Explore Amistad’s Archives

Welcome to the Manuscripts Collection at the Amistad Research Center, home to over 900 collections dating from the 1790s to the present and over 250,000 photographs dating from 1860 to the present, documenting Black and ethnic history and life in America.

Black and white photograph of a woman working in her art studio, surrounded by supplies and creative materials, showcasing the vibrant artistic process documented at the Amistad Research Center.

How to Access Our Archives

The Amistad Research Center offers a vast array of manuscripts, letters, legal documents, photographs, and other original, one-of-a-kind materials waiting to be researched. Here's a roadmap to navigate these resources effectively:

Choose The Right Search Tool

To search for unpublished manuscripts, papers, correspondence, photographs, and other similar materials, tap the button below for the Archives and Manuscripts Collection Database.

Learn More About A Collection

Each finding aid provides details on the provenance, content, and organization of the collections. Depending on format, materials may be available online or in-person at the Amistad Research Center.

Access The Materials

Once you find the collections that you like to research, submit a request directly through the database or contact the Research Services Department, reference@amistadresearchcenter.org or (504) 862-3222 to schedule an appointment, or for further assistance.

Finding Aid

Manuscripts Collection Finding Aid Database

A Wealth of Manuscripts

Amistad Research Center’s Manuscripts Collection houses 15 million+ historical documents from the 1790s to the present and over 250,000 photographs dating from 1860 to the present. Highlights include government and organizational reports on civil rights, housing, and education discrimination; papers and records of civil rights activists, lawyers, and organizations; collections relating to artists, poets, playwrights, composers, and musicians; land records relating to Black farmers in the South; office records Black politicians; records of Black masonic groups; among others.

Helen Keller's inscription to Countee Cullen on the fly-leaf of her book, The World I Live In.

to Countee Cullen with warm regards Helen Keller April 1928 “the Lord has risen, Lilies say, in burst Of snowy blooms”

Collection Highlights

John O’Neal as Junebug Jabbo Jones, 1985

John O’Neal papers, 1927-1999

The papers highlight the personal and professional life of John M. O'Neal, Jr., and document his artistic style and...

Ernest “Dutch” Morial with Jimmy Carter, circa 1979

Ernest “Dutch” Morial papers, 1929-1995

The Ernest "Dutch" Morial papers consist of correspondence, photographs, financial documents, newspaper articles...

Farmers preparing to plant soybeans at the FSC training center farm in Epes, Alabama, June 1974. Photograph by Patricia Goudvis. Used with permission.

Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC)/ Land Assistance Fund (LAF), 1910-1996

The records of FSC include voluminous correspondence, memoranda, studies, reports, statistical data, photographs...

Collection of ephemera from Dr. Alexis De Veaux’s travels to conferences, rallies and social justice movements. Photograph by Lisa C. Moore. Used with permission.

Alexis De Veaux papers, 1967-2017

Masani Alexis De Veaux (1948- ) is an American writer and illustrator, and former chair of the department of Women’s...

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Voices From Our Community

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat."

Name Surname

Position, Company name

Amistad allowed my students to do hands-on research for our Unsung Heroes Project. Staff met with my sixth-grade students in the classroom to teach them how to analyze primary and secondary sources, and provided students with access to their sources in order to help students conduct their research.

Katheryne Patterson

Teacher, Willow Charter School

I have worked with dozens of archives throughout my graduate studies - the Amistad Research was exceptional. Staff acted like "teammates" in my research, guiding me through the Center's resources and sharing equal excitement in the discoveries we made. This attentiveness continued for months, as staff assisted me with image scans and permissions - even amid the pandemic!

Willa Granger

Ph.D., Fellow-in-Residence, the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University

The Amistad Research Center is integral to preserving and sharing the history of Africa American Material Culture. Amistad has proven to be a repository of some of the most important collections in American history and it has been an honor to partner with them.

Zella Palmer

Director, Ray Charles Program in African American Material Culture, Dillard University

The Amistad Research Center and the MW Prince Hall collection have been a tremendous resource in my research on Prince Hall Masonry. The records I sometimes need can't easily be found but the Amistad Research Center seems to always have what I'm looking for. I've worked with quite a few research centers but in my opinion Amistad is one of the best!!

David Gillarm, Jr.

Grand Historian, The M. W. Price Hall Masons Grand Lodge of Georgia

The Amistad Research Center serves as the Griot of African American presence in our struggle for equal rights in America. It is, and has been for over 50 years, the archivist and curator for the works of thousands of African American scholars, researchers, writers and artists; persevering and documenting their stories. This is an important legacy of our resilience.

