Are you interested in learning about the history of Baltimore, Maryland and social issues such as police relations, social protests, inequality, discrimination, and more? Check out the finding aids for primary sources from the archives below.
Special Collections and Archives holds numerous collections documenting the history of the Baltimore, Maryland community throughout the 20th century. Below is a list of finding aids for several collections from the archives related to civil rights, discrimination, police relations, social protests, community organizing, and related issues in Baltimore, Maryland. Search our database for more collections!
WMAR-TV Collection (R0130-WMAR)
This collection documents news and television programs that illustrate the social, cultural, political, and economic trends of everyday life and events around Baltimore city and the state of Maryland during the mid to late 20th century. Some significant topics represented by the television news, programs, and documentary style stories in this collection include local events, local and national politics, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the 1968 riots, the Civil Rights Movement, discrimination, African American history, and local community stories.
Access digitized WMAR-TV Collection footage in the Internet Archive
Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights Records (R0168-OCR)
This collection contains materials from the former library of the Baltimore Office of Civil Rights and documents the work of the Community Relations Commission, an agency within the Office of Civil Rights. Some significant topics documented by this collection include employment, discrimination, housing, the city's response to civil disorder in 1968, mediation resources, population decline issues in the city during the 1970s, and the city's Race Relations Summit in 1990. Check out the finding aid for more.
Criminal Justice Commission Records (R0028-CJ)
This collection contains reference files dated 1820-1973 originally established for use by the Criminal Justice Commission in Baltimore, Maryland. Materials include reports, news clippings, studies, conference proceedings, jury reports, manuscript material related to the mission of the organization and its operation, and microfilm records. Subjects of note include Baltimore police activities, crime activities and statistics, the 1968 riots in Baltimore, bail bonds, and other topics related to criminal justice. Check out the finding aid for more.
Baltimore Sixty-Eight Riots Collection (R0142-BSR)
This collection contains oral history interview audio and text transcripts from the University of Baltimore "Baltimore '68: Riots and Rebirth" project. The oral history interviews in this collection were conducted between 2006 and 2008 by University of Baltimore students and partners for the project led by University Professors Elizabeth Nix, Jessica Elfenbein, and Thomas Hollowak. The interviews were conducted with a diverse group of individuals who were present in Baltimore in 1968 and who shared their experiences during the time before, during, and after the riots in Baltimore. Interviewees included families, business owners, public officials, National Guardsmen, teachers, ministers, teenagers, housewives, and community members. Several well-known individuals who participated in interviews for this project include Thomas D'Alesandro III (43rd mayor of Baltimore, 1967-1971), William Donald Schaefer (Baltimore City Council president in 1968, 44th mayor of Baltimore, 1971-1987, and the 58th Governor of Maryland, 1987-1995), Marvin Mandel (56th Governor of Maryland, 1969 – 1979), Nia Redmond, Thomas Ward, Chester Wickwire, and Melvin Douglas Williams ("Little Melvin" Williams). The interviews discuss topics such as community and individual experiences, the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the loss of homes and businesses, looting, and police interactions.
Visit the Baltimore '68: Riots and Rebirth project website for more about the larger project.
American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland Records (R0002-ACLU)
This collection documents the history and work of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Maryland between 1919 and 2019. It includes organizational records and histories of the nonprofit relating to the board, director, chapter files, and committees in addition to files regarding civil rights, litigation, and programs the organization has been involved in or worked on over the years. Notably, the collection includes the Thompson v. HUD files, and other files and reports relating to issues such as housing, discrimination, abortion, education, and others. Check out the finding aid for more.
Betty Garman Robinson Papers (R0157-BGR)
The collection documents Betty Garman Robinson’s community organizing and social justice work in Baltimore throughout the 1980s-2000s. Betty Garman Robinson has been a community organizer in Baltimore, Maryland since the 1970s. She has contributed to multiple nonprofit and grassroots organizations including Citizens Planning and Housing Association (CPHA), Baltimore Neighborhood Collaborative (BNC), Save Middle East Action Committee (SMEAC), Northeast Good Neighbors (NEGN), and others. In 2003, Robinson was awarded an Open Society Institute Fellowship to teach the history of social justice and community organizing in Baltimore. This collection contains Robinson’s community organizing records, correspondence, teaching documents, collected research and community organizing training materials, and organizational records. Check out the finding aid for more.
And dive into the collection with the Organization, Education and Empowerment: Betty Garman Robinson's Activism in Baltimore digital exhibit.
Chester L. Wickwire Papers (R0031-CLW)
Chester L. Wickwire (b. 1913 – d. 2008) was a social and political activist who advocated for civil rights and social welfare and fought against segregation in twentieth-century Baltimore, Maryland, and who was a Chaplain emeritus of Johns Hopkins University. Wickwire is known for his civil rights leadership and involvement in social activism and advocacy work with numerous groups such as the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Baltimore. This collection documents his work with Levering Hall YMCA at Johns Hopkins University, his position as Chaplain, and his social advocacy work in the Baltimore, Maryland community. Check out the finding aid for more.
Fred E. Weisgal Papers (R0161-FEW)
Fred E. Weisgal was an active Baltimore civil rights attorney, Israeli government official, and jazz musician. Mr. Weisgal’s career began in Baltimore in the 1940s when he fought and won a suit to admit black students to the Maryland Institute art school (now MICA). He then joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) where he continued to fight for civil rights. Weisgal represented a number of noteworthy civil rights cases during his career in Baltimore before emigrating to Israel. This collection consists of Fred E. Weisgal’s professional papers, personal and professional correspondence, and other records relating to his personal and professional activities. Check out the finding aid for more.
Contact Special Collections and Archives to research using these collections and others! Or search out database online below!
The Preserve The Baltimore Uprising Archive Project is a collaborative effort from the Baltimore community to document and preserve the content created in 2015 after the death of Freddie Gray. According to the website, the digital repository collects and makes accessible original materials created by individuals, grassroots and nonprofit organizations, and witnesses to protests against police brutality, vigilantism, racial injustice, and inequality.
The 2015 Baltimore Uprising by 
Baltimore Revisited by 
A Beautiful Ghetto by 
World to Come: the Baltimore Uprising, Militant Racism, and History by 
The Lines Between Us by 
