Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections
@nu-archives.bsky.social
Northeastern University's Archives & Special Collections preserves and provides access to records of Boston's neighborhood social justice organizing and infrastructure history and Northeastern's history.
On this day in 1956 Freedom House held an Open House Tea and Art Exhibit with photos from Otis Finley, a former Tuskegee Airman, who in 1961 became the associate director for education & youth services with the National Urban League. Second from the right is Freedom House co-founder Muriel Snowden.
October 7, 2025 at 2:44 PM
On this day in 1956 Freedom House held an Open House Tea and Art Exhibit with photos from Otis Finley, a former Tuskegee Airman, who in 1961 became the associate director for education & youth services with the National Urban League. Second from the right is Freedom House co-founder Muriel Snowden.
Happy American Archives Month! Here is our Processing Archivist, Irene Gates, rehousing recently transferred records from Northeastern’s Student Government Association! Rehousing is one of the first steps in collections care to help prepare for future processing and inventory. Thank you to Irene!
October 2, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Happy American Archives Month! Here is our Processing Archivist, Irene Gates, rehousing recently transferred records from Northeastern’s Student Government Association! Rehousing is one of the first steps in collections care to help prepare for future processing and inventory. Thank you to Irene!
Are you catching fall spirit after yesterday's equinox? Pictured here are some folks from 1973 loading pumpkins at Brigham Farm in Concord. Photograph by Boston Globe photographer Ted Dully.
September 23, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Are you catching fall spirit after yesterday's equinox? Pictured here are some folks from 1973 loading pumpkins at Brigham Farm in Concord. Photograph by Boston Globe photographer Ted Dully.
🎈 Happy birthday Elma Lewis! 🎈
Today marks what would have been Ms. Elma Lewis’s 104th birthday! Take a moment to celebrate the legacy of Ms. Lewis by learning more about her work that impacted arts and artists throughout Boston and beyond. subjectguides.lib.neu.edu/elmalewis
Today marks what would have been Ms. Elma Lewis’s 104th birthday! Take a moment to celebrate the legacy of Ms. Lewis by learning more about her work that impacted arts and artists throughout Boston and beyond. subjectguides.lib.neu.edu/elmalewis
September 15, 2025 at 12:59 PM
🎈 Happy birthday Elma Lewis! 🎈
Today marks what would have been Ms. Elma Lewis’s 104th birthday! Take a moment to celebrate the legacy of Ms. Lewis by learning more about her work that impacted arts and artists throughout Boston and beyond. subjectguides.lib.neu.edu/elmalewis
Today marks what would have been Ms. Elma Lewis’s 104th birthday! Take a moment to celebrate the legacy of Ms. Lewis by learning more about her work that impacted arts and artists throughout Boston and beyond. subjectguides.lib.neu.edu/elmalewis
Were hard hats in your back to school supplies list? For students in the 1988 “Kids Building Boston” program they were! 50 students from the McKay School in East Boston participated in an educational program following the three year process of building 125 High Street in Boston’s Financial District.
September 4, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Were hard hats in your back to school supplies list? For students in the 1988 “Kids Building Boston” program they were! 50 students from the McKay School in East Boston participated in an educational program following the three year process of building 125 High Street in Boston’s Financial District.
Find some fall semester workspace inspiration in the Boston Globe Library Collection's “Desks” file featuring photos of: Harvard Law School secretary Mary McCarthy in '64, a 3rd grader in a Quincy salvage yard filled with desks in '82, census office employees assembling cardboard desks in '70.
August 18, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Find some fall semester workspace inspiration in the Boston Globe Library Collection's “Desks” file featuring photos of: Harvard Law School secretary Mary McCarthy in '64, a 3rd grader in a Quincy salvage yard filled with desks in '82, census office employees assembling cardboard desks in '70.
On this day, May 27th in 1969, a “Conference on Curriculum Materials for the Study of Black History” was held at the National Center of Afro-American Artists and was sponsored by the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO). View the full agenda here: hdl.handle.net/2047/D20689402
May 27, 2025 at 1:51 PM
On this day, May 27th in 1969, a “Conference on Curriculum Materials for the Study of Black History” was held at the National Center of Afro-American Artists and was sponsored by the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO). View the full agenda here: hdl.handle.net/2047/D20689402
Happy Melnea Cass Day! On May 22, 1966, over 650 community leaders gathered to pay tribute to the “First Lady of Roxbury” Melnea Cass. 52 years later, in 2018, then-Mayor Marty Walsh declared May 22, 2018 "Melnea Cass Day" See more records of Melnea Cass's legacy here: bit.ly/melneacass
May 22, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Happy Melnea Cass Day! On May 22, 1966, over 650 community leaders gathered to pay tribute to the “First Lady of Roxbury” Melnea Cass. 52 years later, in 2018, then-Mayor Marty Walsh declared May 22, 2018 "Melnea Cass Day" See more records of Melnea Cass's legacy here: bit.ly/melneacass
Take a look at what being in thick of archival processing looks like! Julia, Aleks, and Irene have been working on fully processing the Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) records, a 140+ box collection!
