Lotta Good Stuff Here

A photograph of Rosa Parks circa the 1950's and a paper written by Parks about segregation are some of the items in the Rosa Parks archive, seen during a media preview at the Library of Congress, Madison Building, in... A photograph of Rosa Parks circa the 1950's and a paper written by Parks about segregation are some of the items in the Rosa Parks archive, seen during a media preview at the Library of Congress, Madison Building, in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) MORE LESS
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The papers and photographs of the late Rosa Parks being opened up for scholars at the Library of Congress and a more limited selection will be on view for the public. As the piece notes, this is particularly important for Parks since this is a woman who is all but frozen in time in the public mind for a single iconic moment, even a single photograph. “I think it’s one of the first times we’re actually able to read her voice, and it just totally goes against this image of the quiet seamstress,” says Margaret McAleer, a Library of Congress archivist. “Her writings are phenomenally powerful.” Another thread of the story: the papers were locked up in a legal struggle between heirs and friends for years. Then last year philanthropist Howard Buffett (Warren’s son) bought the whole thing and placed it on a long term loan to the Library of Congress. Wealth deployed to a powerful, public end. Read more here.

Personally, I can’t wait to see the digitized collection open up.

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