Citizen's Task Force on Racism papers

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MS-0034

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains the papers kept by Citizen's Task Force on Racism member and University at Buffalo History professor, David Gerber. It includes meeting minutes, correspondence, and newspaper clippings concerning the activities of the Task Force. The collection primarily documents the Task Force's surveillance of the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazism in Buffalo, New York.

Dates

1976-1982

Language of Materials

Collection material in English.

Terms of Access

The Citizen's Task Force on Racism papers, 1976-1982, are open for research.

Copyright

Copyright of papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and the University Archives before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.

Historical Note

The Citizen's Task Force on Racism was formed in 1980 following the racially motivated killings of African Americans in Buffalo, New York. The Task Force developed out of a rally held by the Buffalo Unity Day Committee in October 1980 to demonstrate unity among African American and white communities.

The Task Force was composed of civil leaders from religious, academic, business, and legal communities. The purposes of the Task Force were to monitor the activities of local authorities and investigate the murders. The Task Force also actively monitored and collected information on racists groups and widely publicized their findings. The group was particularly watchful of Karl Hand, a local Ku Klux Klan advocate, and Manfred Raeder, leader of the German Initiative Party and publisher of the German Citizen's Initiative.

David Gerber is a Professor of History at the University of Buffalo. Dr. Gerber was a member of the Citizen's Task Force on Racism.