Lenora Little scrapbook

Access and use

Location of collection:
George Mason University
2400 Fenwick Library
Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library MS2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Mieko Palazzo
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Preferred citation:

Lenora Little scrapbook, C0326, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
0.25 Linear Feet 1 scrapbook
Creator:
Little, Lenora
Abstract:
This scrapbook contains correspondence between Lenora Little, an African American typist, and her boyfriend and later husband Bill, an African American man serving in the Army in the D.C.-Metro area.
Language:
English Spanish; Castilian
Preferred citation:

Lenora Little scrapbook, C0326, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

This scrapbook contains correspondence from Lenora Little to her boyfriend, and later husband, William "Bill" Jackson, an African American couple, dated September 1943-December 1944. During this time Bill was a soldier serving in the army during World War II. The scrapbook also includes letters written to friends and family and ephemera like newsclippings and event programs. It also includes one photograph of Lenora. Some parts of Lenora's letters are written in Spanish.

All letters within the scrapbook were authored by Lenora, who wrote to Bill consistently while he was stationed at Fort Lee in Prince George County, Virginia and she resided in Washinton, D.C. Due to censorship requiring all information about Army activity to be kept out of correspondence from servicemen, information about Bill, his rank, and his life in the Army are left undiscussed. Lenora mostly discusses their relationship and her life during the war. The scrapbook flows chronologically in two parts: the first part contains letters from January-December 1944, and the second contains letters from September-December 1943.

Biographical / historical:

Lenora Little Jackson was born in 1918, likely in Baja, California Mexico, and passed away in Los Angeles in 1966. She was married to William "Bill" Jackson until her death.

During the Second World War, women were thrust into the workforce worldwide with varying degrees of involvement, whether it was commercial sewing or making war materials in factories and homes. In the United States, jobs for women trended towards the former. Lenora Little, an African American woman, worked as a typist in Washington, D.C. while her boyfriend, and later husband, Bill was drafted into the Army in 1943. African Americans in the military were largely assigned to noncombat roles in segregated units prior to D-Day, performing duties then deemed "menial," such as logistics. African American military members would enter into combat in places like the Battle of the Bulge, and the Army would be desegregated in 1948.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Caroliniana Rare Books in July 2019.
Processing information:

Processing completed by Christopher Babbitt in February 2020. EAD markup completed by Christopher Babbitt in February 2020. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in July 2020 and February 2026.

Arrangement:

This is a single item collection.

Physical location:
R 72, C 2, S 4
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard