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Collection Number: 04646

Collection Title: Roberta H. Jackson and Blyden Jackson Papers, 1955-1991

This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


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Size 11.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 7,000 items)
Abstract Roberta H. Jackson (1920-1999), African American professor of education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was married to Blyden Jackson (1910-2000), African American professor of English and dean of the Graduate School at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., and professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Blyden Jackson wrote novels and works on African American and southern literature. He also served from 1973 to 1981 as the Assistant Dean/Special Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, charged with promoting the recruitment and retention of minority graduate students and working with the University's Student Aid Office to secure scholarships and fellowships for graduate students. The collection includes office files, correspondence, and other papers relating to African American college teachers Roberta H. Jackson and Blyden Jackson. Most papers relate to Blyden Jackson's teaching of and research on African American literature in the English Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or to his work recruiting minority students as Assistant Dean/Special Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School. Other papers relate to Blyden Jackson's work as a member of faculty committees and still others result from his other activities, including editing the Journal of Southern Literature and serving on the North Carolina Humanities Council. Also included are letters, 1959-1963, that Blyden Jackson wrote while teaching at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., to Roberta H. Jackson, in Bluefield, W.Va.
Creator Jackson, Blyden.



Jackson, Roberta H.
Curatorial Unit Southern Historical Collection
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Use of audiotapes or videotapes may require production of listening or viewing copies.
Access to streaming audio or moving image materials may be restricted to researchers who can authenticate with an ONYEN or who are physically present on campus. For further information about access to streaming audiovisual materials, contact Research and Instructional Services staff at Wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Roberta H. Jackson and Blyden Jackson Papers #4646, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Roberta and Blyden Jackson in January and February 1993 (Acc. 93012 and 93031).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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Processed by: Linda Sellars and Nancy Kaiser, September 2004

Encoded by: Linda Sellars and Nancy Kaiser, September 2004

Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, January 2021; Anne Wells, February 2021

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Roberta Bowles Hodges Jackson was the first African American woman appointed to the faculty of the Academic Affairs Division of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in a tenure track position. Four years later, in 1974, she was the first African American woman to achieve tenure. Her husband, Blyden Jackson, was the University's first African American full professor. Roberta H. Jackson taught in the School of Education. Blyden Jackson taught in the English Department and was associate dean of the Graduate School.

Born in Germantown, N.C., on 23 February 1920, Roberta Bowles was one of ten children of Roberta, a school teacher, and George Bowles, a coal miner. She graduated from Byrd Prillerman High School in London, W.Va., as valedictorian. She earned a bachelor's degree from Bluefield State College in West Virginia, a master's degree in education from Ohio State University, and a doctorate in education from New York University. She taught at Southern University in Louisiana before joining the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970. She retired in 1981. She died on 11 July 1999. She had one son, James Edward Hodges, Jr.

Blyden Jackson was born in Paducah, Ky., in 1910. His father was a history teacher and school principal and his mother was a librarian. Jackson earned a bachelor's degree from Wilberforce University in 1930. He began graduate work at Columbia University, but had to stop for financial reasons. After obtaining a scholarship, he earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He taught in a junior high school in Louisville, Ky.; at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn.; and at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. He came to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1969 as the University's first African American full professor. He was a pioneer in the study of African American literature. As associate dean of the Graduate School, Jackson helped recruit minority graduate students to the University. He retired in 1981. After his retirement, Jackson completed the first volume of a planned four-volume history of African American literature, which was published in 1989. Blyden Jackson died in 2000.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The collection includes office files, correspondence, and other papers relating to African American college teachers Roberta H. Jackson and Blyden Jackson. Most papers relate to Blyden Jackson's teaching of and research on African American literature in the English Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or to his work recruiting minority students as Assistant Dean/Special Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School. Other papers relate to Blyden Jackson's work as a member of faculty committees and still others result from his other activities, including editing the Journal of Southern Literature and serving on the North Carolina Humanities Council. Also included are letters, 1959-1963, that Blyden Jackson wrote while teaching at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., to Roberta H. Jackson, in Bluefield, W.Va.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Southern University, 1959-1963.

About 1500 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Letters, 1959-1963, that Blyden Jackson wrote while teaching at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., to his wife, Roberta H. Jackson, in Bluefield, W.Va. In almost daily letters, Jackson wrote of missing his wife; a visit to Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn.; his work as an English professor at Southern University; campus gossip; financial matters; attempts to begin writing a novel; thoughts on the works of authors such as James Baldwin; the 1960 Democratic Convention and other political matters; civil rights initiatives and events both locally and elsewhere; and the couple's plans to buy a home together. The letters conclude in August 1963 about Roberta Jackson's move to join her husband in Baton Rouge.

