Preston and Bonita Valien Papers

The Preston and Bonita Valien papers are a rich source of documentation generated during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and extremely strong in documenting their ground breaking sociology research in the areas of African American higher education, housing segregation, public school and public transportation integration, population migration from the south to the north, race relations, as well as women’s health related to birth control and infant mortality.

The workings of Fisk University’s Department of Sociology are extensively documented within the collection, as well as the Valien’s research and writings. There is notable administrative correspondence and reporting including a considerable number of letters by President Charles Spurgeon Johnson (1941-1956). Other Fisk University colleagues represented include, Inez Adams, Arna Bontempts, Fred Brownlee, and George St. John.

Of particular interest are the Valien’s files related to their monitoring of the southern desegregation boycotts and protests of the 1950s. The bulk of these materials document the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1956), including reporting from joint meetings of the Montgomery Improvement Association and NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), as well as White Citizen Council rallies.