Martin Luther King, Jr.

The collection consists of materials collected by Dr. Peeples in the field of hunger, poverty, and racial issues in the United States and abroad. There is considerable information on the fight for integration in Virginia in the 1960s. It includes his thesis on the Prince Edward County school issue in the late 1950s and early 1960s as well as many newspaper articles that document that period. A large portion of this collection is made up of numerous types of publications.

The collection includes Mr. Kemp's working papers, correspondence, files and reports relating to the city of Richmond. The bulk of the materials focus on the years Mr. Kemp was active in the Richmond City Council (1980-1984).

The Archives is composed of correspondence, reports, publications and general office files, excluding most financial and fundraising information, from 1971 through 1988; but the bulk of the material dates from 1979 to 1985. Series and files on specific issues often include notes, articles, and publications gathered to inform individuals and committees which addressed these needs. Other publications follow the major series. The following issues of Revitalization News have been tranferred to the Richmond Revitalization (M253) file: Vol. 1, Numbers 1-7; Vol. 2, Numbers 1, 4, and 5; Vol. 3, Numbers 1 and 2. All materials not directly pertaining to the activities of the Institute have been returned or have been removed and cataloged and added to the library's collection.

The collection contains the office files of Senator John C. Watkins (1947- ) covering the years from 1979 through 2001 and includes correspondence, reports, memoranda, files on legislation and various topics and issues that the Virginia General Assembly addressed during this time period.

The correspondence contains letters to and from Senator Watkins and includes constituent requests for favors or patronage and letters of inquiry about legislation. Correspondents include: United States Senators Paul Trible and John Warner, Virginia Governors George Allen, Gerald Baliles, Thomas Bliley, James Gilmore III, Charles Robb, and L. Douglas Wilder III, and President of the United States George Bush.

The legislation covers issues of importance to Senator Watkins. Of particular concern are those that represent his committee assignments, including Agriculture, Conservation and National Resources, Commerce and Labor, Local Government, and Transportation. The Powhite Parkway, the Lottery, Health Care, Gun Control, Education, and Disney America are among some of the issues addressed in the collection. Watkins has been active in encouraging increased cooperation between the City of Richmond, and the county governments of Henrico and Chesterfield and the collection includes materials covering those issues.

The Papers of Dr. Edward H. Peeples, Jr. document his long career in education and public health and in his activities as a promoter of social justice in a variety of human rights reforms in Virginia and other places across the south. The collection is especially strong in the areas of race and discrimination, poverty, public health and school inequality from the 1950s through the 1980s including materials relating to the closing of public schools in Virginia's Prince Edward County. Other subject areas include the early history of Virginia Commonwealth University (1967-early 1970s) and various programs associated with the University, human relations in Richmond and Virginia, and the aftermath of Hurricane Camille (1969). The materials in the collection include a large of amount of correspondence, reports, and publications. Also included in the collection are newspaper and journal clippings, photographs (many of Prince Edward County and other areas in Virginia taken by Peeples), slides, phonographs, and other materials. The bulk of the collection dates from 1950s through 2005.

Researchers should also consult the finding aid for an earlier but much smaller collection donated by Peeples to Special Collections and Archives, M 68. This collection also consists of Dr. Peeples' studies in the field of hunger, poverty, and racial issues in the United States and abroad (South Africa). There is considerable information on the fight for integration in Virginia in the 1960s, including materials associated with the Prince Edward County school issue in the late 1950s and early 1960s.