Folder 1

31 August-15 September 1959

Folder 2

16 September-30 September 1959

Folder 3

1 October-15 October 1959

Folder 4

16 October-31 October 1959

Folder 5

1 November-15 November 1959

Folder 6

16 November-30 November 1959

Folder 7

December 1959

Folder 8

January 1960

Folder 9

February 1960

Folder 10

March 1960

Folder 11

April 1960

Folder 12

May 1960

Folder 13

June 1960

Folder 14

July 1960

Folder 15

August 1960

Folder 16

September 1960

Folder 17

1 October-15 October 1960

Folder 18

16 October-31 October 1960

Folder 19

November 1960

Folder 20

December 1960

Folder 21

January 1961

Folder 22

February 1961

Folder 23

March 1961

Folder 24

April 1961

Folder 25

May 1961

Folder 26

June 1961

Folder 27

July 1961

Folder 28

August 1961

Folder 29

September 1961

Folder 30

October 1961

Folder 31

November 1961

Folder 32

December 1961

Folder 33

1 January-15 January 1962

Folder 34

16 January-31 January 1962

Folder 35

February 1962

Folder 36

March 1962

Folder 37

April 1962

Folder 38

May 1962

Folder 39

June 1962

Folder 40

July 1962

Folder 41

August 1962

Folder 42

September 1962

Folder 43

October 1962

Folder 44

November 1962

Folder 45

December 1962

Folder 46

January 1963

Folder 47

February 1963

Folder 48

March 1963

Folder 49

April 1963

Folder 50

May 1963

Folder 51

June 1963

Folder 52

July 1963

Folder 53

August 1963

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1969-1991.

About 4000 items.

Office files, correspondence, and other papers relating to Blyden Jackson's work at the University of North Carolina. Many papers relate to Jackson's teaching and other activities in the English Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Other papers concern his work on committees, as a member of the Faculty Council, and as associate dean of the Graduate School. Note that, in most cases, Jackson's original folder titles have been retained.

Folder 54-55

Correspondence, 1969

Folder 56-59

Correspondence, 1970

Folder 60-61

Correspondence, 1971

Folder 62

Correspondence, January-April 1972

Folder 63

Correspondence, May-July 1972

Folder 64

Correspondence, August-September 1972

Folder 65

Correspondence, October-November 1972

Folder 66

Correspondence, December 1972

Folder 67

Correspondence, January-February 1973

Folder 68

Correspondence, March-April 1973

Folder 69

Correspondence, May-June 1973

Folder 70

Correspondence, July-November 19763

Folder 71

Correspondence, 1974

Folder 72

Correspondence, 1975

Folder 73

Correspondence, 1976

Folder 74

Correspondence, February-April 1977

Folder 75

Correspondence, August-December 1977

Folder 76

Correspondence, 1978

Folder 77

Correspondence, 1979

Folder 78

Correspondence, 1980

Folder 79

Correspondence, 1981

Folder 80

Correspondence, 1981

Folder 81

Correspondence, 1982

Folder 82

Correspondence, 1983

Folder 83

Correspondence, 1984-1985

Folder 84

Correspondence, 1986

Folder 85

Correspondence, 1987

Folder 86

Correspondence, 1989

Folder 87

Correspondence, 1990

Folder 88

Correspondence, 1990

Folder 89

Correspondence, 1991

Folder 90

University of North Carolina, 1969-1970

Folder 91

University of North Carolina, 1970

Folder 92

University of North Carolina, 1970-1971

Folder 93

University of North Carolina, 1971-1973

Folder 94

African American Studies

Folder 95

Committee on Honorary Degrees, 1983

Folder 96

Black Studies, 1970-1975

Folder 97

Black Student Aid, 1970-1971

Folder 98

Committees Black faculty, 1972-1975

Folder 99

Brooks Scholarship, 1981

Folder 100

Carolina Population Center, 1973-1974

Folder 101

College of Arts and Sciences, 1978-1981

Folder 102

Committee on Honorary Degrees, 1974-1982

Box 8

Committees: North Carolina Fellows, 1970-1972

Committees: Priorities, 1970-1972

Committees: Status of Minorities and the Disadvantaged, 1970-1972

Committees: Upward Bound, 1971-1974

Curriculum Vitae, 1977-1980

Emergency Consultative Council, 1970-1975

Faculty Club, 1973-1975

Faculty Council, 1969-1971

Box 9

Faculty Council, 1971-1983

Graduate School, 1973-1977

Honors Studies, 1978

Humanities Division, 1973

Ikenga, 1970

Library, 1969

Southern Studies, 1978

Survey of Minority Students, 1972

Sahni, Kiran, 1978

Box 10

English Dept., 1968-1984

English Dept.: Advocate, 1978-1981

English Dept.: Dissertations, 1975-1980

English Dept.: Graduate Newsletter, 1979-1981

English Dept.: Group VI, 1976-1980

English Dept.: Ph.D. Exam Questions, 1976

English Dept.: Reserve Books List, 1969-1971

Box 11

English Dept.: Students

English Dept.: Courses, 1978-1980

English 23, 1978-1981

English 24, 1979

English 28, 1986

English 30

English 84, 1973-1980

English 184, 1976-1983

English 384, 1975-1981

Box 12

Bibliography

Box 13

Bibliography

Books to be ordered

Course material

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Professional Activities, 1955-1988.

About 1500 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical.

Correspondence and other materials relating to Blyden Jackson's professional activities and associations. Included are materials relating to manuscript reviews he wrote for presses and the History of Southern Literature project with the Society for the Study of Southern Literature and Louisiana State University Press. Note that, in most cases, original folder titles have been retained.

