The collections that make up Modern Politics at the Rose Library document the birth of the Sunbelt South, and the politicians, individuals and organizations who shaped and created the South's contemporary political landscape. In this area, the Rose Library continues to develop its activist and political collections, particularly with the recent addition of the LGBT collection. Other strengths include the personal papers of the United States Senator, Sam Nunn and the United States Representatives, James C. Davis and James A. Mackay in addition to the papers of a broad range of political figures from Georgia politics.
The biographical profiles represented here are just a glimpse of the stories present in the Rose Library. Find more information on our Modern Politics collections.
Panke M. Bradley papers (MSS 566)
Bradley was the first woman to serve on the Atlanta Board of Aldermen (1971) and was re-elected to the new City Council (1973). The papers include correspondence and committee material relating to her service on the Board of Alderman; correspondence, agendas, committee files and subject files relating to her City Council service; and City of Atlanta reports and other miscellaneous printed material. The subject files reflect her interest in such issues as housing, transportation, and zoning.
Karate for Women Atlanta records (MSS 1426)
Karate for Women Atlanta was a woman's martial arts and self-defense program that ran between 1974 and 1982. This program emphasized women’s capacity for power and encouraged weight training to build physical strength. The organization grew out of the Women's Liberation Movement and this feminist background informed its policies and the programs it offered. The collection consists of course materials including curricula, notes, planning materials, exams, photographs, and promotional materials for classes.
Charles Palmer papers (MSS 9)
Charles Forrest Palmer is best known as a “slum fighter,” an outspoken advocate for government involvement in the removal and replacement of substandard housing in urban America. Palmer wanted Atlanta to serve as “the demonstration city of our country” for the power and good of slum clearance. Because of Palmer’s efforts, Atlanta was the site of the first federally funded public housing projects in the country, Techwood Homes (1936) for white Atlantans and University Homes (1937) for Atlanta’s African American community. He served as the first chairman of the Atlanta Housing Authority.
CAUTION, Inc. records (MSS 763)
CAUTION, Inc. (Coalition Against Unnecessary Thoroughfares In Our Neighborhood), was formed in 1982 by the neighborhood associations of Inman Park, Druid Hills, Candler Park, Lake Claire, East Lake, Virginia-Highland, Poncey-Highland and City of Decatur. The purpose of the coalition was to stop the Presidential Parkway, a proposed 4-land expressway designed with 5 bridges, high speeds and truck traffic through these eight Atlanta neighborhoods and their parks. The records include correspondence, legal documents, traffic observations, photographs, diagrams, maps and drawings relating to CAUTION's fight against the parkway leading to the Jimmy Carter Library.
Professional Women Photographers records (MSS 1374)
Professional Women Photographers (PWP) is the first professional organization dedicated to the advancement of women photographers. The organization was founded in New York City in 1975 following the exhibition Breadth of Vision: Portfolios of Women Photographers at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The collection includes administrative records, event and exhibit files, photographs, printed material, and scrapbooks. Administrative records contain correspondence, financial records, meeting minutes, member resumes, and other documents relating to the business of the organization.
Jesse R. Peel papers (MSS 1231)
Jesse R. Peel is an Atlanta psychiatrist and activist for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rights. The collection consists of correspondence; journals and appointment books, subject files; photographs and albums; scrapbooks; and audiovisual material. The subject files primarily focus on Peel's work in the Atlanta LGBTQ community and his work with a number of AIDS organizations including the Atlanta Buyers Club Foundation, the AIDS Legacy Project, and his work on John Howell Park, a public park in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood.
The Feminist Action Alliance
Aimed at working toward the full participation of women in social, political and economic institutions, the Alliance focused its efforts in three areas: political action, employment, and rape. This definition of "feminist" was used at their 1981 conference.