]
]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
This collection was processed with support from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 350 items) |
| Abstract | Mississippi Freelance was begun in Greenville, Miss., in April 1969 as a "non-profitable sideline" for its editors, Lew Powell and Ed Williams who, then in their twenties, were reporters for the Delta Democrat-Times in Greenville. Mississippi Freelance was a liberal monthly newspaper, dedicated to "reporting the otherwise unreported." All of its writers worked on a volunteer basis. The paper had about 700 subscribers in and out of Mississippi. Mississippi Freelance ceased publication in March 1970, after twelve issues. As of April 1983, Powell and Williams were writing for the Charlotte Observer. The collection consists of business correspondence, financial material, writings and research material, distribution material, printed material (including a copy of each issue of Mississippi Freelance), and other material. The correspondence includes comments on contemporary social and political issues, especially race relations and civil rights, chiefly in Mississippi. |
| Creator | Mississippi Freelance. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Processing Information
Processed by: Linda Mackie Griggs; revised by Suzanne Ruffing, August 1996
Encoded by: Joseph Nicholson, March 2006
Updated by: Amanda Loeb, March 2012
This collection was processed with support from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Historical Information
Mississippi Freelance was begun in Greenville, Miss., in April 1969 as a "non-profitable sideline" for its editors, Lew Powell and Ed Williams who, then in their twenties, were reporters for the Delta Democrat-Times in Greenville. Mississippi Freelance was a liberal monthly newspaper, dedicated to "reporting the otherwise unreported." All of its writers worked on a volunteer basis. The paper had about 700 subscribers in and out of Mississippi. Mississippi Freelance ceased publication in March 1970, after twelve issues. As of April 1983, Powell and Williams were writing for the Charlotte Observer.
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Scope and Content
The collection consists of business correspondence, financial material, writings and research material, distribution material, printed material (including a copy of each issue of Mississippi Freelance), and other material. The correspondence includes comments on contemporary social and political issues, especially race relations and civil rights, chiefly in Mississippi.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Correspondence, 1968-1972 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Mostly incoming letters to Lew Powell and Ed Williams concerning routine business matters. Many of these letters include suggested additions to the list of subscribers and comments relating to contemporary social and political issues, chiefly in Mississippi.
Two frequent correspondents and key supporters of the Mississippi Freelance were Democratic National Committeewoman Patricia Derian and writer Curtis Wilkie. Their letters relate to various personal, political, and business matters, including fund-raising for the newspaper and ideas for stories.
Note that there are a few letters included in Series 2.
| Folder 1 |
1968 |
Folder 2-8
Folder 2Folder 3Folder 4Folder 5Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8 |
1969 |
| Folder 9 |
1970 |
| Folder 10 |
1971-1972 |
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Series 2. Financial and Other Material, 1969-1971 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological within each folder.
Financial, distribution, legal, research, printed, and other material relating to the Mississippi Freelance. Financial material includes notes concerning advertising, income tax, and other financial matters; completed tax forms; bills and receipts; and related items. Distribution material includes notes, postage forms, and two copies of the list of subscribers, one partial and the other presumably complete. Also included are two receipts for stock issued to Ed William and Lew Powell, a certificate of incorporation, and a statement of intent to dissolve Mississippi Freelance, Incorporated.
Research material consists chiefly of drafts of articles written for the newspaper. There are also newspaper clippings, correspondence, and notes relating to articles or ideas for articles for the newspaper. Many articles concern political matters at the University of Southern Mississippi, including appointments of department chairs and plagiarism charges by the University's president, William D. McCain. Printed material includes one copy of each of the twelve issues of Mississippi Freelance (OP-4343/1-12) and four news items concerning the newspaper. Other material consist of two business cards, a press pass, three original editorial cartoons by W. Ethridge, and Minutes; Board of Directors, Mississippi Freelance, Inc.
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Items Separated