May 7, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Take a look at what being in thick of archival processing looks like! Julia, Aleks, and Irene have been working on fully processing the Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) records, a 140+ box collection!
In a May 5th issue of Sampan published in 2000 they published the story “Building a Voice: What has Chinatown Learned from 50 years of development” reviewing the decades of issues Chinatown residents have faced. Read the article here: hdl.handle.net/2047/D20403166
May 5, 2025 at 1:54 PM
In a May 5th issue of Sampan published in 2000 they published the story “Building a Voice: What has Chinatown Learned from 50 years of development” reviewing the decades of issues Chinatown residents have faced. Read the article here: hdl.handle.net/2047/D20403166
On this day in 1965 thousands were led by Martin Luther King Jr. from Carter Playground to the Boston Common for a Freedom Rally. A poster distributed explaining reasons for the march stated:
“In short we march to protest the lie that New Boston can be built without social justice”
“In short we march to protest the lie that New Boston can be built without social justice”
April 23, 2025 at 2:53 PM
On this day in 1965 thousands were led by Martin Luther King Jr. from Carter Playground to the Boston Common for a Freedom Rally. A poster distributed explaining reasons for the march stated:
“In short we march to protest the lie that New Boston can be built without social justice”
“In short we march to protest the lie that New Boston can be built without social justice”
Hold your horses! Today is the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride from Boston to Lexington!
Here is a photograph a"Paul Revere" in 1969 by the Minuteman statue in Lexington observing the anniversary of his persona's famous ride taken by Boston Globe photographer Ted Dully.
Here is a photograph a"Paul Revere" in 1969 by the Minuteman statue in Lexington observing the anniversary of his persona's famous ride taken by Boston Globe photographer Ted Dully.
April 18, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Hold your horses! Today is the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride from Boston to Lexington!
Here is a photograph a"Paul Revere" in 1969 by the Minuteman statue in Lexington observing the anniversary of his persona's famous ride taken by Boston Globe photographer Ted Dully.
Here is a photograph a"Paul Revere" in 1969 by the Minuteman statue in Lexington observing the anniversary of his persona's famous ride taken by Boston Globe photographer Ted Dully.
Yesterday we welcomed medical residents with a special interest in caring for patients with HIV to view our HIV/AIDS activism records from ACT UP/Boston, AIDS Action Committee, Fenway Community Health, and the Boston Living Center. Find more info on the collections here: bit.ly/HIVArchivesNU
April 16, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Yesterday we welcomed medical residents with a special interest in caring for patients with HIV to view our HIV/AIDS activism records from ACT UP/Boston, AIDS Action Committee, Fenway Community Health, and the Boston Living Center. Find more info on the collections here: bit.ly/HIVArchivesNU
This photograph of Theater Offensive founder Abe Rybeck accurately portrays how we're feeling on this sunny spring day watching the flowers begin to bloom in Boston. Good luck to everyone preparing for finals this week!
April 14, 2025 at 3:37 PM
This photograph of Theater Offensive founder Abe Rybeck accurately portrays how we're feeling on this sunny spring day watching the flowers begin to bloom in Boston. Good luck to everyone preparing for finals this week!
Happy National Library Week! Here are some photos from July 1986 taken by Janet Knott at the old Dudley Street Library (now the Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library). Knott photographed folks browsing the stacks, reading aloud and reading independently.
April 7, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Happy National Library Week! Here are some photos from July 1986 taken by Janet Knott at the old Dudley Street Library (now the Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library). Knott photographed folks browsing the stacks, reading aloud and reading independently.
Batson reflected on her work alongside Lyda Peters, Cassandra Way, Dorothy Batson Owusu, & Susan Batson: “We are a group of five African American women bound together by family ties and friendship, a love for our people and a strong belief in the value of the best education possible for ALL."
April 1, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Batson reflected on her work alongside Lyda Peters, Cassandra Way, Dorothy Batson Owusu, & Susan Batson: “We are a group of five African American women bound together by family ties and friendship, a love for our people and a strong belief in the value of the best education possible for ALL."
On the cover of the 25th anniversary report of the Ruth Batson foundation is a collage of thank you notes from Roxbury educator Miss Nora Toney’s 1992-1993 classes of 4th and fifth graders who a grant form the foundation for student field trips responding to the theme “Respect & Diversity.”
