The records include brochures, correspondence, membership lists, minutes, newspaper clippings, photographs, posters and printed programs, proposals and reports that document the establishment and growth of the Contemporary Black Arts Program at UCSD. These records consist chiefly of administrative files from this academic program, friends organization, and Black History Month celebrations, as well as various publicity materials for events sponsored by CBAP. The materials are arranged in six series: 1) PROGRAM FILES, 2) PUBLICITY MATERIALS, 3) BLACK FACULTY AND STAFF ASSOCIATION FILES, 4) SUBJECT FILES, 5) FRIENDS OF THE CONTEMPORARY BLACK ARTS PROGRAM FILES, and 6) BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILES.

The Contemporary Black Arts Program developed from the Cultural Traditions Program at Muir College during the late 1970s. Strongly interdisciplinary, the program was established to satisfy the general education requirements of the college, to add richness and diversity to the process of educating students, and to serve as a means of increasing the involvement of African-Americans in university and local community affairs. In 1979, the program moved to Third College (now Thurgood Marshall College) under the guidance of Dr. Floyd Gaffney, Professor of Drama, who continued as Director of the program through the early 1990s. Since 1981, the program has offered a Contemporary Black Arts Minor which provides a broad introduction to African-American performing arts combining lecture, studio, and performance courses. Through the concerted efforts of the faculty and strong support from the university administration, the program expanded its unique combination of instructional, research, and performing arts missions throughout the 1980s. The program's involvement in the planning of Black History Month events and its successful sponsorship of performances by African-American artists attest to its important contributions to the cultural life of the UCSD campus and the surrounding community.

3 Linear feet (6 archives boxes, 1 oversize file folder)

Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.