Brenetta Howell Barrett Papers
Scope and Contents
The Brenetta Howell Barrett Papers offers documentation of nearly 150 organizations from Chicago's West Side as well as another 125 local and national groups, some dating back to the 1950s. Significant records of her work include leadership in Chicago's civil rights movement as well as key roles in such organizations as the Chicago Black United Fund and the Pathfinders Prevention Education Fund, the Harold Washington mayoral campaigns and the Westside Association for Community Action.
Dates
- Creation: 1942-2006
Creator
- Barrett, Brenetta Howell, 1932- (donor., Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions
Conditions Governing Use
Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection
Extent
61 Linear Feet : in 93 boxes, includes 383 photos
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
A lifelong Chicagoan, Brenetta Howell Barrett was a leader and political activist in West Side community organizations. She served in the mayoral administrations of Harold Washington and Eugene Sawyer. Active in housing, environmental and civil liberties issues, she was also involved in community protests in the 1960s and 1970s. Her papers include correspondence, office files, programs, clippings, photographs and memorabilia.
Arrangement
Papers are arranged into 15 series
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Deed of gift from Brenetta Howell Barrett, June 25, 2007. Additional material received February 2013
Subject
Genre / Form
- Archives.
- History.
- Memorial service programs.
- Periodicals.
- Personal correspondence.
- Photographs.
- Programs (Publications)
- Records (Documents)
- Sources.
Geographic
- Chicago (Ill.) -- Social conditions -- 20th century.
- Illinois -- Chicago -- West Side.
- Illinois -- Chicago.
- West Side (Chicago, Ill.) -- History -- Sources.
Topical
- African American women -- Illinois -- Chicago.
- African American women political activists -- Illinois -- Chicago.
- African American women political activists.
- African American women.
- African Americans -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Politics and government.
- African Americans -- Politics and government.
- Minority business enterprises.
- Participation.
- Political campaigns -- Illinois -- Chicago.
- Political campaigns.
- Small business -- Illinois -- Chicago.
- Small business.
- Social conditions.
- Title
- Guide to Brenetta Howell Barrett Papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jeanie Child, Harsh Archival Processing Project; supervised by Michael Flug, Senior Archivist, Harsh Archival Processing Project. Edited and ingested into ArchivesSpace May 2022, C. Fife Townsel
- Date
- 2013
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Repository Details
Part of the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection Repository
Woodson Regional Library
Chicago Public Library
9525 S. Halsted Street
Chicago IL 60628 United States
(312) 745-2080
harshcollection@chipublib.org