Archives and Special Collections
92 Snell Library
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-2351
archives@neu.edu

Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids

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Collection Overview
Title:	Muriel S. and Otto P. Snowden papers
Dates:	1911-1990 (bulk 1947-1985)
Location:	71/1, 72/4, FF1/D1
Call Number:	M17
Volume:	6.33 cubic ft. (7 boxes)
Scope and Content Abstract:	The collection documents family, education, employment and community work prior to the founding of Freedom House, as well as service on boards of outside organizations, and personal awards. Highlights include: speeches given by Muriel S. Snowden, materials concerning, and correspondence between, Muriel S. Snowden and her brother William Sutherland, a peace activist in the U.S. and Africa, materials that document the Snowden's efforts to create a democratic parent teachers association as members of the Higginson School's Home and School Committee, and personal photographs of the Snowden and Sutherland families, including daughter, Gail Snowden.
Historical Abstract:	Muriel S. and Otto P. Snowden were the founders and co-directors of Freedom House, a center for neighborhood improvement and community activism in the racially mixed neighborhood of Roxbury, Massachusetts. From 1949 until their retirement in 1984, the Snowdens were influential leaders in Boston's African American community. Muriel S. Snowden was raised in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, graduated from Radcliffe College in 1938, and attended the New York School of Social Work from 1943-1945. She married Otto P. Snowden in 1944 and moved to Boston where she became active in many civic organizations. She was executive director of the Cambridge Civic Unity Commission. Otto Phillip Snowden lived in Boston for most of his life. He graduated from Dorchester High School, attended Howard University from 1933-1937, and was a special graduate student at Boston University School of Social Work. He was director of St. Mark's Social Center before and after his military service in World War II. He was active in many professional and civic associations and was co-recipient of numerous awards with his wife.
Arrangement:	Organized into 3 series: 1. Muriel S. Snowden Papers; 2. Otto P. Snowden Papers; and 3. Muriel S. and Otto P. Snowden Papers.
Subjects and Contributors:	Snowden, Gail. Snowden, Muriel Sutherland, 1916-1988. Sutherland, William, b. 1918. Snowden, Otto Phillip, 1914-1995. Freedom House, Inc. (Roxbury, Boston, Mass.). Cambridge Civic Unity Commission (Cambridge, Mass.). St. Mark Social Center (Roxbury, Boston, Mass.). African American civic leaders--Massachusetts--Boston. African American women political activists--MassachusettsBoston. African Americans--Political activity. Boston (Mass.)--Race relations. Community Development, Urban--Massachusetts--Boston.
Restrictions:	The collection is unrestricted.

Processor:	Finding aid prepared by Nancy Richards, Ellen Lassiter, December 1997, November 2005

Scope and Content Note
The founders of Freedom House, Muriel S. and Otto P. Snowden were community activists in Boston best known for their co directorship of Freedom House in Roxbury. Their activism began long before the founding of Freedom House in 1949 and lasted after their retirement from Freedom House in 1986 until their deaths. Due to the Snowden's devotion to Freedom House and the Upper Roxbury community, their activities as Freedom House co-directors and those as members of the community often overlapped. Speaking engagements and organizational memberships may have been a result of their work with Freedom House, and friendship networks outgrowths of relationships they developed through their work. When the Records were accessioned, therefore, personal papers were intermixed with Freedom House records. During processing, materials concerning the Snowden's responsibilities as co-directors of Freedom House were separated and removed from their personal papers (See Freedom House, Inc., Records 1941-1996 M16). The Snowden's personal papers and the records of Freedom House were transferred in four separate accessions which were largely unarranged. The Muriel S. Snowden and Otto P. Snowden Papers span ca. 1911-1990. The collection consists of approximately 6.5 cubic feet of records. The bulk of the collection documents family, education, employment and community work prior to Freedom House, representation on boards of outside organizations, public speaking engagements, and personal awards. The earliest material, 1911-1935 is primarily family photographs. Also included are political campaign materials from their work on the campaigns of local politicians, and a small amount of material from their consulting business, Snowden Associates.

