issues pertaining to the legacy of slavery in the United States. The Harvard Generational African American Students Association Facebook feed highlights events and topics of interest to the community. Social media collected by the Harvard University Archives as part of the records of the Harvard Generational African American Students Association.

Website: Harvard College Eritrean-Ethiopian Students Association (2019-2020)

The Harvard College Eritrean-Ethiopian Students Association seeks to bring about awareness and understanding of Eritrean and Ethiopian culture to the Harvard community, as well as to residents of the Cambridge and Boston area. In addition, the group strives to create a venue where Eritrean and Ethiopian students and those interested in Eritrean and Ethiopian culture can interact and learn from one another’s experiences. The Eritrean-Ethiopian Students Association website provides information on its mission, history, and leadership. Website collected by the Harvard University Archives as part of the records of the Harvard College Eritrean-Ethiopian Students Association.