The library contains a wide array of books and course materials on ethnic communities and racial
issues in Florida. This web page focuses on sources and texts dealing with (a) the histories of various communities and (b)
modern civil rights. It is not comprehensive (and does not cover subjects such as social protest in art and literature).
To get started on this topic, try searching the library catalog here using
"Basic Search, Browse Organized Lists." In the first box select "Title begins with" from the drop down menu and then type in
one of the following:
Black studies research sources
Research collections in labor studies
Research collections in womens studies
Papers of the NAACP
The search results will list the titles of major microfilm collections we have in these areas. Two
other important collections for race relations in the late 19th century are Records of the Assistant Commissioner,
Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870 (National Archives and Records
Administration, Washington, D.C.) and Freedmen's Aid Society Records, 1866-1932
(Wilmington, Del.). There are two copies of the former (one in Florida history and the other in the main
library) and one copy of the latter, with a printed guide, in Florida history.
Newspapers can be another good source of information. Two useful searches for newspapers can be done by selecting "Subject, LC" from the drop down menu and
then typing in "African American newspapers--Florida" (13 titles) or "Jewish newspapers--Florida" (29 titles). Complete runs of newspapers owned and operated by
black publishers are rare for Florida prior to 1900 but the Colored Citizen
(Pensacola) and the "Colored People Here and Elsewhere" section of the Metropolis
(Jacksonville) are useful for the period 1900-1920. For years after 1920, you would want to look
at the Florida Star (Jacksonville) and the Miami Times, among others. The Southern Jewish Weekly and the Jewish Floridian are
important historical sources, as are the Spanish- and Italian-language newspapers of the cigar workers unions of Ybor City, and
the Spanish-language presses of Key West, Tampa, and Miami. Unfortunately, it is difficult to isolate Cuban American newspapers in the catalog.
You will have to search by city, e.g., using "Subject, LC" and "Miami (Fla.)--newspapers".
