MenuPreliminary Inventory of the Lionel Barrow Papers, 1940-2008
Abstract
Dean of Howard University School of Communications, 1975-1985; founder of the Minorities and Communications Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Collection includes materials from Lionel Barrow's advertising career, his teaching and tenure at Howard University, and his involvement in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). The earliest materials include student work from Barrow's youth and his studies at Morehouse College, as well as materials from his service in the 24th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War. Another significant portion of the collection is Barrow's newspaper clippings and subject files, dating largely from the 1960s-2000s. His research on an unfinished book about the Freedom's Journal is also a large component of the collection. Also included are numerous photographs, some dating as early as the 1950s, but the bulk of which date 1982-2000s. These include family vacations and events, as well as professional events with AEJMC, the National Association of Black Journalists, and other conferences and organizations. Another notable component of the collection is the section of materials from Barrow's mother, Wilhelmina Barrow, who served as an American Red Cross Girl in Europe during World War II and the post-war period. Acquired as part of the John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Creator
- Barrow, Lionel C., 1926-2009.
- Title
- Lionel Barrow Papers, 1940-2008
- Language of Material
- English
- Extent
- 38.1 Linear Feet, 28,575 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection Overview
The collection includes materials from Barrow's advertising career, his teaching and tenure at Howard University, and his involvement in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). AEJMC materials include a series of folders from a diversity survey in 2004; files from the founding and the operations of the Minorities and Communications Division; and programs and reports from AEJMC activities, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. Materials also reflect Barrow's involvement in the Council for Opportunities in Education, in particular his promotion of the TRIO program, offering funding and education opportunities for underprivileged youth.
A small part of the collection is Barrow's educational materials, dated 1940s-1970s, including reports and essays from his years at Morehouse College as well as his Ph.D. proposals and notes from the University of Wisconsin.
Also included are materials from his service in the 24th Infantry Regiment during the Korean War. The Korean War material, dated 1950-1951, includes press releases, written by Barrow, regarding various battles and army movements. Also included is correspondence to his mother, Wilhelmina Barrow, discussing his activities, as well as his struggles with payment and segregation in the U.S. Army.
Another significant portion of the collection is Barrow's newspaper clippings, dating largely from the 1960s-2000s, covering racial integration and the Civil Rights movement in Washington D.C., issues in journalism, and diversity and the condition of black Americans. These clippings have been loosely arranged by Barrow according to the date, the person's name, or the subject.
There are also numerous folders with clippings and research from Barrow's unfinished book on the history of the Freedom's Journal, the first African-American owned and operated newspaper in the United States. Subjects include slavery, education, conditions in different states, and other information about American life in the 1820s.
Also included are numerous photographs, some dating as early as the 1950s, but the bulk of which date from 1982 to the 2000s. The majority of the photographs snapshots, many featuring the Barrow family. Perhaps more significant are the photographs of professional events with AEJMC, the National Association of Black Journalists, and other conferences and organizations. The photographs have not been arranged, but arrived well-labeled by Barrow, frequently with dates and captions for each image. These materials require more processing before use.
The collection also includes materials from Wilhelmina Barrow, Lionel's mother, relating to her service in the American Red Cross during World War II and in the post-war period. Wilhelmina's materials include ARC training and recruitment documents, her transport papers, newspapers and other publications geared toward servicemen and women, reports from Red Cross Clubs, suggested itineraries for traveling Europe while on leave, and souvenirs from her trips to Italy, France, and Belgium. Also included in this section are reports and clippings about the National Council of Negro Women; Barrow was a member for some time during the 1950s and 1960s. Some of these materials relate to segregation and discrimination.
Acquired as part of the John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture.
Administrative Information
Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Collection is restricted.
In addition, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
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.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand AllAccession (2010-0031)
Most materials have not been sorted or arranged beyond their original condition. Photographs require additional processing before use.
Accession (2010-0079), 1940-2000s
Most materials have not been sorted or arranged beyond their original condition. Photographs require additional processing before use.
Accession (2010-0144)
This addition includes Barrow's speeches, writings, and research files regarding advertising, African Americans in the marketing profession, and minorities in journalism. It also includes materials from his time as a student, at Morehouse College and as a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin. Along with industry reports, his writings also include creative fiction and essays.
Other significant components of this addition are Barrow's materials from his army service during the Korean War, dating from 1950-1951. The majority of this material is correspondence to his mother, Wilhelmina Barrow, which frequently includes copies of articles or press releases he's written while stationed overseas. Barrow wrote about his regiment, the 24th Infantry, and it being desegregated while he was enlisted; he also frequently wrote about the slow mail delivery and the unreliable payment of his wages.
The remainder of the addition includes more research files from Barrow's unfinished book on the Freedom's Journal, as well as photographs, dated from 1982-1984. The photographs document both personal and professional events. A list of topics is included within the box.
Most materials have not been sorted or arranged beyond their original condition. Photographs require additional processing before use.
Historical Note
Lionel C. Barrow, Jr., was born in New York in 1926 to Lionel C. and Wilhelmina Barrow. He attended Morehouse College and graduated with Martin Luther King in 1948. He also served in the U.S. Army from 1945 to 1947, and from 1950 to 1953.
Barrow attended the School of Journalism at the University of Wisconsin, earning his master's degree in 1958 and a doctorate in mass communication in 1960. Subsequently, he worked in advertising as a researcher, and in 1968 became vice president and associate director of research at the Foote, Cone and Belding agency in New York. Barrow became the dean of Howard University's School of Communications in 1975, where he worked until 1985. He married his wife, Frederica, in 1992; the couple eventually settled in Florida.
Along with his academic interests, Barrow was an active member of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and was a principle force in helping the organization begin to promote diversity in the field. He founded the Ad Hoc Committee on Minority Education in 1968, and expanded to also form the Minorities and Communication Division in 1970. An AEJMC scholarship was created in his honor to assist women and minorities in their graduate journalism education.
Barrow was also active in politics, fundraising and campaigning for Democratic candidates as early as the 1960s and as recently as the Barack Obama presidential campaign in 2008. He died shortly after Obama's inauguration in January 2009.
Subject Headings
- Barrow, Lionel C., 1926-2009.
- Howard University. School of Communications.
- Association for Journalism and Mass Communication.
- Association for Journalism and Mass Communication. Minorities and Communication Division.
- National Association of Black Journalists.
- American Red Cross.
- National Council of Negro Women.
- United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 24th--History.
- Minorities in journalism.
- Minorities and journalism.
- Journalism--Education.
- African Americans in the mass media industry.
- World War, 1939-1945--War work--Red Cross.
- World War, 1939-1945--Women--African Americans.
- Washington (D.C.)
- Clippings.
- Photographs.
- John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Lionel Barrow Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Provenance
The Lionel Barrow Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 2010.
Processing Information
Accessioned and lightly processed by Meghan Lyon, February 2010 and April 2010
Encoded by Meghan Lyon, February 2010 and April 2010
Accession(s) described in this finding aid: 2010-0031, 2010-0079, 2010-0144
This collection is minimally processed: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.