Just like the student curators of the Archiving Social Movements exhibit, you too can preserve and archive the voices and histories of social movements – including both significant and lesser-known events in culture and society related to activism, civil rights, education, environmentalism, labor, politics, war and more – by contributing to Special Collections and Archives of The Claremont Colleges Library.
We welcome a variety of materials related to and depicting activism and social movements:
- Digital images, photographs and/or videos of protests, strikes, sit-ins, organizational meetings or signage.
- Original writings by individuals like diaries, journals, poetry, essays, short stories and novels.
- Documentation like newspaper clippings, meeting agendas and notes, letters and other materials.
- Ephemera and two-dimensional materials such as flyers, booklets, pamphlets and signs.
In order to donate materials to our collection, which will then be accessible for students, faculty and other community members to research and explore, you will need to own the materials and ensure that the content does not include personal information (phone numbers, social security numbers, medical information, etc.). Once you are ready with your materials, please complete this form or email Special Collections to make arrangements to donate any physical items which cannot be uploaded through the submission form.
These renewed efforts to expand the Library’s Social Movements Collection were inspired by the previously mentioned Archiving Social Movements exhibit which was curated by the Spring 2023 Pitzer College English 161A Archiving Social Movements class, led by Visiting Assistant Professor Whitney DeVos (PO ’08). Their goal was to engage in the act of archiving to highlight voices of oppressed groups, marginalized communities and social movements as a form of activism. The exhibit features local examples of social movements throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, such as the Black Civil Rights Movement, Chicanx Movement and the United Farm Workers movement. Learn more about this exhibit and how to visit.
Please contact Special Collections with questions about donating items or about the exhibit.
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Photo Caption: Sit-in at Pendleton Business Office, Claremont University Consortium, 1975