Guide to the Henry Williams Jr. Film Collection

Sean Heyliger

African American Museum & Library at Oakland

659 14th Street

Oakland, California 94612

Phone: (510) 637-0198

Fax: (510) 637-0204

Email: aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org

URL: http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/locations/african-american-museum-library-oakland

Guide to the Henry Williams Jr. Film Collection

Collection number: MS 195

African American Museum & Library at Oakland

Oakland, California

Processed by:: Sean Heyliger
Date Completed:: 2016-05-21
Encoded by:: Sean Heyliger

Descriptive Summary

Title: Henry Williams Jr. film collection

Dates: 1937-1979

Collection number: MS 195

Collector: Williams, Henry Jr.

Collection Size: 7 linear feet (6 boxes)

Repository: African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)

Oakland, CA 94612

Abstract: The Henry Williams Jr. Film Collection consists of 175 films and 3 reel-to-reel audiotapes mostly documenting the Black Panther Party and student and union protest movements of the late 1960s.

Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Access

Access to original film reels is restricted. See archivist for details.

Access Restrictions

Materials are for use in-library only, non-circulating.

Publication Rights

Permission to publish from the Henry Williams Jr. Film Collection must be obtained from the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.

Preferred Citation

Henry Williams Jr. film collection, MS 195, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.

Acquisition Information

Collection donated to African American Museum & Library by Henry Williams Jr. on July 7, 1992.

Processing Information

Processed by Sean Heyliger, May 21, 2016.Finding aid updated with material from accession 2017-094 by Sean Heyliger on December 27, 2017.

Scope and Content of Collection

The Henry Williams Jr. Film Collection consists of 175 films and 3 reel-to-reel audiotapes mostly documenting the Black Panther Party and student and union protest movements of the late 1960s. The collection is organized into five series: Series I: Black Panther Party films; Series II: Union and student protest films; Series III: British films; Series IV. Chinese films; Series V. Assorted films. The Black Panther Party film reels include outtakes and b-roll footage shot in preparation of the California Newsreel film MayDay and includes film footage of Kathleen Cleaver, Bobby Seale, Huey Newton, and other party leaders. The union and student protest series consists of assorted footage of protest rallies in the late 1960s and 1970s, and includes footage of Vietnam War protests, UAW and OCAW union strikes, the Farah Manufacturing Company strike of 1972, and student protests at high schools in Oakland, California following the police shooting of Melvin Black in 1979. British films include six educational and newsreels from the 1940s-1950s and four unidentified Chinese films. The assorted series consists of 59 films of stock footage, educational films and unidentified films. For the unidentified films, a short description of the initial film frames has been supplied by the cataloger in brackets.

Arrangement

Series I: Black Panther Party films. Series II: Union and student protest films. Series III: British films Series IV. Chinese films Series V. Assorted films

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Black Panther Party--History--Pictorial works.

Strikes and lockouts--Chemical workers.

Student movements--California.

California Newsreel (Firm).

Black Panther Party films

Physical Description: 78 film reels

Series Scope and Content Summary

78 16mm film reels including outtakes and b-roll of Black Panther Party rallies and interviews with party leaders including Kathleen Cleaver, Bobby Seale, and Huey Newton. Most of the clips are believed to be taken as part of the California Newsreel film MayDay.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by clip title or description.

MayDay outtakes

Box 1

MayDay outtakes [0001] [MP-0001/001] 1969-05-01