April 1, 2025 at 8:16 PM
On the cover of the 25th anniversary report of the Ruth Batson foundation is a collage of thank you notes from Roxbury educator Miss Nora Toney’s 1992-1993 classes of 4th and fifth graders who a grant form the foundation for student field trips responding to the theme “Respect & Diversity.”
Alison Bechdel is the NU Dept. of English’s 2025 Hanson Lecturer. You can see the impact Bechdel's work in our archives! Bechdel’s comic strip, Dykes to Watch Out For ran regularly in the Gay Community News (GCN), along with Bechdel's custom illustrations for GCN. bit.ly/NUASCBechdel
March 12, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Alison Bechdel is the NU Dept. of English’s 2025 Hanson Lecturer. You can see the impact Bechdel's work in our archives! Bechdel’s comic strip, Dykes to Watch Out For ran regularly in the Gay Community News (GCN), along with Bechdel's custom illustrations for GCN. bit.ly/NUASCBechdel
Ellen Jackson, co-founder and leader of Operation Exodus, reported over 350 students were enrolled in new schools thanks to Operation Exodus’s challenge of Boston’s Open Enrollment policy, enrolling students from Roxbury at less crowded schools in Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, and Dorchester.
February 25, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Ellen Jackson, co-founder and leader of Operation Exodus, reported over 350 students were enrolled in new schools thanks to Operation Exodus’s challenge of Boston’s Open Enrollment policy, enrolling students from Roxbury at less crowded schools in Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, and Dorchester.
“No one has any right to use the public schools to carry on segregation in America.” “One of the purposes of education is to teach children how to perpetuate society. There is no place for racism in the classrooms.” - Albert Raby Sept. 16, 1965, to Operation Exodus parents, photo by Frank O'Brien.
February 25, 2025 at 7:58 PM
“No one has any right to use the public schools to carry on segregation in America.” “One of the purposes of education is to teach children how to perpetuate society. There is no place for racism in the classrooms.” - Albert Raby Sept. 16, 1965, to Operation Exodus parents, photo by Frank O'Brien.
It’s hard to imagine posing for photos in Boston’s icy winter, but in Charles H. Bruce's images, you can see subjects in warmer weather through the lens of a Black photographer in the early 1900’s. Bruce photographed people and buildings in Boston throughout his life and is pictured himself below.
February 19, 2025 at 3:36 PM
It’s hard to imagine posing for photos in Boston’s icy winter, but in Charles H. Bruce's images, you can see subjects in warmer weather through the lens of a Black photographer in the early 1900’s. Bruce photographed people and buildings in Boston throughout his life and is pictured himself below.
Happy Valentine’s Day from The Onyx, Northeastern's Black student newspaper! Shown here are clippings of Valentine’s inclusions by Onyx staff published in their February 1975 issue alongside articles about WRBB’s A Soul’s Place radio program and Project Ujima.
February 14, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Happy Valentine’s Day from The Onyx, Northeastern's Black student newspaper! Shown here are clippings of Valentine’s inclusions by Onyx staff published in their February 1975 issue alongside articles about WRBB’s A Soul’s Place radio program and Project Ujima.
No pressure - but did you ever imagine the valentines you send could end up in an archive? Take a look at archival valentines found in the Elma Lewis papers which include a note from artist Tom Feelings that reads: “to Elma who loves—and knows and then passes it on —like it was passed on to her”
February 13, 2025 at 3:05 PM
No pressure - but did you ever imagine the valentines you send could end up in an archive? Take a look at archival valentines found in the Elma Lewis papers which include a note from artist Tom Feelings that reads: “to Elma who loves—and knows and then passes it on —like it was passed on to her”
“Been to your local library lately?” In the 1980s Gay Community News asked their readers to engage with local libraries and encourage them to include the Gay Community News among the periodicals on their shelves and in their microfilm. Read some GCN for yourself here: hdl.handle.net/2047/D20370611
February 6, 2025 at 9:26 PM
“Been to your local library lately?” In the 1980s Gay Community News asked their readers to engage with local libraries and encourage them to include the Gay Community News among the periodicals on their shelves and in their microfilm. Read some GCN for yourself here: hdl.handle.net/2047/D20370611
Happy Lunar New Year! In 1990 the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) held a Lunar New Year celebration at the Golden Palace in Boston attendees included CPA leader, Suzanne Lee seated with Nelson Merced and Rep. Byron Rushing with Frieda Garcia. Learn more about CPA here: bit.ly/CPAHistory
January 29, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Happy Lunar New Year! In 1990 the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) held a Lunar New Year celebration at the Golden Palace in Boston attendees included CPA leader, Suzanne Lee seated with Nelson Merced and Rep. Byron Rushing with Frieda Garcia. Learn more about CPA here: bit.ly/CPAHistory