Research Catalog

Middleton "Spike" Harris newspaper collection.

Title
Middleton "Spike" Harris newspaper collection.
Author
Harris, M. A., 1908-1977
Publication
1690-1973.
Supplementary Content
Finding aid

Items in the Library & Off-site

Filter by

93 Items

StatusContainerFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
box 1Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 1Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 2Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 2Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 3Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 3Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 4Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 4Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 5Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 5Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 6Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 6Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 7Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 7Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 8Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 8Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 9Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 9Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 10Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 10Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 11Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 11Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 12Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 12Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 13Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 13Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 14Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 14Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 15Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 15Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 16Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 16Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 17Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 17Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 18Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 18Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 19Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 19Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives
box 20Mixed materialRequest in advance Sc MG 34 box 20Schomburg Center - Manuscripts & Archives

Details

Description
19.58 linear feet (93 boxes)
Summary
  • Middleton A. Spike Harris was born January 22, 1908, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended local schools where he earned the nicknamed Spike from participating in track and field events. He graduated from Howard University with a B.A. in Sociology in 1931, and in 1965, he earned a master’s degree in social work from Fordham University. From 1931 until July 1935, Harris worked for the Boys Club, YMCA, and the Emergency Welfare Administration of New York City. In 1937, he was employed by the New York State Executive Department, Division of Parole, as a parole officer and supervisor, and retired in 1972. During World War II, Harris served as an American Red Cross Field Director in the Southwest Pacific. Harris’s interest in African American history was stimulated by his family's history, which dated to the colonial period. Propelled by his discoveries, Harris began to research the African presence in North America and began collecting original documents, books, prints, and newspapers. Over the years, Harris put together a substantial collection documenting the contributions of peoples of African descent to American history. Using these original materials and photocopies of original documents gathered from his research at the National Archives, historical societies, and libraries, he created exhibitions, slide shows, manuals, and monographs, primarily under the auspices of the Negro History Associates, an organization that he helped to establish. In 1963, Harris and fellow-collectors of Afro-Americana founded the Negro History Associates (NHA). Among those present at that meeting were Glenn Carrington, Thomas Feagens, Clarence Holte, Levi Hubert, and Marvin Warren. Like Harris, they wanted to include the contributions of African Americans into American history books and hoped that by creating the NHA they would be able to disseminate the information. Harris was the driving force of the organization, and he persuaded the other associates that the best approach was to use an audiovisual format to teach young people about the history of African Americans. He presented his idea to the Human Relations Bureau of the New York City Department of Education, and encouraged by the Bureau and his fellow collectors, he produced, at his own expense, a pilot filmstrip entitled "Meet Some Great Americans". After receiving positive commentary from the Bureau, Harris began work on the "Great American Series", which would eventually include filmstrips and booklets on scientist Lewis Latimer, inventor Granville Woods, and physician Dorothy L. Brown. Harris and Levi Hubert incorporated the NHA in 1964, via a partnership agreement, with Harris as the principal stockholder. The NHA Board consisted of the founding members and others, including Jean Blackwell Hutson, chief of the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature, History and Prints; Martin Jacobwitz, a collector of anti-slavery coins; and author/actress Gertrude McBrown. Each member brought his/her knowledge of Afro-Americana and/or technical skills to the enterprise, which included research; consulting; and artistic, photographic, and printing skills. From 1964 to 1969, its most active period, the NHA produced filmstrips; erected commemorative plaques on city buildings (most of which are no longer there); produced exhibitions; published books; and sold photographic prints of persons, places, events, documents, and newspapers. Income was generated by the sales of the filmstrips and photographs, which together with Harris’s financial contributions (from his savings and salary) kept the NHA afloat.
  • The Middleton Spike Harris newspaper collection consists of newspapers from various U. S. states, the majority from the East Coast and from the 19th century. There are also some newspapers from London, England. Included are multiple publications per state, most with various issues.
Subjects
Source (note)
  • Purchase from Middleton "Spike" Harris, ca. 1976-1977.
Location of Other Archival Materials (note)
  • Also available in the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: Middleton "Spike" Harris Civil War and Reconstruction collection, Sc MG 34; Middleton "Spike" Harris papers, Sc MG 34; Middleton "Spike" Harris slavery and abolition collection, Sc MG 34
Call Number
Sc MG 34
OCLC
1263820905
Author
Harris, M. A., 1908-1977, collector.
Title
Middleton "Spike" Harris newspaper collection.
Production
1690-1973.
Type of Content
text
still image
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
sheet
Location of Other Archival Materials
Also available in the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: Middleton "Spike" Harris Civil War and Reconstruction collection, Sc MG 34; Middleton "Spike" Harris papers, Sc MG 34; Middleton "Spike" Harris slavery and abolition collection, Sc MG 34
Source
Purchase from Middleton "Spike" Harris, ca. 1976-1977.
Connect to:
Finding aid
Research Call Number
Sc MG 34
View in Legacy Catalog