Achebe Betty Powell (June 14, 1940-February 21, 2023 )

Scope and Contents In this oral history Powell describes her extended family network and roots in the African-Methodist-Episcopal church. She details living in Germany with her father in the 1950s, her conversion to Catholicism, and attending college in St. Paul, MN. Powell recounts her introduction to activism through the National Council of Christians and Jews, and the climate of racism and anti-Semitism in the mid-century South. Powell describes her coming out-both politically and sexually-during the 1970s,...

Abstract

Achebe Betty Powell (June 14, 1940 - February 21, 2023) was a groundbreaking and influential leader in the LGBTQ+ and Civil Rights movements. She devoted her life to activism and was an active antiracism and diversity trainer through her consulting firm, Betty Powell Associates. This collection primarily documents Powell’s consulting work between 1989 and 2023, although there are also materials relating to Powell’s activist work and personal life during that period.

Abstract

Oral History Project documenting the persistence and diversity of organizing for women in the United States. Narrators include labor, peace, and anti-racism activists; artists and writers; lesbian rights advocates; grassroots anti-violence and anti-poverty organizers; and women of color reproductive justice leaders. Interviews cover childhood, personal life, and political work. Most oral histories consist of audiovisual recordings and transcripts, plus some background information.