Former DirectorAlexia Hudson-Ward on the collection
Oberlin History: race and social justice activism
Anti-Slavery Collection at Oberlin College Library is a nationally significant collection of value to researchers of American anti-slavery movements as well as the history of Oberlin. It consists of around 2500 printed titles (many are multi-volume) most of which have been cataloged and can be searched using the online catalog.
"It is proposed to make in the college library an anti-slavery collection, complete as possible, for the future historian, in which shall be gathered every book, every pamphlet, every report, every tract, every newspaper, and every private letter on the subject. For such a collection nothing is unimportant. Scattered here and there these documents are all but worthless, but gathered in one collection they would be priceless." Rev. Henry Matson, librarian at Oberlin College, quoted in the Oberlin Weekly News, February 29, 1884.
- Oberlin College Library Anti-Slavery Collection at the Internet ArchiveLink to digitized items from the Oberlin College Anti-slavery collection at the Internet Archive.
- Oberlin and the Civil War Digital Collection"Oberlin and the Civil War," a digital collection of Civil War era materials in the Oberlin College Archives.This project was published June 22, 2012.
Elusive Utopia by Call Number: EBookISBN: 9780807169568Publication Date: 2018-12-05Before the Civil War, Oberlin, Ohio, stood in the vanguard of the abolition and black freedom movements. The community, including co-founded Oberlin College, strove to end slavery and establish full equality for all. Yet, in the half-century after the Union victory, Oberlin?s resolute stand for racial justice eroded as race-based discrimination pressed down on its African American citizens. In Elusive Utopia, noted historians Gary J. Kornblith and Carol Lasser tell the story of how, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Oberlin residents, black and white, understood and acted upon their changing perceptions of race, ultimately resulting in the imposition of a color line.
- Oberlin HistoryA subject guide highlighting both secondary and primary resources. An excellent place to start if you are wanting to know more about the history of Oberlin College.
Oberlin Authors
Oberlin College's Alumni on race, equality and social justice
The Voice of Anna Julia Cooper by Call Number: E185.86 .C58214 1998ISBN: 0847684083Publication Date: 1998-01-01This is the first collection of Cooper's major writings, including many never before published.
Jailed for Freedom by Call Number: JK1901 .S85 2008ISBN: 9780939165254Publication Date: 1995-03-21A firsthand account of the National Woman's Party, which organized and fought a fierce battle for passage of the 19th Amendment. The suffragists endured hunger strikes, forced feedings, and jail terms.
The Progress of Colored Women by Call Number: HQ1121 .T425 1898ISBN: 9781987693775Publication Date: 2018-04-10Mary Church Terrell was an icon in the civil rights movement, advocating for equality and social justice for black women through a lifetime of campaigning and eloquent oration.
Oberlin Digital Collections
- Mary Church Terrell: An Original Oberlin ActivistThis exhibition of materials from the Oberlin College Archives explores the life and work of Mary Church Terrell through four lenses: learning, labor, leadership, and legacy.
- The Oberlin Sanctuary ProjectThe Oberlin Sanctuary Project provides a forum for research, reflection, and discussion of what it means to be a sanctuary campus or community.
Campus resources
- Multicultural Resourc Center (MRC)The Multicultural Resource Center provides programs and services that affirm and promote equity for students of color, LGBTQ+ students, and first-generation college students. We are committed to working with campus and community partners to create a climate where all students belong and have equitable opportunities and outcomes.
- The Yeworkwha Belachew Center for Dialogue at Oberlin College (YBCD)The center promotes social change through conflict transformation, mediation, community building, and dialogue. The Office of the Ombudsperson coordinates and manages the activities of the center.
- Music - Background & Getting Started: Diversify your RepertoireA subject guide linking to a variety of sources for music by often underrepresented musicians.