Betsy Brinson collection

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Commonwealth University, Cabell Library
James Branch Cabell Library
Virginia Commonwealth University
P.O. Box 842003
901 Park Avenue
Richmond, VA 23284-2003
Contact for questions and access:
POC: SCA Staff
Phone: (804) 828-1108
Fax: (804) 828-0151
Restrictions:

The collection is open to research.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions, except for the DVD-R of the panel discussion from Richmond Times-Dispatch. Due to copyright restrictions, the video(s) may not be reproduced or disseminated without the copyright holder's permission.

Preferred citation:

Betsy Brinson collection, 1974-2013, Collection # M 570, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Summary

Extent:
0.83 Linear Feet 2 letter document boxes
Creator:
Brinson, Betsy, Brinson, Betsy, and Richmond Times-Dispatch
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Betsy Brinson collection, 1974-2013, Collection # M 570, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.

Background

Scope and content:

The Betsy Brinson collection contains materials Brinson collected related to her activism and involvement in various organizations, namely the YWCA and Richmond Peace Education Center. The Richmond Peace Education Center materials include newsletters, as well as planning documents and ephemera for the Eyes Wide Open Project. The YWCA materials mostly include pamphlets, information on a YWCA children's reading program, and news clippings. The collection also contains miscellaneous newsletters and reports produced in Virginia or regionally about women's rights and social justice, pins and buttons that are largely political in nature, and photos from the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. There are some syllabi and reading packets from Brinson's time teaching at VCU, but the collection largely reflects the organizations and work Brinson was involved with outside of VCU from 1974 to 2013.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Betsy Brinson is a white woman who grew up in the military in the South. She earned a Bachelor's degree in American History from University of North Carolina Greensboro and a Ph.D. in Women's Studies from the Union for Experimenting Colleges and Universities in Cincinnati, Ohio. Now retired, Brinson dedicated her career and efforts to women's rights, documenting the history of civil rights, community support of HIV/AIDS patients, and anti-war efforts.

Selected examples of Brinson's contributions include: working with a team to conduct and collect over 200 oral histories with civil rights activists through the Kentucky Historical Society, leading to the production of a documentary titled "Living the Story"; working with Richmond AIDS Ministry and recruiting/training primary care doctors on how to care for people with HIV; conducting and collecting oral histories of Richmond people involved in justice work; serving on the board of Quaker House, an anti-war military counseling organization in North Carolina; and volunteering with the Richmond Peace Education Center (RPEC). As part of her work with Richmond Peace Education Center, Brinson helped organize the Eyes Wide Open Project, which displayed books of American soldiers who had died in Iraq. She also worked on the RPEC Truth in Recruitment Project, which aimed to educate high school students on the realities of enlistment in the US Army.

Work history: 1970-1974 - North Carolina American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Acquisition information:
Gift of Betsy Brinson, 2013.
Arrangement:

Folders are arranged alphabetically.

Physical / technical requirements:

Contact Special Collections and Archives staff to request access to the "Race, Class, Culture, Power" panel discussion DVD-R at libsca@vcu.edu. File formats include .VOB and are viewable using a suitable media viewer/player.

Physical facet:
Collection includes color photographs, color negatives, pins/buttons, and a DVD-R
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard