PARSONS, SARA MITCHELL, 1912-2011
Sara Mitchell Parsons papers,
1933-2002
Sara Mitchell Parsons papers, 1933-2002
Emory University
Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
Atlanta, GA 30322
404-727-6887
rose.library@emory.edu
Permanent link: http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/8zr41
Table of Contents
Descriptive Summary
| Creator: | Parsons, Sara Mitchell, 1912-2011 |
|---|---|
| Title: | Sara Mitchell Parsons papers, 1933-2002 |
| Call Number: | Manuscript Collection No. 946 |
| Extent: | 1.5 linear ft. (3 boxes) and 2 oversized bound volume (OBV) |
| Abstract: | Papers of activist and author Sara Mitchell Parsons including correspondence, photographs, printed material, a scrapbook, and writings by Parsons. |
| Language: | Materials entirely in English. |
Administrative Information
Restrictions on access
Unrestricted access.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.
Source
Gift, 2003.
Citation
[after identification of item(s)], Sara Mitchell Parsons papers, Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, Emory University.
Processing
Teresa Burk, September 2003.
This finding aid may include language that is offensive or harmful. Please refer to the Rose Library's harmful language statement for more information about why such language may appear and ongoing efforts to remediate racist, ableist, sexist, homophobic, euphemistic and other oppressive language. If you are concerned about language used in this finding aid, please contact us at rose.library@emory.edu.
Collection Description
Biographical Note
Sara Bedell Perry was born April 18, 1912 in Canton, Georgia, Cherokee County. After her parents divorced, Sara moved to Atlanta with her mother and spent her high school years here. Sara married George Raymond Mitchell in June of 1933 and had three children: Ray Mitchell Jr., Susan Mitchell Rogers, and Perry Mitchell. She served as president of the League of Women Voters of Atlanta from 1958-1963, and was awarded Atlanta's Good Neighbor of the Year 1965. She was elected citywide to the Atlanta Board of Education (ABE) in 1961, and met with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to ask his advice for how to improve Atlanta's Black public schools. Parsons subsequently enjoyed a close friendship with Coretta Scott King until Mrs. King's death. Parsons served on the ABE until 1969. She divorced in 1965 and married Thomas S. Parsons a Humboldt State University professor in December of 1968. She continued her social activism in Humboldt County, California until 1986 when she returned to Atlanta, Georgia. She was named 1994 Role Model of the Year by the Older Women's League in Atlanta. She published her memoir, From Southern Wrongs to Civil Rights in 2000.
Scope and Content Note
The collection consists of the papers of Sara Mitchell Parsons from 1933-2002. The papers include correspondence, photographs, printed material, a scrapbook, and writings by Parsons. The bulk of the correspondence is from the late 1990s through 2002 and relates to her book, From Southern Wrongs to Civil Rights, and its publication. Notable in the correspondence are letters from the King family, including Martin Luther King Jr. The printed material, mostly newspaper clippings, documents education, segregation and the Civil Rights movement among others. Also in the collection are a small number of photographs, Sara Mitchell Parson's diaries from 1964 and 1970 and scrapbooks from her 1961 campaign for election to Atlanta Board of Education and a subsequent scrapbook about that election and service to the board through 1969
Arrangement Note
Arranged by record type.
Selected Search Terms
Personal Names
Corporate Names
Topical Terms
- African Americans--Civil rights.
- African Americans--Education--Georgia--Atlanta.
- Women--Georgia--Atlanta--Political activity.
- African Americans--Segregation.
- Civil rights movements--United States.
- Women--Georgia--Diaries.
Geographic Names
Form/Genre Terms
Occupation
Container List
| Correspondence, 1961-2002 | ||
| Box | Folder | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Atlanta School System, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1983, undated |
| 1 | 2 | Book: From Southern Wrongs to Civil Rights, 1980s |
| 1 | 3 | Book: From Southern Wrongs to Civil Rights, 1990s |
| 1 | 4 | Book: From Southern Wrongs to Civil Rights, 2000-2002, undated |
| 1 | 5 | Fan Mail, 2000-2001 |
| 1 | 6 | Fan Mail, 2002, undated |
| 1 | 7 | High School Football, 1963, 1968 |
| 1 | 8 | Martin Luther King Jr. and family, 1963-2001 |
| 1 | 9 | Miscellaneous, 1963-1964, 200-2002 |
| Photographs, 1933, 1953, 1965, 1969 | ||
| 1 | 10 | Family and others, some undated |
| Printed Materials, 1956-2002 | ||
| 2 | 1 | Atlanta School System, 1960-1969, 1999, undated |
| 2 | 2 | Book Research, From Southern Wrongs to Civil Rights, 1963-1997, undated |
| 2 | 3 | Book Reviews and Publicity, 2000-2002, undated |
| 2 | 4 | California Years, 1981, 1987, undated |
| 2 | 5 | Civil Rights Movement, 1960-2000, undated |
| 2 | 6 | High School Football, 1963, 1983, 1987, undated |
| 2 | 7 | Ku Klux Klan, 1976, 1983, 1988, 2000, undated |
| 2 | 8 | Liberalism, 1978, 1981, 2001, undated |
| 2 | 9 | Martin Luther King Jr. Center, 1980-2002, undated |
| 3 | 1 | Martin Luther King Jr. and Family, 1960s-1970s |
| 3 | 2 | Martin Luther King Jr. and Family, 1980s-1990s, undated |
| 3 | 3 | Segregation- Churches and Schools, 1956-1996, undated |
| Scrapbook, 1961 | ||
| OBV1 | - | Campaign for Atlanta Board of Education, 1961 |
| OBV2 | - | Atlanta Board of Education, 1961-1969 |
| Writings, 1964-2002 | ||
| 3 | 4 | Diary, 1964 |
| 3 | 5 | Diary, June 24, 1970- January 6, 1981 |
| 3 | 6 | Diary Entries, 1962, 1972, 1981, 1992, undated |
| 3 | 7 | Drafts and Research Notes for From Southern Wrongs to Civil Rights, undated |
| 3 | 8 | Speeches and Editorials, 1973, 1983, undated |
v1.11.0-dev