UofL Archives and Special Collections has many collections that document the work of individuals and organizations to create a more just society, and many resources that point out when our society has historically fallen short of this mark. These examples will give you a sense of what we have and where we might point you if you were doing a paper on social justice. (Scroll to continue and click on the images for a larger view.)
Oral Histories
The Oral History Center has been collecting interviews since the late 1960s, and has several series that document the experiences of individuals working for social justice. Interviewing projects have been conducted around busing for integration in the 1970s, the Civil Rights movement, racism, fair housing, and homelessness; with members of the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression; on the history of Louisville's LGBTQ movement; and with refugees.
Interviews with a speaker icon next to them are available online.
"The Truth is the Light," DDMT-CCC 1977
This pamphlet, produced by the DDMT-CCC, an organization established to educate people about the dangers of toxic chemical runoff from the South Memphis Defense Depot. The Defense Depot was located on high ground, above an area with predominately Black residents, exposing them to lead poisoning, in particular. This pamphlet comes from the papers of civil rights activist Anne Braden. Braden engaged with social justice issues at the national, regional, and local level, and her papers contain information about many organizations that she worked with to promote equity in all areas of life.
Activities of the National Refugee Service, Fall 1941
This bulletin outlining the work of the National Refugee Service (NRS) comes from the Jewish Community Federation of Louisville Records. It describes the work undertaken by the NRS to assist people fleeing Nazi persecution, and addresses concerns about State Department regulations. JCF of Louisville participated in the NRS's efforts. According to a UofL master's thesis, as of the approximate date of this report, Louisville had welcomed 295 individuals.
"Civil Rights in Louisville, 1961-1972," Human Relations Commission, Louisville, 1972
This booklet describes Louisville's progress in various areas of civil rights since the establishment of the Human Relations Commission in 1962. It describes the progress made in various areas including laws relating to public accommodations, housing, and employment. It also describes work that was unfinished: residential segregation persisted, Blacks faced a higher rate of unemployment than whites, and the criminal justice system, including the police, came down much harder on the Black community.
"No More, No Less: News From the Fairness Campaign," June 2001
The Fairness Campaign was founded in 1991 to fight discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. This issue of Fairness's newsletter celebrates their tenth anniversary along with the fifteenth anniversary of the first March for Justice, and gives a history of the organization's work to pass a fairness ordinance in Louisville. The ordinance was passed by Louisville's Board of Aldermen in 1999, and confirmed by Metro Louisville's Council following the merger of the city and Jefferson County.
