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Kincaid Rolle (Sojourner) papers
CEMA 55
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Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Title: Sojourner Kincaid Rolle papers
Identifier/Call Number: CEMA 55
Physical Description:
35 Linear Feet;
(29 cartons, 1 flat box, 102 U-Matic tapes, 3 VHS tapes)
Date (inclusive): 1960-2012
Abstract: Papers of Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, former Santa Barbara poet laureate, poet and playwright, television producer, community
activist, and environmental educator.
Physical Location: Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library
Language of Material:
English.
The collection is arranged by topic into 4 series:
- Series 1: Community activism
- Series 2: Poetry and playwriting
- Series 3: Academic and professional materials
- Series 4: Outrageous Women recordings and materials
Joy "Sojourner" Kincaid Rolle (August 26, 1943 - Novemeber 13, 2023) was a former poet, playwright, environmental educator
and peace activist. Rolle earned her B.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1978,
after which she attended the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Rolle graduated from Berkeley Law in 1981 and
decided against formally practicing law to become a "legally trained person in service to the community."
In the mid-80s, Rolle moved to Santa Barbara and quickly became involved in community work and activism. She began at the
Santa Barbara City Hall working in areas of conflict resolution and became the first director of the city's Rental Housing
Mediation Task Force. Later, she worked as the Violence Prevention Educator for the Isla Vista Mediation Program. Rolle was
also instumental in the creation of the Santa Barbara Eastside Library and the African-American Resource Center at Franklin,
now known as the Franklin Center. And in partnership with Shirley Kennedy, she successfully advocated for the recognition
of Martin Luther King Jr. Day by the City of Santa Babara. She also served as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the UCSB
Center for Black Studies, in effort to share and preserve Santa Barbara's African-American history.
In addition to her community work, from 1985 to 1987, Rolle hosted the
African Kaleidoscope KCSB radio program, and from 1988 to 1985 produced a TVSB television show,
Outrageous Women, that featured interviews with local notables from the African American community including Shirley Kennedy and Anita Mackey,
and Chumash leader Martina Grogan.
As a poet and playwright, Rolle worked with the City at Peace teen theater group, served as a representative on the Santa
Barbara County Arts Commission, worked as a California Poets in Schools and California Arts in Corrections teacher, held several
of her own creative writing workshops and discussion groups for the local communities, and served as the official Poet Laureate
for the City of Santa Barbara from 2015-2017. Her poetry has been included in anthologies such as
The Geography of Home and
Poetry of Peace, as well as published as standalone books like
Mellow Yellow Global Umbrella: La Sombrilla Global. A number of her poems were produced as short plays by the local theatre group "Dramatic Women." In 2002, she co-wrote and
co-produced
Ayo's Journey, a multidimensional theater performance about the transatlantic slave trade, based on a 12-poem cycle.
This collections contains materials that document Rolle's educational, activist and artistic activities in the Santa Barbara
community. In addition to her poetry and playwriting, materials related to her work with the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
Committee, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's activities, poetry societies and other civic organizations
in Santa Barbara are also included in this collection.
Materials may include poetry and notes, correspondence, photographs and scrapbooks, manuscripts, broadsides and flyers, newspaper
clippings, ephemera, and audiovisual recordings.
[Identification of Item], Sojourner Kincaid Rolle Papers, CEMA 55. Department of Special Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library,
University of California, Santa Barbara.
Existence and Location of Copies
Some episodes of
Outrageous Women video productions are available to stream online through the
California Revealed Project .
Shirley Kennedy papers. UArch FacP 67. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.
The collection is open for research. Audiovisual materials must be reformatted for access. Please contact the Department of
Special Research Collections in advance to request access.
Property rights to the collection and physical objects belong to the Regents of the University of California acting through
the Department of Special Research Collections at the UCSB Library. All applicable literary rights, including copyright to
the collection and physical objects, are protected under Chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code and are retained by the creator
and the copyright owner, heir(s), or assigns.
All requests to reproduce, quote from, or otherwise reuse collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Department
of Special Research Collections at UCSB at special@ucsb.edu. Consent is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of
California acting through the Department of Special Research Collections at UCSB as the owner of the physical items and is
not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright
owner, heir(s), or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the
copyright owner or their assigns for permission to publish where the UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Gift of Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, 2005 and 2006.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African American dramatists
African American poets
African Americans -- Human rights workers
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day -- California -- Santa Barbara
African Americans -- California -- Santa Barbara