Historical Note
As the co-directors of Freedom House from 1949 until their retirement in 1984, the Snowdens were influential leaders in Boston's African American community. Muriel Sutherland Snowden(MSS) (1916-1988) was raised in New Jersey, graduated from Radcliffe College in 1938, and attended The New York School of Social Work from 1943-1945. In 1944 she married Otto P. Snowden and moved to Boston. She was a member of a number of civic organizations and was the Executive Director of the Cambridge Civic Unity Committee prior to co-founding Freedom House. She was a lecturer on race relations and taught community organizing at Simmons College School of Social Work. MSS was also a member of the board of many prominent institutions, including Babson College; Harvard University; the New England Aquarium; Shawmut Bank of Boston; Boston Museum of Science; the Boston Community-Media Committee; Civic Education Foundation, Lincoln Filene Center, Tufts University; the University of Massachusetts; the National Conference of Christians and Jews--New England Region; James Jackson Putnam Children's Center; and the Radcliffe Black Women's Oral History Project. Muriel Snowden represented her community as the first African American to serve on many of these boards. During the course of her life, Muriel Snowden received numerous honors and awards. These included citations from the national Urban League Fellowship, Radcliffe College, Simmons College, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and the Salvation Army. In 1988 the Boston School Committee voted to rename Copley Square High School in her honor. Muriel Snowden received honorary degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Babson College, Stonehill College, and Boston College. In June 1987, shortly before her death, she received a grant from the MacArthur Foundation. Otto Phillip Snowden (1914-1995) lived in Boston most of his life. He graduated from Dorchester High School, attended Howard University from 1933-1937 and was a Special graduate student at Boston University School of Social Work. His student activism for civil rights began when he was in middle school and continued throughout his college years. He directed St. Mark Social Center in Roxbury, Massachusetts both before and after serving in World War II. He quit his job as Director to work without pay to found Freedom House. From 1949 through 1984, he co-directed Freedom House with his wife. He was a Commissioner of Boston's Parks and Recreation Department from 1949-1956, and in 1975 he became a Commissioner of the Boston Housing Authority. Otto Snowden was also involved in many professional and civic associations, including the Boston Branch NAACP; Booth Memorial Home of the Salvation Army; Work Incentive Program, Division of Employment Security; Boston City Department of Civil Defense, Disaster Squad; American Red Cross, Boston Chapter; Massachusetts Committee for Jobs Unlimited for Negroes and Other Minorities; Mayor's Committee on Civic Progress (Hynes); Citizens Advisory Committee on Urban Renewal (Collins); and the National Conference of Christians and Jews--New England Region. He was a trustee of Northeastern University from 1978-1995. Otto Snowden's awards included life-time achievement award from the NAACP, Kiwanis Man of the Year award, Black Advocates for Quality Education award, and the Salvation Army Other award. He received honorary degrees from Northeastern in 1980 and from Boston College and Simmons College in 1984. He was co-recipient of numerous awards with his wife.





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Series:	1. Muriel S. Snowden Papers, 1934-1990
Volume:	4.5 cubic ft.
Arrangement:	Alphabetical within five subseries. Subseries A and B are arranged chronologically. Subseries C and D are arranged alphabetically. Organized into 5 subseries: A.) Personal, 1943-1990; B) Educational, 1934-1984; C.) Professional, 1948-1989; D.) Board membership, 1947-1989 and E.) Speeches, n.d., 1960-1987.
Summary:	Files are arranged in five subseries: A) Personal files contain resumes and other biographical information including a memorial program and tribute by Gail Snowden; genealogical charts for the Sutherland family; information about family members including correspondence with her brother William Sutherland, peace activist in the U.S. and in Africa and coordinator of the Pan African Conference in Dar Es Salaam in 1974; and Margaret Williams, who provided housing to Muriel when she studied at Radcliffe. Correspondence consists of letters from friends, and concern her outside activities such as board memberships and speaking engagements. Researchers should refer to correspondence in the Freedom House, Inc., Records 1941-1996 M16 for related materials. Personal files also contain materials concerning a European trip in 1967 and her attendance at the Pan African Conference in 1974. B) Educational files include her yearbook from Glen Ridge High School and 50th reunion materials, and course work from the New York School of Social Work. C) Professional files document Muriel Snowden's work outside of Freedom House and document her directorship of the Cambridge Civic Unity Committee, and teaching at the Simmons School of Social Work and Wellesley College. Also included are newspaper clippings relating to her work. D) Board Membership files contain materials that document her active involvement on the boards of a number of local and national civic organizations. Routine mailings from these organizations were discarded, E) Speeches and notes for speeches given as co-director of Freedom House and for other speaking engagements given as a community organizer are included.
Box	Title			Date
	A. PERSONAL
		Biographical Materials
1			Snowden, Muriel Sutherland (2 folders)	1948-1990
1			Sutherland family	n.d, 1948-1982
1			Sutherland, William (2 folders)	1943-1983
1			Williams, Martha Armstrong	1967-1969
1		Correspondence (14 folders)		1943-1988
1		European Trip Itinerary		1967
1		Pan-African Conference (4 folders)		1974
	B. EDUCATIONAL
1		Glen Ridge High School		1934-1984
1		New York School of Social Work (8 folders)		1943-1945
	C. PROFESSIONAL
1		Award Certificates and Programs		1959-1989
FF1/D1		Awards		n.d.
1		Award Correspondence		1951-1988
1-2		Cambridge Civic Unity Committee (5 folders)		1948-1954
2		MacArthur Grant		1987
2		Newspaper Clippings		1948-1988
2		Retirement Celebration		1984
2		Simmons College School of Social Work (15 folders)		1954-1974
2		Wellesley College, Sociology		1949
	D. BOARD MEMBERSHIP
2		Agency for International Development		1963-1964
2		Amandla Festival of Unity		1979
2		American National Red Cross		1955-1965
2		Babson College (3 folders)		1973-1985
2		Blanchard Foundation		1973-1979
2		Boston Committee for Careers for Older Women		1980
2		Boston Community Media Committee (BCMC) (16 folders)		n.d., 1968-1984
2		Boston Council for International Visitors		1964-1978
2		Boston University Founders Day Institute (2 folders)		1951-1954
3		Brookline Community Relations Conference		1952-1953
3		Cambridge College Board of Trustees		1983-1986
3		Cambridge Youth Project		1953
3		Camp Ebanobscot		1949-1951
3		Citizens Council on Public Housing		1951-1952
3		City of Boston: Civic Improvement Committee (2 folders)		1951-1958
3		City of Boston: Committee for Civic Unity		1960-1965
3		Committee for Boston (2 folders)		1976-1979
3		Delta Kappa Gamma		1951-1955
3		Emancipation Proclamation Committee: Mayor's Office		1963
3		Emergency School Aid Act (ESSA) Evaluation Project Committee (2 folders)		1972-1978
3		Frances Emily Hunt Trust		1983
3		Friends of John D. O'Bryant		1981
3		Greater Boston Area Council		1952-1953
3		Harvard Associated Alumni		1972-1984
3		Harvard Board of Overseers		1976-1983
3		Harvard/Radcliffe: Afro-American Cultural Center		1969-1976
3		Harvard Visiting Committee		1971-1983
3		James Putnam Children's Center		1961-1970
3		JFK Library: 351 Conference		1981
3		Lincoln Filene Center		1963-1983
3		Massachusetts Civil Rights Conference		1958
3		Massachusetts Council on Crime and Corrections		1969-1970
3		Massachusetts Fair Employment Practice Commission		1947-1951
3		Midwest Center for Equal Educational Opportunity		1978
3		Minnesota Experimental City Steering Committee (4 folders)		1969-1987
3		Municipal Police Science Institute/State College at Boston Workshop		1968
3		Museum of Science		1975-1984
3		National Association for the Advancement of Colored People		1949-1979
3		National Association of Bank Women (3 folders)		1974-1979
3		National Association of Intergroup Relations (2 folders)		1951-1968
4		New England Aquarium		1966-1973
4		New Horizons Committee of the United Way of Massachusetts		1980-1981
4		New York State Committee on Discrimination in Housing		1950-1953
4		Newton High School Senior Symposium		1963
4		Parents Federation of Greater Boston		1950
4		Pinewoods Institute for Leaders in Social Welfare Planning (2 folders)		1960-1965
		Radcliff College
4			50th Anniversary	1987
4			Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility	1979-1980
4			Alumnae Association (2 folders)	1953-1984
4			Black Women's Oral History Project (4 folders)	1976-1989
4			Reunion	1983
4			Symposium on Black Women in Higher Education	1972
4			Women of Courage Photo Exhibit	1984-1990
4		Rhode Island College – Dept. of Sociology and Social Welfare		1978
4		Right-to-Read (2 folders)		1972-1973
4		Roxbury Boys Club		1968
4		Roxbury Community College Foundation		1985-1987
4		St. Mary's-in-the-Mountains Board of Trustees (2 folders)		1961-1974
4		Shawmut Bank (3 folders)		1973-1985
4		TransAfrica		1977-1985
4		United Community Service (5 folders)		1948-1970
4		University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees (5 folders)		1969-1979
5		Urban League (4 folders)		1948-1969
5		White House Fellows		1971-1976
5		Women for Citizenship		1964
5		Women of Color Conference		1983
5		World Affairs Council of Boston		1983-1985
5		YMCA Roxbury Building Fund		1964
	E. SPEECHES
5		Non-dated and Partial-text (3 folders)		n.d.
5		Speeches (15 folders)		1960-1987
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Series:	2. Otto P. Snowden, 1940-1986
Volume:	1.25 cubic ft.
Arrangement:	Alphabetical within three subseries. Subseries A is arranged alphabetically. Subseries B and C are arranged chronologically.Organized into 3 subseries: A.) Personal, 1948-1990; B.) Community Service, 1949-1988; and C.) Board membership, 1940-1979.
Summary:	Files are arranged in three sub-series A) Personal files contain resumes and other biographical information including documentation of his military service and his memorial service; letters of recommendation and correspondence of a personal nature, and concerning his outside activities such as board memberships. Researchers should refer to correspondence in the Freedom House, Inc. Records M16 for related materials. B) Professional files contain awards, newspaper clippings and materials that document his work as Executive Director of St. Mark Social Center in Roxbury, and C) Board Membership files contain materials that document Otto Snowden's active involvement on local boards and commissions. Routine mailings from these organizations were discarded.
Box	Title			Date
	A. PERSONAL
		Biographical Materials
5			Service Records	1942-1946
5			Snowden Family	1954-1981
5			Snowden, Otto	1942-1984
5		Correspondence (2 folders)		1948-1986
	B. PROFESSIONAL
5, FF1/D1		Awards (2 folders)		1963-1985
		St. Mark Social Center
5			Correspondence and Minutes	1944-1948
5			Employment Records and Registration	1942-1949
5			Nursery School	1946-1948
5			Publications and Publicity	1946-1948
	C. BOARD MEMBERSHIP
5		American Association of Group Workers		1949-1953
5		Black Exchange		1977
5		Boston Public Library Centennial Commission		1953-1954
6		Boston University: Afro-American Committee		1969
6		Boston University: H.R.C. Focus in Depth		1965
6		Boy Scouts of America, Boston Council		1952-1964
6		City of Boston: Dept. of Civil Defense		1951-1953
6		City of Boston: Parks and Recreation (8 folders)		1949-1961
6		Fair Housing, Inc. (2 folders)		1962-1967
6		Howard University Club of Greater Boston		1950, 1957
6		Massachusetts Citizens Farewell Reception Committee of 3rd Battalion of the 372nd Infantry		1940
6		Mid-Century White House Conference on Children and Youth (2 folders)		1950
		NAACP
6			41st Annual Convention	1950
6			Boston Branch (2 folders)	1950-1968
6			Boston Committee to Aid Reverse Freedom Riders	1962
6			Military Affairs Committee/Veterans Committee	1950-1951
6			National Convention	1968
6		New Boston Committee		1951
6		New England Home for Little Wanderers		1955
6		New England Regional Manpower Advisory Committee		1971-1974
6		Northeastern University		1977-1978
6		Roxbury Youth Program		1954
6		Salvation Army		1973
6		United Community Planning Corporation		1976-1979
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Series:	3. Muriel S. and Otto P. Snowden Papers, 1911-1990
Volume:	.60 cubic ft.
Arrangement:	Alphabetical. Organized into 3 subseries: A.) Personal, 1948-1990; B.) Community Service, 1949-1988; and C.) Photographs and Video Tapes, 1911-1984
Summary:	This series contains materials that document activities the Snowden's participated in jointly which were unrelated to their co-directorship of Freedom House. Files are arranged in three sub-series. A) Community Service files include awards given to Muriel and Otto together; materials on the Higginson School, Home and School Committee document their work with parents to set up a democratic parent-teachers group in the late 40s-early 50s. As a consequence of this work during the height of the McCarthy era, Otto was suspected of being a Communist. As community activists, Muriel and Otto were involved in political campaigns of their friends and supporters. Files include correspondence, flyers and fund-raising materials. B) Personal files include a small file on Gail (Trimmier) Snowden of newspaper clippings and correspondence; and correspondence from former Freedom House employee, Frances McGill consisting of "Dear People" letters written to her son and sent to her friends during her illness and five year hospitalization for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), 1974-1980. This correspondence chronicles her illness. C) Photographs and Video Tapes. Personal photographs document the Sutherland family; Muriel and Otto prior to their directorship at Freedom House, and receiving awards and honorary degrees; Muriel at Radcliffe; Snowden family vacations; and photos of Gail Snowden and of her daughter Leigh Trimmier. It also includes a video tape of the Cambridge College graduation in which Gail accepts of an honorary degree for her mother.
Box	Title			Date
	A. PERSONAL
6		McGill, Frances		1975-1980
6		Snowden, Gail Trimmier		1948-1990
	B. COMMUNITY SERVICE
6		Atkins, Thomas Mayor (2 folders)		1971
6		Awards		1957-1988
		Brooke, Edward
6			Representative	1952
6			Senate (3 folders)	1971-1972, 1978
6		Higginson Home and School Committee (2 folders)		1949-1951
6		Kennedy, Edward President		1968
6		Logue, Edward Mayor		1967
6		Political Campaign Materials		1950-1980
6		Snowden Associates		1974-1988
	C. PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEO TAPES
7		Cambridge College Video		1988
7		Radcliffe College		1937, 1963
7		Snowden, Gail and Family		ca. 1946-1980s
7		Snowden, Muriel S.		1938-1980s
7		Snowden, Otto P.		ca. 1947-1960s
7		Snowden, Otto P. and Muriel S. (2 folders)		ca. 1911-1919
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Archives and Special Collections 92 Snell Library 360 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02115 (617) 373-2351 archives@neu.edu

Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids

Printable Finding Aid. Back to Browsing Version.

Series:

1. Muriel S. Snowden Papers, 1934-1990

Series:

2. Otto P. Snowden, 1940-1986

Series:

3. Muriel S. and Otto P. Snowden Papers, 1911-1990

Archives and Special Collections
92 Snell Library
360 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 373-2351
archives@neu.edu