Anita Mackey Papers, 1929-1996

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Summary

Creators:
Mackey, Anita
Abstract:
The Anita Mackey Papers cover her educational, professional and volunteer accomplishments. They are recorded in correspondence, awards, memorabilia and other papers. Many slides and photos are part of this collection. The photos cover much of her personal life. Included are also logs and film from her travels.
Extent:
5.0 linear feet and 4 document boxes, 2 oversize boxes and approximately 2,000 slides in 9 slide albums
Language:
and The collection is in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of Item], Anita Macky Papers, CEMA 57. Department of Special Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Background

Scope and content:

The Anita Mackey Papers reflect her richly diverse and well-traveled life. Her educational, professional and volunteer accomplishments are recorded in correspondence, awards, memorabilia and other papers. Many slides and photos are part of this collection. The photos cover much of her personal life. The slides are well organized and maintain the order that she used for giving slide shows on her world travels to such places as Africa, Russia, Poland, China and the Holy Land. The current papers cover from 1929 to 1992. The papers consist of three series: Personal and Biographical, Photographs and Slides, Publications, Travel Logs, and Film.

Series I Personal and Biographical, 1929-1992

Included are awards, correspondence, biographical information and some of Anita Mackey's writings.

Series II Photographs, 1933-1991

This series contains personal photographs and travel photos. The boxes are of Anita Mackey's travels around the world and in the United States. These are housed in box number 2.

Series III Slides, 1974-1989

This series contains travel slides.

Series IV Publications, 1970-1975

Series three contains publications with personal notes as well as copies of speeches and books she owned and wrote. "Black and Still Coping" is in this series and was part of an oral history project at UCSB Special Collections, with David Russell.

Series V Travel Logs

This series contains several books from Anita Mackey's travels around the world.

Series VI Film

Series six contains film reels that document several travel trips.

Biographical / historical:

Anita Johnson Mackey is a Santa Barbara community leader and nationally recognized social service worker. As a licensed clinical social worker, she worked for the Veteran's Administration for thirty years in three cities: Chicago, as the first African American supervisor in social service; Los Angeles as the first African American supervisor there; and Santa Barbara as administrator of the Social Work Service Office. Mrs. Mackey was born in Riverside, California as one of eight children. At the age of ten she lost her mother and was raised by her father and an older sister. She received her early education in California. She earned a B.A. in speech from the University of Redlands in 1937.

She earned her M.A. degree in medical social service administration from the University of Chicago in 1941. Mrs.Mackey has also taught at various colleges and universities, including teaching as a field instructor in the School of Social Welfare at UCLA, and for Atlanta University and the University of Chicago. At Santa Barbara City College, Mrs. Mackey was the first instructor of the overwhelmingly popular course "Afro- American Culture," in response to the great need at the time and due to the realization that there were few African Americans available to teach such courses. One of Mrs. Mackey's many callings was to work with elementary children to improve their reading and comprehension skills. Her work in the mental health care stems from a strong belief that those with mental disabilities need spokespersons.

Mrs.Mackey has been active in many community and civic organizations and boards, including the Board of the Comprehensive Health Planning Association of Santa Barbara County, as a member of the Santa Barbara Citizens' Adult Educational Planing Council, and on the Board of Directors of the NAACP. She has served on the Citizen's Planning Association of Santa Barbara County, the Channel City Women's Forum, and on the Human Relations Council on Social Services. She has served on the Goleta Valley Community Hospital's Board of Trustees, and on the Board of Loma Linda University and Medical Center. She currently serves on the Santa Barbara Police Department Board of Commissioners. Mrs. Mackey's recognitions and awards are numerous. She is listed in Who's Who of American Women; she is a former Santa Barbara Ad Club "Woman of the Year." (1976), and was honored with the Notable Woman of Santa Barbara County Award in 1982. The Anita Mackey Minority Merit Scholarship Endowment Fund was established in 1995 at the University of Chicago School of Social Services.

Anita J. Mackey's papers were deeded to the University of California, to be deposited in the California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives. Her papers are of special value to researchers interested in studying the history of the Santa Barbara community, civil rights, women, African American issues, and the Veterans Administration. Mrs. Mackey's papers consist of speeches, photographs, slides, memorabilia, ephemera, correspondence, and diaries covering her travels to over one hundred and two countries throughout her life.

Processing information:

Collection processed by Salvador Güereña, and Callie Bowdish, December 1, 2008.

Physical location:
Del Norte
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:
African American social workers

Access and use

Restrictions:

none

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of Item], Anita Macky Papers, CEMA 57. Department of Special Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Location of this collection:
UC Santa Barbara Library
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9010, US
Contact:
(805) 893-3062
special@library.ucsb.edu
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