African-American Petition Against Segregated Schools in Salem, 1844
A petition to the school committee of the City of Salem fighting for the desegregation of Salem Public Schools
Poem Written by Charlotte Forten, 1856
Charlotte Forten Poem and Description
A poem written by Charlotte Forten, published in the Salem Register at Salem State College, read by Forten at the graduation ceremony of the Class of 1856
A Better Chance Program Booklet, 1967
Pamphlet Link and Description of the Program
A Better Chance (ABC) Program booklet and pamphlet describing the purpose of the program in integrating Black students into Andover public and private schools
Andover Townsman Article Phillips Academy Afro-American Society, 1969
An Andover Townsman article describing the creation and purpose of an Afro-American Society on campus at Phillips Academy on January 16th, 1969
“Blacks Unite” The Log Salem State College, 1969
An article in The Log describing the experiences of Black students on the campus of Salem State College and their demands for their own center on campus
“Derogatory remarks lead to call for teacher's removal”, 1977
Article Published in Bay State Banner
An article describing an incident at Salem State College where a teacher used racist language and a group of students called for the teacher’s removal
“High School Day” Program, 1973
A program describing an agenda and statement of purpose for “High School Day” sponsored by the Salem State College Afro-American Society, March 7, 1973, when the society invited Black high school students to campus for programming, Salem State University Archives
Projects
Let None Be Excluded – Peabody Essex Museum Philips Library: A virtual exhibition of Peabody Essex Museum’s Let None Be Excluded: The Origins of Equal School Rights in Salem exhibit which showcases the history of youth Black activism in education in Salem
Celebrating Charlotte Forten – Salem State University: A summary of Charlotte Forten’s life, work, and impact. Charlotte Forten was the first female Black graduate of Salem State University and a trailblazing youth Black activist in education.
References
“African-American Petition Against Segregated Schools in Salem.” 1844. Peabody Essex Museum Phillips Library Archives.
Andover Committee for A Better Chance. “ABC Pamphlet.” 1967. Andover Center for History and Culture, Andover, MA.
Article describing the creation and purpose of an Afro-American Society at Phillips Academy. Andover Townsman, January 16, 1969.
“Derogatory remarks lead to call for teacher’s removal” Tarter, Margaret . Bay State Banner (1965-1979) ; Boston, Mass. [Boston, Mass]. 11 Aug 1977: 1.
Forten, Charlotte. “Valedictory Poem.” Salem Register, July 28, 1856. Salem State Archives, Salem, MA.
Tulouiecki, Nancy. “Blacks Unite.” The Log. December 12, 1969. pg 8. Salem State University Archives.
Program describing an agenda and statement of purpose for “High School Day” sponsored by the Salem State College Afro-American Society. March 7, 1973. Salem State University Archive.
The references for these sources contain as much information as was available to Essex Heritage at the time. Many of the sources used on this site are from a previous initiative, Teaching Hidden Histories. If you have any questions concerning a particular citation, feel free to contact us at info@essexheritage.org and we will do our best to assist you.
