Walter J. Taylor papers, 1934-2000

Using These Materials Teaser

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
More about accessing and using these materials...

Summary

Creator:
Taylor, Walter J., 1934-2002 and Human Rights Archive (Duke University)
Abstract:
Walter J. Taylor (1934-2002) was a Black man from California who was incarcerated multiple times from the 1950s through the 1970s, including a period at San Quentin and Folsom prisons (1968-1973). During this latter period in jail, Taylor founded the Sisters of Motivation and the Community Concern for Prisoners organizations to help Black Americans convicted of crimes. Collection consists largely of materials from Taylor's time in prison and later as a community activist in Berkeley, California. Most of the materials comprise Taylor's incoming correspondence during his incarcerations in the 1950s through the 1970s, which includes letters from a variety of people, especially women participating as pen pals in the Sisters of Motivation organization. Other frequent writers are Taylor's wives, girlfriends, family members, and community organizations that he had contacted regarding his imprisonment and the general condition of Black men in prison. Other materials include personal items documenting Taylor's life, as well as writings and creative works by Taylor. Acquired as part of the Human Rights Archive at Duke University.
Extent:
5 Linear Feet (8 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.01279

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of personal papers, prison materials, writings and creative works, and correspondence, largely dating from the 1950s to the 1970s. Collection materials document Taylor's life, particularly his experiences in prison, his love interests, and his advocacy for prisoners' rights. To a lesser extent, the collection also reflects Taylor's interest in and creation of music, poetry, and other writings.

The Personal Papers series consists of materials documenting Taylor's life, activities, and interests outside of prison. Early materials (1934-1950s) include vital records such as birth and marriage certificates, school and DMV records, and a few other items. Personal materials from the 1970s primarily document Taylor's advocacy for prisoners' rights, particularly with his founding of the Sisters of Motivation and Community Concern for Prisoners. Also included are items related to Taylor's employment with the Thresholds program and his participation in political and community campaigns. Later personal materials (1980s) are composed primarily of newspaper clippings, including ones related to the "Stinky Rapist" case, materials from Taylor's Oldies but Goodies store, and a few other items.

The Prison Materials series includes items such as police reports and accounts of Taylor's burglary in 1967, San Quentin Inmate Advisory Council certificates, grades from his classes at the prison's school, and parole papers. Though this is a small series, it offers insight into Taylor's activities during an earlier incarceration from approximately 1954 to 1956 at Santa Rita Branch Alameda County Jail and while at the San Quentin and Folsom prisons from 1968 to 1973.

The Writings and Creative Works series represents Taylor's creative endeavors and includes a wide range of materials, beginning with poems and songs and ending with political reflections and essays on Black culture. Common themes are the oppression that Taylor faced in prison, the beauty of Black women, and Black Americans' struggle for justice.

The Correspondence series comprises the largest part of the collection. Most of the correspondence dates from Taylor's time in jail from approximately 1954 to 1956 and 1968 to 1973, although some letters date from other years. Correspondence discusses all facets of Taylor's life while in prison, his family and health, the children of his love interests, and activities of Taylor and his correspondents. Many of his letters from jail also mention his campaigns for prisoners' rights, including a right to privacy in prisoner correspondence and his protesting of the censorship of Black newspapers for prisoners. Several correspondents write of intimate feelings for Taylor, and he reciprocates in his outgoing letters. Correspondence is grouped by outgoing and incoming materials.

Biographical / historical:

Walter Jerome Taylor was born on September 4, 1934, in Oakland, California, and he was educated as a mechanic in the San Francisco area. In 1955 he married Barbara Harper, who went by Barbara Taylor while they were married and later by Barbara Cheatem after a divorce. Walter J. Taylor married Edna Wills in 1967, and they later divorced in 1972. Taylor may have also had other marriages that are not readily apparent.

Walter Taylor was convicted and incarcerated several times for burglary, robbery, and other crimes in the 1950s, and he was sent to San Quentin prison in 1968 following a string of burglaries in Berkeley, California. While in San Quentin he attended classes, read and wrote about Black Americans' struggle for justice and civil rights, and served on the San Quentin Inmate Advisory Council. He was later transferred to Folsom Prison. While in prison, Taylor maintained an active correspondence with his family and friends. This was supplemented through prolific correspondence with pen pals that he met through Sisters of Motivation, an organization that he founded in 1971 to enable communication between women in Oakland and Black men in prison. Although the Sisters of Motivation literature claimed that it was not a dating service, Taylor's correspondence reveals that he had relationships with several women that he appears to have met through the organization.

Taylor was eventually granted parole in 1973. He remained in the Oakland area as a counselor for Thresholds, a community advocacy group targeted at at-risk youth and young offenders, and he also served as a collections agent for KDIA Radio. Taylor remained an activist for prisoners' rights, running at one point for the Oakland Community Action Agency's administrative board. He also founded the Community Concern for Prisoners organization to help Black American men in prison. Throughout his life, Taylor appears to have been actively writing articles, essays, poems, and songs.

In October 1978, Taylor was arrested and held for four days as a suspect in the "Stinky Rapist" case. The "Stinky Rapist" was a serial rapist active in Berkeley and Oakland, California, from 1973 to 1978. Taylor was suspected due to his being in the vicinity in several cases, as well as his reported sexual fetishes, his "peculiar behavior," and his known contact with some of the victims. Taylor believed that his arrest was driven by his previous incarceration record. The evidence against Taylor was only circumstantial, and police released him without charging him. Taylor subsequently reported severe repercussions for his business and his job.

Following these allegations, Taylor operated a used records store called Oldies But Goodies in the early 1980s. Not much is known about Taylor's life after this time. He died February 11, 2002 in Emeryville, California.

Source: U.S. Social Security Death Index (accessed via Ancestry.com, 2025 September 30).

Acquisition information:
The Walter J. Taylor papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase from Bolerium Books in 2009 and 2025, and as a purchase from Marlowe R. Baldwin in 2013.
Processing information:

Processed by Meghan Lyon, December 2009

Encoded by Meghan Lyon, December 2009

Updated by Paula Jeannet and Sara Reams, May 2014

Accession 2025-0100 processed and collection updated by Reina Henderson and Leah Tams, October 2025

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2009-0269, 2013-0210, and 2025-0100.

Arrangement:

Arranged into the following series: Personal Papers, Prison Materials, Writings and Creative Works, and Correspondence.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

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 copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Before you visit:
Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Walter J. Taylor papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m17q2f