Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Shapiro (Harley) papers
Coll2022-004
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Title: Harley Shapiro papers
Creator:
Shapiro, Harley
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2022-004
Physical Description:
4 Linear Feet
8 boxes.
Date (inclusive): 1974-2015
Abstract: Harley Paul Shapiro is a teacher, photographer, and HIV/AIDS activist. The collection, 1974-2015, primarily consists of photographs
taken by Shapiro of services and events at Congregation Kol Ami, Reform synagogue in West Hollywood. The collection also holds
ephemera concerning LGBTQ communities, religious groups, and AIDS/HIV, including newspaper clippings, flyers, brochures, and
programs.
Language of Material:
English
.
The collection is arranged into two series: 1) Photographs and Negatives, and 2) Ephemera.
Harley Paul Shapiro is a teacher, photographer, and HIV/AIDS and commuity activist. He was born in Los Angeles, California
in 1946. He attended Fairfax High School and the University of California, Los Angeles before moving to the Bay Area in 1967
to attend grad school at the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating, he taught Cultural Anthropology at several
schools including the University of San Francisco.
Shapiro received several Fulbright scholarships which enabled him to travel around the world, including India, Ecuador, Argentina,
Korea, and Japan. He also participated in projects with the US Peace Corps in Jamaica, Asia, and Latin America. A lifelong
photographer, Shapiro documented his travels and shared images, videos, and presentations of LGBTQ+ communities and culture
worldwide.
Shapiro met Rabbi Denise Eger shortly after his return to Los Angeles in 1990, and became one of the first members of the
newly formed Congregation Kol Ami. He was an active member of the congregation until he moved to San Francisco in 2004. During
his time with Kol Ami, Shapiro volunteered his skills as a photographer, documenting many of the congregation's events, holidays,
and life celebrations.
Shapiro been an LGBTQ+ activist for decades, working in San Francisco with Harvey Milk in the 1970s, and political and HIV/AIDS
activism in the 1980s and 1990s. He has worked with a number of groups in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, including the
Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and Congregation Kol Ami, to promote awareness and advocate for patients' rights.
As of 2022, Shapiro lives in San Francisco.
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Harley Shapiro, 2015-2016.
[Box/folder #, or item name] Harley Shapiro Papers, Coll2022-004, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University
of Southern California.
Collection processed by Beth McDonald, 2022. Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the California
State Library.
The collection, 1974-2015, primarily consists of photographs taken by Shapiro of services and events at Congregation Kol Ami
in West Hollywood, California. The collection also holds ephemera concerning LGBTQ communities, religious groups, and AIDS/HIV,
including newspaper clippings, flyers, brochures, and programs.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Jewish gays
Jewish history, life, and culture
Jewish lesbians
Photographers
Synagogues -- California -- Los Angeles
Congregation Kol Ami (Los Angeles, Ca.)