Chapel Hill-Carrboro Civil Liberties Union records, 1967-1996

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Summary

Creator:
American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina. Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chapter and Human Rights Archive (Duke University)
Abstract:
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro (CHC) Civil Liberties Union was established as a chapter of the North Carolina Civil Liberties Union (NCCLU, now known as ALCU of NC) in September 1971. Its activities have focused on fundraising efforts, education, and outreach related to civil liberties particularly, freedom of speech, separation of church and state, gun control, voting, drug testing, and other issues. Collection contains administrative materials created and collected by the Board of Directors and include meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, financial statements, fundraising and event files, policy guides, briefs, clippings, and other assorted materials spanning 1967-1996. Also included is the newsletter Civil Liberties News, later called Liberty, that provides an overview of activities from different state chapters including the CHC chapter. Topics include but are not limited to Freedom Fair and the annual Brazilian-style Carnaval for fundraising, public forums and meetings on civil liberties issues, student essay contests, Bill of Rights Day, and the Charles and Dorcas Jones award. Acquired as part of the Human Rights Archive.
Extent:
3 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials in English.
Collection ID:
RL.13122

Background

Scope and content:

Collection contains mainly administrative materials from the CHC Civil Liberties Union chapter created and collected by former members of the Board of Directors spanning 1967-1996. Administrative materials include meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, financial statements, fundraising and event files, policy guides, briefs, clippings, and other assorted materials. Also included is the newsletter Civil Liberties News, later called Liberty that provides an overview of activities from different state chapters including the CHC chapter. Materials in general focus on but are not limited to fundraising efforts such as the annual Brazilian-style Carnaval, Freedom Fair, and others, as well as educational, outreach, and advocacy activities through such as student essay contests, public forums and programming, and Bill of Rights Day for topics related to free speech, drug testing, separation of church and state including the Star of Bethlehem and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, censorship, gun control, voting rights, and civil liberties more broadly.

Biographical / historical:

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro (CHC) Civil Liberties Union was established in September 1971 as a local chapter of the North Carolina Civil Liberties Union (NCCLU, now known as the ACLU of NC). Its first president was Barry Nakell, a professor at the University of North Carolina's School of Law. The Board of Directors for the chapter have included lawyers, cooperating attorneys for ACLU, educators, and other civil libertarians, who have determined the course of activities of the chapter including fundraising efforts, education, and outreach.

As part of the ACLU, the chapter's work focused broadly on supporting civil liberties related to freedom of speech, separation of church and state, gun control, voting, drug testing, and other related topics. Notable activities for the chapter have included the celebration of Bill of Rights Day, carrying out events such as Apple Chill, Festifall, and the annual Brazilian-style Carnaval since 1985 for outreach and fundraising, public meetings and forums particularly from the 1980s-1990s on gun control, drug testing, death penalty, and others to educate on civil liberties, the development of an annual essay contest aimed at students, and the creation of the Charles and Dorcas Jones award in 1993 for those advocating for civil liberties.

Source: Baron, Samuel H. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Civil Liberties Union: A Brief History, Chapel Hill, N.C.: 1996.

Acquisition information:
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Civil Liberties Union records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2025.
Processing information:

Processed by Tere Elizalde, March, 2025

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2025-0009

Arrangement:

Materials are arranged in chronological order.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Chapel Hill-Carrboro Civil Liberties Union records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1jx76