Correspondence, 1982 January 1 - 1983 November 21

Correspondence and Other Materials contain letters and documents ranging from 1954 to 1999 and encompassing 3.75 linear feet of material. Arranged chronologically, the array of material include letters that document O'Neal's involvement as a college student at Southern Illinois University; communications about the Free Southern Theater; correspondence regarding raising money for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); professional reference communications; personal mail from family members; and personal greeting cards. The bulk of the correspondence ranges from 1960-1969.

Of note are several personal love letters written to O'Neal during the early 1960s; memorandum from Charlie Cobb regarding the general survey of economic characteristics of Washington County, Mississippi, to Jim Forman (April 29, 1963); and a letter from Gilbert Moses to O'Neal referencing a list of funding sources and foundations for the Free Southern Theater (November 15, 1966). Also included are communications from O'Neal's parents considering his welfare as a college student and social activist; correspondence from the Ford Foundation advising O'Neal of the approval of a travel and study grant, which enabled him to complete a book proposal on the role of Black Southern students in the Civil Rights Movement, effective October 1, 1970, for three months.

Of interest is correspondence to Douglas Turner Ward (January 21, 1980) of the Negro Ensemble Company pertaining to O'Neal's play, Hurricane Season, in which O'Neal describes the significance of his play in highlighting the confluence of social and individual concerns. In his letter, O'Neal ponders why good people who become involved in social movements find it so difficult to balance their relationships with their families. Hurricane Season addresses this concern. Also of interest is a letter from writer Tom Dent (April 1, 1980) asking O'Neal to write a piece on the Free Southern Theater for Southern Exposure magazine's civil rights special issue titled, "Civil Rights: Twenty-Five Years After Montgomery."

Also of note is a signed letter from Coretta Scott King and Yolanda King inviting O'Neal to join the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center's Institute on Cultural Affairs (ICA) through membership on the Advisory Committee (December 17, 1982). ICA was one of the ten institutes of the King Center, which sought to use the power of the arts to advance the teachings and methods of Dr. King for nonviolent social change throughout the world community. Mrs. King asked O'Neal to serve as a national and international advocate for the ICA. Members of the committee included artists from a variety of disciplines, as well as supporters of the arts.

The correspondence section concludes with letters and statements of the National Service Board of Religious Objectors and the Selective Service Board, where O'Neal sought and won I-O classification.

Main correspondents include Amiri Baraka; Julian Bond; Charlie Cobb; Tom Dent; Marian Wright Edelman; Hoyt Fuller; Doris A. Grimmett; Dr. Vincent Harding; Bob Johnson; Clifton H. Johnson; Coretta Scott King; Yolanda King; Ernest N. Morial; Gilbert Moses; Kalamu ya Salaam; Wole Soyinka; Douglas Turner Ward; and Howard Zinn.

Other materials encompass an array of files. Included are files documenting O'Neal's involvement with Abbott House from 1965-1966; the Black Appalachian Video Drama Project (circa 1979); and the Tell Me a Story Sing Me a Song Conference (1983-1984). Of note is research material for a published article about Julian Bond written by O'Neal. These research files include the publication Cavalier with the article, "Cavalier of the Month Julian Bond (1940-) More Than a Hamburger," (July 1969). O'Neal's birth certificate and resume are also located in this group of materials.

The series concludes with a small amount of financial records, including O'Neal's travel documents and travel expense reports.