Tommye Myrick

Founder and Director, Voices in the Dark Repertory Theatre Company

As an independent, community-based archive, Amistad uniquely serves as an anchor institution for the preservation and scholarly research of the Black Condition at a time in history when Truth is defined as Critical Race Theory.

Monique Moss

Professor, Artistic Director and Choreographer, Third Eye Theatre University of Virginia

The Amistad Research Center is widely considered to be one of the preeminent research libraries on African American history and life and the African diaspora in the world. It holds collections that are indispensable to my research.

Dr. Andrew Kahrl

Professor, History + African American Studies, University of Virginia

Suturing material history and contemporary art practice, archival and curatorial experience, Rivers works in partnership with the Amistad Research Center to advance contemporary art that makes a study of history. Together we welcome artists from around the world to New Orleans for extended research and study in the development of new work, publications, and exhibitions.

Andrea Andersson

Founding Director and Chief Curator, Rivers Institute of Contemporary Art & Thought

By way of its potent focus on preserving the fabric of past and present day New Orleanians, the Amistad serves as the ultimate reminder that we are all part of the same symbiotic circle. As an individual who is fortunate enough to have his own collection at the Amistad, I am forever grateful, and wish the organization as a whole and its wonderful staff members in particular every bit of continued success.

Robert Gagnier

Robert Gagnier Oral History Collection

Because of Amistad's knowledgeable and caring staff, and the Center's many rare collections, I recommended to the Efforts of Grace Board in 2014 to entrust to Amistad more than two decades of papers documenting the Ashe Cultural Arts Center. The Amistad Research Center richly deserves the National Medal for Museum and Library Service.

Dr. Al Kennedy

Historian and Board Member, Ashe Cultural Arts Center

Providing a service globally, the Amistad Research Center is an icon in our community. I'm deeply happy to see that the Amistad and staff is being recognized for their dedication to providing excellent services so that researchers can have a positive experience and donors can be confident that their choice of Amistad as a repository for their personal collections was sound.

Dr. Antoinette Harrell

Historian and Genealogist

The Amistad Research Center was an invaluable resource for us to complete our documentary about bass-baritone singer William Warfield. They provided us access to the one of a kind Larney Goodkind collection, which helped us tell Warfield's story though photographs from his amazing career. Collections like this keep history alive.

Tristan Walker

Producer/Editor/Director, Rochester Institute of Technology

The time I spent at the Amistad was indispensable to the completion of my dissertation. The staff were able to point me to several related collections, which led me on research paths I hadn't anticipated but were incredibly fruitful for my dissertation's framing.

Claire Ittner

Ph.D. Candidate, History of Art Department, UC-Berkeley

Thank you very much for a wonderful article! I'm almost at a loss for words to read such a touching and kind article about my father. I hope this helps to bring more awareness of the important work that you and your colleagues are doing at the Amistad Center.

Helen Kagan

Donor, from a letter to Amistad Research Center

During my time working at the Amistad Research Center on the IMLS Women's Project, I assisted in the processing of the Senga Nengudi Papers and the Antoinette Harrell Papers. While documenting Nengudi's art and Harrell's political and genealogical work, these collections also remind us of the multilayered and complex person behind the material.

Khalif Aziz Birden

Ph.D. Student, Tulane University Department of Anthropology

As someone who is hopefully training at least a few future historians and many more who love and understand the importance of a deep knowledge of history, I am so grateful that New Orleans is home to such a treasure as the Amistad Research Center, and even more grateful for its staff members who are so generous in sharing that treasure even, and especially, with young people.

Perry Rogers

Principal, De La Salle High School

Amistad is an institution that has a deep understanding of not just New Orleans history but the history and culture of Black and Indigenous peoples. Their stories are vital to understanding the story of race in America.

Phoebe Ferguson

The Plessy & Ferguson Foundation

Without the Amistad Research Center, many documents from the African American experience would end up in landfills and many stories would end up in cemeteries. As a gift to our community, the Amistad preserves our rich history. As a gift to the world, it generously shares it.

Freddi Evans

Historian and Author of Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans

My organization has facilitated the donation of a number of LGBTQ+ collections to ARC and I have always been impressed with their professionalism. We have partnered with ARC in the past on public programming events and their commitment to preserving queer history is admirable.

Frank Perez

President, LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana

The Amistad Research Center has a wealth of vital archive collections that have been fundamental to my research. ARC has really gone above and beyond, not only responding to my requests with both speed and efficiency, but also demonstrating in-depth knowledge of the collections and the materials I required.

