Kate Black social activism papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Kate Black social activism papers
- Date
- 1987-2002 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 3.2 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- AIDS activists -- Kentucky.
- AIDS (Disease) in Women.
- Correspondence.
- Ephemera.
- Gay and lesbian studies.
- Health care.
- Photographs
- Postcards -- Kentucky.
- Prisons
- Women political activists.
- Women political prisoners
- Baraldini, Silvia, 1947-
- Whitehorn, Laura
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject.
- Preferred Citation
- 2018ms003 : [identification of item], Kate Black social activism papers, 1987-2002, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Katherine J. Black was born in Corning, Arkansas, in 1952, and is one of eight children. She attended Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois, where she graduated in 1974 with a B.A. in Southern Studies. She pursued her interest in Appalachian Studies through the Appalachian Oral History Project at Alice Lloyd College in Kentucky and later worked with the Appalachian Legal Defense Fund.
- Kate went back to school to pursue a master's degree in library science, and worked in public libraries before working at Eastern Kentucky University and, later, the University of Kentucky. She worked at UK as the curator for the Appalachian Collection from 1986 to her retirement in 2013. She remained active in public health, social welfare, and prison reform.
- She is the author of the book, Row by Row: Talking with Kentucky Gardeners, published in 2015.
- Scope and Content
- The Kate Black social activism papers (dated 1987-2002; 3.2 cubic feet; 4 boxes) comprise correspondence, flyers, guides, pamphlets, clippings, and newsletters that document Kate Black's social activism in Lexington, Kentucky, regarding AIDS awareness for women and those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender; prison reform for female prisoners; and prisoners identified as political prisoners, particularly Laura Whitehorn and Silvia Baraldini. The collection has been organized into two series, although there can at times be overlap in the case of prisons and AIDS. While Black was an activist in Lexington, materials reflect a national view and contain flyers, programs, and other ephemera related to AIDS activism in larger cities, particularly New York City, Washington D.C., and San Francisco.
- Of particular interest in the series of prison reform is the extensive correspondence between Black and Laura Whitehorn and Silvia Baraldini, who were both prisoners at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington during the 1980s and 1990s. Laura Whitehorn was very active in AIDS and health education while in prison, and their letters reflect health fairs, conditions in the prison, and the health of prisoners. Correspondence from Silvia Baraldini reflect the efforts to release her from the United States to her home country of Italy, her health, and living conditions. Baraldini's correspondence continued after she was repatriated to Italy to serve the remainder of her sentence there. Letters with both women display a warmth and friendship with Black that lasted many years. All the files maintain original order and have not been reorganized chronologically.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
AIDS Activism, 1988-2002
Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases (WORLD) newsletters, 1993-2002
Women and AIDS newsletters, resources, safe sex handbooks, flyers, 1990-2000
AIDS Volunteers of Lexington (AVOL) prison project, 1992-1994
Women in prison with HIV/AIDS research files, 1992-1994
AIDS Awareness research files with clippings, articles, notes, 1988-1996
Lesbian, Gay, and AIDS: Film and video research files and film festival flyers, 1988-2001
March on Washington program, stickers, articles, 1993
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender (LGBT) flyers; Stonewall March 25th anniversary stickers, exhibit and brochure; clippings, newsletters, 1994-1995
Political prisoner activism, 1987-2001
Political prisoner research files containing brochures, pamphlets, flyers, and clippings, 1989-2001
Laura Whitehorn and Silvia Baraldini correspondence, clippings, art, and activism regarding their care and release, 1987-2001
Silvia Baraldini release campaign correspondence, flyers, petition, clippings, 1990-2000
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
