Correspondence, 1965-1982

Scope and content:

A large portion of the collection's correspondence is between Nancy Sours and her "folks," particularly her mother, Annie; stepfather, Harold Sours; and sister, Nicolette ("Nikki") Hope Sours. Letters home date almost entirely from 1965 and 1966, covering a period while she worked in Moss Point, Vossburg, and Quitman, Mississippi, and then later following her relocation to San Francisco, California. She writes about conditions for civil rights workers in Mississippi as well as tensions and overlaps between the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, SNCC, COFO, and SCLC. Some correspondence reveals her dislike of SCLC ("I get damn sick of hearing MLK proclaimed the savior of the universe when everybody knows that he's made no attempts to create local leadership and SCLC is run on an anti-democratic, hierarchical basis under Big Brother", letter from 1965 April 1). Other letters describe recurring violence and cross-burnings by the Ku Klux Klan against Black communities and individuals. She discusses her arrests and pending court cases.

Letters home from later in 1966 include updates on her activities in San Francisco, including her membership and activism with Students for Democratic Society. Her letters attempt to reassure her parents that she is not "living with a crowd of hippies" (1966 July 12-13).

Sours' correspondence also documents her personal relationships and health concerns. She dated several different people, and many letters document her deep feelings as well as her sexual attraction to them. She had relationships and love affairs with men who were white, Black, and Asian. Letters at times document her deep depression, and some letters received from her parents reflect their concern for her mental health and medical care. She also discusses reproductive health, including attaining birth control pills in Mississippi (1965 Dec. 2); abortions among other civil rights workers or friends in San Francisco; her fear of pregnancy "despite the pills" (1966 August 23); and recurring bladder and vaginal issues she experienced.

The Correspondence series also contains letters from Sours' family, friends, boyfriends, and fellow activists. Sours' parents and sister, Nikki, corresponded regularly and shared their activities, including travel in Europe in the late 1960s. Nikki Sours writes about her coursework and living in Oxford, England, including entrance exams for the university. Letters from Nancy's friends tend to discuss their civil rights work and movements around Mississippi, news and updates from mutual friends, and personal health or living arrangements. Some letters from Nancy's friend Mary document her suicide attempt and mental health treatment, and the accidental drowing death of their mutual friend, also a civil rights worker in Mississippi. Other letters discuss past or present relationships between Nancy and different sexual and romantic partners. At times, letters discuss current literature, music, and fashion trends and tastes.

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