Afro-Am Press, 1969-1973

Black Studies Article, 1977

Center for the Study of Southern Culture, 1982-1983

Conference on Southern Literary Study, 1972

Education Marketing and Research, Inc., 1968-1969

Box 14

Evergreen State College, 1969-1970

Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference, 1975

HEW Leadership Training Institute, 1972-1973

Louisiana State University Press, 1975-1985

Box 15

Louisiana State University Press, 1975-1985

McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1969-1970

Miscellaneous

NCTE Committee on Publications, 1972

National Endowment for the Humanities, 1969-1972

National Humanities Center, 1980-1986

Box 16

National Humanities Center, 1980-1986

North Carolina Arts Council, 1979

North Carolina Humanities Committee, 1981-1988

Phylon

Box 17

Phylon, 1955-1970s

Reprints, 1970-1971

Riverbend Review, 1968

Saint Andrews College, 1969-1970

Society for the Study of Southern Literature, 1976-1982

Society for the Study of Southern Literature: A History of Southern Literature, 1982-1983

Speaking Engagements, 1970-1971

STEP (Striving Toward English Proficiency) Program, South Carolina State College, 1972-1973

Teaching Standard English Workshop, 1972

Village Companies Foundation, 1982-1987

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Writings, 1970-1990.

About 200 items.

Arrangement: alphabetical.

Manuscripts and other materials relating to Blyden Jackson's scholarly writings and publishing projects. Researchers should note that, in most cases, original folder titles have been retained and folder titles are not necessarily the same as final manuscript titles.

The first card in the card file is titled "Tentative Index for Biographies of Black Writers: A Preliminary Survey." The cards are grouped by chronological period and then by names of writers. Each card contains a citation to a book or journal article. Some dissertation citations are filed separately at the end.

Box 18

Afro-American Literature Anthology, 1971

Black Poetry in America, 1972

The Ghetto of the Negro Novel, and other essays

A History of Afro-American Literature, 1990

Box 19

A History of Afro-American Literature, 1990

A History of Southern Literature, 1990

Box 20

A History of Southern Literature, 1990

Poetry of Black America: Permissions, 1970-1971

The World of Negro Fiction: the Apprentice Years

Box 21-22

Box 21

Box 22

Card files

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 5. Audiovisual Material.

20 items.

Arrangement: by format.

Audiotape T-4646/1

Jackson Conference on Black Literary Biographies, 20-21 October

1/4" Open Reel Audio

Audiotape T-4646/2

Jackson Conference on Black Literary Biographies, 21 October

1/4" Open Reel Audio

Audiotape T-4646/3

Jackson Conference on Black Literary Biographies, 21 October

1/4" Open Reel Audio

Audiotape T-4646/4

Jackson Conference on Black Literary Biographies, 21-22 October

1/4" Open Reel Audio

Audiotape T-4646/5

Jackson Conference on Black Literary Biographies, 22-23 October

1/4" Open Reel Audio

Audiotape T-4646/6

Jackson Conference on Black Literary Biographies, 23 October

1/4" Open Reel Audio

Audiotape T-4646/7

ENG.: Forum: American South 2, "Growing Up Black in the Old South and New"

1/4" Open Reel Audio

Audiocassette C-4646/1

Jackson Conference, tape 1 side 1 [T-4646/1 dub]

Audiocassette

Audiocassette C-4646/2

Jackson Conference, tape 1 side 2 [T-4646/1 dub]

Audiocassette

Audiocassette C-4646/3

Jackson Conference, tape 2 side 1 [T-4646/2 dub]

Audiocassette

Audiocassette C-4646/4

Jackson Conference, tape 2 side 2 [T-4646/2 dub]

Audiocassette

Audiocassette C-4646/5

Jackson Conference, tape 3 side 1 [T-4646/3 dub]

Audiocassette

Audiocassette C-4646/6

Jackson Conference, tape 3 side 2 [T-4646/3 dub]

Audiocassette

Audiocassette C-4646/7

Jackson Conference, tape 4 side 1 [T-4646/4 dub]

Audiocassette

Audiocassette C-4646/8

Jackson Conference, tape 4 side 2 [T-4646/4 dub]

Audiocassette

Audiocassette C-4646/9

Jackson Conference, tape 5 side 1 [T-4646/5 dub]

Audiocassette

Audiocassette C-4646/10

Jackson Conference, tape 5 side 2 [T-4646/5 dub]

Audiocassette

Audiocassette C-4646/11

Jackson Conference, tape 6 side 1 [T-4646/6 dub]

Audiocassette

Audiocassette C-4646/12

Jackson Conference, tape 6 side 1 [T-4646/6 dub]

Audiocassette

Videotape VT-4646/1

A Climate for Genius, program five: A Native Son

U-Matic

Mississippi Library Commission series about Missippi writers produced by the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television in cooperation with Mississippi State University.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

Audiotapes (T-4646/1-7)

audiocassettes (C-4646/1-12)

videotape (VT-4646/1).

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