Rebecca Fraser

Associate Professor in American History and Culture, University of East Anglia

Explore Amistad’s Archives

How to Access Our Archives

Choose The Right Search Tool

Learn More About A Collection

Access The Materials

Finding Aid

A Wealth of Manuscripts

Explore Our Archives & Manuscripts

Collection Highlights

John O’Neal papers, 1927-1999

Ernest “Dutch” Morial papers, 1929-1995

Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC)/ Land Assistance Fund (LAF), 1910-1996

Alexis De Veaux papers, 1967-2017

Navigating Our Archives

Accessing Our Collections

Search

Visit

Request

Start Your Research Journey — Ready
To Explore Our Collections?

Voices From Our Community

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat."

Amistad allowed my students to do hands-on research for our Unsung Heroes Project. Staff met with my sixth-grade students in the classroom to teach them how to analyze primary and secondary sources, and provided students with access to their sources in order to help students conduct their research.

The Amistad Research Center is integral to preserving and sharing the history of Africa American Material Culture. Amistad has proven to be a repository of some of the most important collections in American history and it has been an honor to partner with them.

As an independent, community-based archive, Amistad uniquely serves as an anchor institution for the preservation and scholarly research of the Black Condition at a time in history when Truth is defined as Critical Race Theory.

The Amistad Research Center is widely considered to be one of the preeminent research libraries on African American history and life and the African diaspora in the world. It holds collections that are indispensable to my research.

The time I spent at the Amistad was indispensable to the completion of my dissertation. The staff were able to point me to several related collections, which led me on research paths I hadn't anticipated but were incredibly fruitful for my dissertation's framing.

Thank you very much for a wonderful article! I'm almost at a loss for words to read such a touching and kind article about my father. I hope this helps to bring more awareness of the important work that you and your colleagues are doing at the Amistad Center.

Amistad is an institution that has a deep understanding of not just New Orleans history but the history and culture of Black and Indigenous peoples. Their stories are vital to understanding the story of race in America.

Without the Amistad Research Center, many documents from the African American experience would end up in landfills and many stories would end up in cemeteries. As a gift to our community, the Amistad preserves our rich history. As a gift to the world, it generously shares it.

My organization has facilitated the donation of a number of LGBTQ+ collections to ARC and I have always been impressed with their professionalism. We have partnered with ARC in the past on public programming events and their commitment to preserving queer history is admirable.

Join Our Community

Explore Amistad’s Archives

How to Access Our Archives

Choose The Right Search Tool

Learn More About A Collection

Access The Materials

Finding Aid

A Wealth of Manuscripts

Explore Our Archives & Manuscripts

Collection Highlights

John O’Neal papers, 1927-1999

Ernest “Dutch” Morial papers, 1929-1995

Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC)/ Land Assistance Fund (LAF), 1910-1996

Alexis De Veaux papers, 1967-2017

Navigating Our Archives

Accessing Our Collections

Search

Visit

Request

Start Your Research Journey — ReadyTo Explore Our Collections?

Voices From Our Community

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat."

Amistad allowed my students to do hands-on research for our Unsung Heroes Project. Staff met with my sixth-grade students in the classroom to teach them how to analyze primary and secondary sources, and provided students with access to their sources in order to help students conduct their research.

The Amistad Research Center is integral to preserving and sharing the history of Africa American Material Culture. Amistad has proven to be a repository of some of the most important collections in American history and it has been an honor to partner with them.

As an independent, community-based archive, Amistad uniquely serves as an anchor institution for the preservation and scholarly research of the Black Condition at a time in history when Truth is defined as Critical Race Theory.

The Amistad Research Center is widely considered to be one of the preeminent research libraries on African American history and life and the African diaspora in the world. It holds collections that are indispensable to my research.

The time I spent at the Amistad was indispensable to the completion of my dissertation. The staff were able to point me to several related collections, which led me on research paths I hadn't anticipated but were incredibly fruitful for my dissertation's framing.

Thank you very much for a wonderful article! I'm almost at a loss for words to read such a touching and kind article about my father. I hope this helps to bring more awareness of the important work that you and your colleagues are doing at the Amistad Center.

Amistad is an institution that has a deep understanding of not just New Orleans history but the history and culture of Black and Indigenous peoples. Their stories are vital to understanding the story of race in America.

Without the Amistad Research Center, many documents from the African American experience would end up in landfills and many stories would end up in cemeteries. As a gift to our community, the Amistad preserves our rich history. As a gift to the world, it generously shares it.

My organization has facilitated the donation of a number of LGBTQ+ collections to ARC and I have always been impressed with their professionalism. We have partnered with ARC in the past on public programming events and their commitment to preserving queer history is admirable.

Join Our Community

Start Your Research Journey — Ready
To Explore Our Collections?