The HCAC public history focused digital archive cataloging is an ongoing process, and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. We welcome your comments and feedback if you have more information to share about an item featured on the site, please contact us at: HCAC-DigiTeam@si.edu
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about the defense team for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard), on trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper, being denied calling an extra ballistics witness by the judge. The prosecution contended the witness was not valid since the defense team missed the cutoff date to add witnesses to their list.
A newspaper article from The Star Ledger about the defense team for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) being rejected in their motion to have a mistrial called after disturbances in the courtroom on March 2, 1977, during Shakur’s trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. The article also discusses physical evidence presented by the prosecution.
A newspaper article from The Star Ledger about bullet fragments the prosecution is putting into evidence in what they hope is the last week in their case against Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. Defense attorneys questioned if the fragments were marked on the scene in an unusual way.
A newspaper article from The Home News about the all white jury in the murder trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. Courts have decided that the jury selection is fair since the selections are made from voter registration rolls. Shakur was convicted in 1977 of the killing and escaped prison in 1979.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) being in New Jersey to stand trial for the May 1973 killing of a state trooper. Shakur was convicted in 1977 of killing the state trooper during a shootout, escaped prison in 1979, and is still wanted by the FBI.
A newspaper article from Home News about chemical and neutron activation tests both being inconclusive on the matter of whether Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard), the other defendants, or the state trooper had fired the gun in question in Shakur’s trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about defense attorneys for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) filing suit to move her trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper to the federal court. They contend that her civil rights are being violated in at least two ways. The litigation came during jury selection.
A newspaper article from The Rutgers Daily-Targum about the defense team for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard), who was on trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper, opening their case by calling for dismissal of the murder charge on the grounds that she cannot be convicted since Clark Squire has already been convicted of the killing.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about an administrative hearing for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) being scheduled for July 27th. The hearing will determine if Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) should be moved out of solitary confinement and into women's general population. She was on trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about testimony on ballistics and gunshot trajectories given by two different expert witnesses in the trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. The judge in the case barred the jury from learning that one of the experts was hired by the defense.
A newspaper article from The Home News about Stanley Cohen, the chief defense counsel in the murder trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper, being found dead in his Manhattan apartment. At the time of reporting, the cause of death was unknown.
Case Data and Exhibits for Brown III, a relitigation of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) that corrected resegregation issues caused by open enrollment school choice in 1992. Charts and spreadsheets analyzing the estimated capacities for student instruction for Topeka, Kansas, area schools for the 1980-1981 school year.
Mr. Peterson was born in 1891 and was a lifelong resident of Clinton. He talks about his parents being born into slavery; the Clinton Riot; his Christian faith; and his education, specifically giving an overview of the curriculum of his school at the turn of the century.
Ceolia Herman was born in McGee, Mississippi, in 1904 and came to Jackson in 1919 to go to high school while living with her sister until getting married and moving to Chicago. She moved back and worked as a nurse and then in a cleaners. She recalls the "Good Old Days" as days when she was younger and didn't have to worry about anything.
Attorney Carsie Hall moved to Jackson in 1921 to attend Jackson College. He passed the bar exam in 1953 and operated a law firm in the Farish Street District. He talks about a case he worked with the Freedom Marchers during the Civil Rights Movement. He discusses the effect of desegregation on Black businesses and current revitalization efforts.
Carrie Washington was born in 1895 and moved to the Farish Street District in 1933 and has lived there since. Ms. Washington talks about her time in the district and her experiences working in the homes of white people. She also talks about businesses and buildings in the district and the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.
Carolyn Cannon Lindsey attended Smith Robertson School as an elementary student beginning in 1952. At the school she completed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades. She discusses the segregation of schools during that time. She also recalls some of her teachers and fondest memories of her time as a student there.
Carolyn Parker began working with the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) in 1966 after years of working clerical jobs for different human rights organizations. She talks about her work in the Civil Rights Movement and the role of community organization in the beginning of Head Start.
Mr. Myers was the owner of Myers Coffee Company on Farish Street. He talks about his business as well as other businesses in the district and breaks down the different sections of the neighborhood.
A card from Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) to her husband, Nuh Abdul Qaiyum, who is imprisoned. The front of the card is a depiction of a bridge. She writes of the beauty of Black and imagines a day where there will be no fight, and they can be the beautiful people they truly are.
A card from Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) to her husband, Nuh Abdul Qaiyum, who was sentenced to prison in 1975 for a 1971 Black Liberation Army (BLA) connected shooting of police officers in New York. She relates her desire to become a complete person and expresses the need for mutual love and effort for her and her husband to last together.
A card from fellow Black revolutionary and friend of Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika), Curtis. The front of the card is a depiction of a man with a gun and text explaining that only through the gun can freedom be realized by the Black people. On the back of the card he writes “We send you this with revolutionary love and concern, Curtis.”
A card from Ashanti Alston, a Black Liberation Army (BLA) member who was imprisoned for 11 years for a robbery to raise money for the BLA, to an unknown recipient. A collage of Malcolm X photos is on the cover. He updates the recipient on a pregnancy and marriage taking place and informs them of his schedule and admits to procrastination.
A newspaper article from The Black Panther arguing that the greed inherent in capitalism leads to racism which leads to a fascist state defined by police brutality on Black people. The author writes that capitalism is “a parasitic growth that devours whole countries,” and therefore police brutality is a form of genocidal extermination.
Case Data and Exhibits for Brown III, a relitigation of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) that corrected resegregation issues caused by open enrollment school choice in 1992. An April 1976 report by Ted Clark that explains the facilities improvements for Topeka Public Schools that were prioritized and funded in 1975 and 1976.
A side-view photograph of businesses on N. Farish Street in the Farish Street Historic District. At the time of the photograph, the businesses were closed and the building was in disrepair.
A front-view photograph of businesses on N. Farish Street in the Farish Street Historic District. At the time of the photograph, the businesses were closed and the building was in disrepair.
The estimated budget for funding Head Start in Mississippi from September 26, 1966, to September 29, 1967, the first year of Head Start operating in Mississippi. This budget proposal covered 13,500 Mississippi children in 170 centers across 37 counties. It also funded 20 administrative areas with staff and a central office in Jackson, Mississippi.
Case Data and Exhibits for Brown III, a relitigation of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) that corrected resegregation issues caused by open enrollment school choice in 1992. List of analysis materials used by William Lamson in his expert testimony preparation for the Brown v. Topeka III litigation.
Brown Scott was born in 1912 and came to Jackson in 1951. He recalls the "Good Old Days" as a comparison between the past and present: they were good in the sense that people enjoyed them at the time, but what is good now is quite different. He discusses racial issues he faced in Jackson and being in Europe in the Army for World War II.