Carl and Anne Braden Papers
The papers of Carl and Anne Braden, civil rights workers with the Southern Conference Educational Fund (SCEF), number approximately 4700 items. The material covers their work in the civil rights program throughout America from 1947 to 1967.
The collection includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, newsletters, financial records, mailing lists, and court records relating to their work with the SCEF and the civil rights program in general. There are also two tape recordings of the proceedings of the Washington Conference on Voting Restrictions in 1960. The collection also includes copies of Anne Braden's book The Wall Between in Polish and Italian.
Dates
- 1947-1967
Conditions Governing Access
Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Conditions Governing Use
The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.
Extent
5.5 Linear Feet (6 boxes)
Abstract
The papers of Carl and Anne Braden, civil rights workers with the Southern Conference Educational Fund (SCEF), number approximately 4,700 items. The material covers their work in the civil rights program throughout America from 1947 to 1967.
Biographical/Historical Note
Carl Braden (1914-1975) and Anne McCarty Braden (1924-2006) were journalists and activists known for their social justice work, particularly with the Civil Rights Movement, during the mid-20th century.
Carl and Anne met while working for the Louisville (KY) Times and married in 1948. They began working together to fight racial and social injustice, causes they dedicated their lives to. After writing for several newspapers in Kentucky, Carl and Anne were eventually blacklisted from employment due to their activism. They began working as field organizers for the Southern Conference Educational Fund (SCEF) and published a monthly newspaper for the organization, The Southern Patriot.
In 1958, Anne published The Wall Between, a memoir of race relations in the U.S. south. The story was based on the Bradens' experience helping an African-American family purchase a home in the height of Jim Crow housing practices for which Carl was convicted with sedition. Anne's book received high praise from civil rights leaders and was a runner-up for the National Book Award.
Carl and Anne had three children: James (b. 1951); Anita (b. 1953); and Elizabeth (b. 1960). Following Carl's death in 1975, Anne continued her activism and taught civil rights history at the University of Louisville and Northern Kentucky University. In 1990, she received the Roger Baldwin Medal of Liberty. Anne Braden died on March 6, 2006 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Arrangement
Collection consists of six boxes. The first five boxes are organized into subject files and are arranged alphabetically. Box number six contains miscellaneous pamphlets and newspaper clippings; notebooks; tape recordings; and assorted address cards. Copies of Anne Braden's book, The Wall Between, are cataloged in the Rare Books Collection.
Acquisition Note
This manuscript collection was presented to the University of Tennessee Library in 1968 by Carl and Anne Braden. The collection is part of the actual files belonging to the Bradens. The bulk of the Braden Papers had previously been given to the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository