Table of Contents
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Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids
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| Collection |
| Title: | Elma Ina Lewis papers |
| Dates: | 1917-1998 |
| Call Number: | M38 |
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Scope and Content Note
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The collection spans 1917-1998 (bulk dates, 1970-1990). Early material comprises her father's personal papers. The collection documents Elma Lewis's family background and interactions, and it includes personal papers of her parents, Clairmont and Edwardine Lewis, and other family members.
The collection also documents Lewis' education, and it includes her writings on the history of the Center and the School; transcripts of interviews with Lewis on the arts in the African American community and the influence of Marcus Garvey; and materials documenting the 1971 libel suit Lewis brought against Rabbi Marvin Antelman of the Jewish Survival Legion after a press release was circulated that accused Elma Lewis of crimes against Jewish people.
Lewis' professional activities outside of the Center, the School, and the Museum as an advisory board member, committee member, panelist, lecturer, and spokesperson for educational and cultural organizations are also documented in the collection. Photographs and videotapes documenting her personal and professional life are found in the National Center of Afro-American Artists records (M42). |
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