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Broome County Peace Action records

 Collection
Identifier: BUSC-2005-003

Scope and Contents

The Broome County Peace Action records document the work of Broome County Peace Action and earlier anti-Vietnam War groups. The collection documents the administration of the organization through budgets and meeting minutes, as well as their programs. Programs documented include protest events, education campaigns, letters-to-the-editor, newsletters, petitions, the Visions of Peace poetry contest, and the Campaign to Oppose Crisis Relocation. Materials include correspondence, newsletters, petitions, membership lists, newspaper clippings, brochures and flyers, poetry, research, press releases, and speeches.

The collection also includes a large volume of collected publications from other anti-nuclear and anti-Vietnam war organizations, including newsletters, newspaper clippings, flyers and brochures, reports, and educational materials. This portion of the collection documents both local and national organizations, including Sane, Peace Action, Physicians and Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), 20/20 Vision, and Common Cause.

CONTENT WARNING: The anti-Vietnam War accession contains graphic images of dead civilians.

Dates

  • Creation: 1966 - 2019

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection has been reviewed for restrictions and is open for research.

Historical Note

Broome County Peace Action (BCPA) is dedicated to abolishing nuclear weapons, constructing a world of peace and justice, and eliminating militarism as a method of resolving conflict. These goals are accomplished through education of the public and those in government responsible for national and foreign policy. BCPA is one of the local chapters in 30 states affiliated with “Peace Action,” the largest national grassroots-based peace organization in the United States.

BCPA began as Project Please to oppose nuclear weapons in 1981. The group was originally largely made up of a group of Binghamton University students, and was a branch of the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign. While the group officially started in 1981, many of the early members had been involved with local anti-Vietnam War activism in the 1970s, especially around draft counseling and war tax resistance.

The organization became Broome County Nuclear Weapons Reduction (BCNWRC) in 1984 and gained 501(c)3 status. Around this time, the organization collected 10,666 signatures calling for a freeze in nuclear weapons production, which was sent to legislators in Washington.

In 1989 BCNWRC became a chapter of the national SANE/Freeze campaign, and then a chapter of Peace Action in 1993. BCNWRC has remained as the 501(c)(3) non-profit arm of BCPA.

Long-serving members of the organization included Greta Lake (public relations), Arvid Antonson, Charlie Schultz, Alan Jones (newsletter editor), George Haeseler, Roland Austin, Bob Cotton, Harry Thor, Helen Spiegel, Randy Swift, Toshie Box, Sue Cowing, and Suzanne Geoghegan.

Extent

5 Linear Feet (9 boxes and 2 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Broome County Peace Action records documents the work of BCPA and earlier anti-Vietnam War groups. BCPA is an organization dedicated to the abolishing of nuclear weapons, constructing a world of peace and justice, and eliminating militarism as a method of resolving conflict.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into 5 series. Each series is made up of one accession, i.e. a group of material that came to Special Collection together at the same time. The series are arranged in order of when they were given to Special Collections.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Suzanne Geoghegan donated her papers and the papers of her mother, Greta Lake, in 2005. Over the years there were several additions to the collection by Broome County Peace Action, including an accession of newsletters and minutes by Alan Jones in 2019.

Related Materials

Books, video recordings, and audio recordings from this collection were cataloged and were added to the rare books collection.

Processing Information

This collection was processed in 2005 when it came to the archives. During processing, materials were rehoused, newspaper clippings were photocopied so originals could be returned to the donor, and books and audiovisual materials were removed from the collection and cataloged.

In 2023, Madison White, Archival Processing Manager, processed and described later additions to the collection. Duplicates and national newspapers were weeded, materials were rehoused, and the collection was described in a finding aid. To make the distinction clearer between BCPA's publications and publications they collected, the original 2005 materials were divided into series.

Source

Subject

Title
Broome County Peace Action records
Status
Completed
Author
Madison White (Archival Processing Manager)
Date
2023
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Binghamton University Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Binghamton NY 13902 USA