This collection brings together primary historical sources illuminating progress towards full civil rights for all the people of this diverse community, with a special emphasis on the history and development of the African American community.
These books and documents come from the archives of the St. Joseph County Public Library and the Indiana University South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center. Of special interest are documents concerning the desegregation of housing and workplaces in South Bend and manuscripts from the Streets Collection.
Dr. Bernard Streets Sr. and his wife, Odie Mae Streets, were instrumental leaders in the South Bend Chapter of the NAACP and in other human rights activities.
Civil Rights Heritage Center materials are being scanned and uploaded through an LSTA Indiana Memory Digitization Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services of the Indiana State Library.