Image of the Week: From John M. Brooks Papers
As part of the Black History Month Blog, VCU Libraries' Special Collections and Archives will post weekly images from its collections of photographs, manuscripts, and other materials that document African American life and history in Virginia.
The image shown here is that of a 1959 letter to members of the Lake Charles, Louisiana community encouraging African Americans to be part of the political process. The document is from the John M. Brooks Papers housed in Special Collections and Archives. From the late 1950s through the early 1970s Brooks (1917-1980) served as Director of Voter Registration and Education for the NAACP. The collection includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, promotional materials, and other items documenting his work throughout the south including Virginia. Brooks, a long time Richmond resident, was one of the founders of the Richmond Crusade for Voters, one of the city's oldest civil rights organizations.
--Ray Bonis, Assistant Archivist for Collections, Special Collections and Archives