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.
Size | 25.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 17,000 items items) |
Abstract | The War Resisters League (WRL) was founded in 1923 by pacifists who had opposed American entry into World War I. League members have been active in organizing opposition to American involvement in military conflicts, including World War II, the Vietnamese conflict, and the Persian Gulf War. The League also was involved in the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, and has also supported the women's movement, the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, and other social justice causes. The Southeast Regional Office of the War Resisters League was established in 1977 in Chapel Hill, N.C., for the purpose of supporting WRL activities and other peace and social justice groups in the southeastern United States. A few years later, the office moved to Durham, N.C., where it operated until 1989. The collection includes bulletins, flyers, correspondence, financial documents, administrative documents, newsletters, notes, slides, posters, and other materials related to the operation of the War Resisters League, Southeast Regional Office (WRL/SE), as well as the War Resisters League National Office (WRL) and other peace groups and social justice organizations. WRL/SE materials include correspondence and mailings detailing WRL/SE events and protests, meeting notes and agendas from regional conferences, fundraising and financial materials, and a scrapbook containing clippings and flyers from events. Similar materials exist for the WRL National Office, but also include minutes and staff reports from meetings of the WRL Executive Committee and the WRL National Committee, program proposals and administrative forms for WRL National Conferences, and flyers from speaking tours by pacifists David Dellinger, David McReynolds, Igal Roodenko, and others affiliated with the War Resisters League. Also included are some materials from some other local WRL chapters. A large portion of the collection is devoted to materials documenting protests, events, issues, and organizations with which the WRL and WRL/SE were involved. Organizations represented include the American Friends Service Committee, the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Southern Organizing Committee for Economic Justice, Jobs with Peace, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom; protests and events include the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, the 1976 Continental Walk for Disarmament and Social Justice, the 20th anniversary of the National March on Washington, the Women's Peace Walk, and the Women's Roundhouse for Survival; and issues include draft registration and resistance, apartheid in South Africa, nuclear disarmament, feminism, lesbian and gay rights, civil disobedience, American foreign policy in Central America, and the Vietnamese conflict. There are also informational packets relating to specific protest actions or to general topics such as fundraising, war tax resistance, and civil disobedience training. Publications include WIN Magazine and The Nonviolent Activist, published by the WRL, as well as newsletters from various WRL regional offices and local chapters, including the WRL/SE. Slide shows document the history of the War Resisters League, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and the consequences of nuclear war, among other issues. Also included are photographs of War Resisters League members at protests and conferences, posters advertising protest actions and pacifist issues, and various audio-visual materials, including films. |
Creator | War Resisters League. Southeast Regional Office. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Jesse Brown, December 2005; Meaghan Alston and Nancy Kaiser, July 2021
Encoded by: Jesse Brown, December 2005
Revised by: Dawne Howard Lucas, July 2021, January 2022
Back to TopThe 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.
The War Resisters League (WRL) was founded in 1923 by pacifists who had opposed American entry into World War I. League members have been active in organizing opposition to American involvement in military conflicts, including World War II, the Vietnamese conflict, and the Persian Gulf War. The League also was involved in the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, and has also supported the women's movement, the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, and other social justice causes. The Southeast Regional Office of the War Resisters League was established in 1977 in Chapel Hill, N.C., for the purpose of supporting WRL activities and other peace and social justice groups in the southeastern United States. A few years later, the office moved to Durham, N.C., where it operated until 1989.
Back to TopBulletins, flyers, correspondence, financial documents, administrative documents, newsletters, notes, slides, posters, and other materials related to the operation of the War Resisters League, Southeast Regional Office (WRL/SE), as well as the War Resisters League National Office (WRL) and other peace groups and social justice organizations. WRL/SE materials include correspondence and mailings detailing WRL/SE events and protests, meeting notes and agendas from WRL/SE Regional Conferences, fundraising and financial materials, and a scrapbook containing clippings and flyers from WRL/SE events. Materials from the WRL National Office include correspondence to regional and local WRL offices, minutes and staff reports from meetings of the WRL Executive Committee and the WRL National Committee, program proposals and administrative forms for WRL National Conferences, and flyers for speaking tours by noted pacifists David Dellinger, David McReynolds, Igal Roodenko and others affiliated with the War Resisters League. Also included are materials from some WRL local offices.
A large portion of the collection is devoted to flyers, brochures, informational bulletins, planning notes, clippings, and other materials documenting protests, events, issues, and organizations with which the War Resisters League and WRL/SE were involved. Some of the organizations represented in these documents include the American Friends Service Committee, the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Southern Organizing Committee for Economic Justice, Jobs with Peace, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Among the protests and events documented are the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, the 1976 Continental Walk for Disarmament and Social Justice, the 20th anniversary of the National March on Washington, the Women's Peace Walk, and the Women's Roundhouse for Survival. Also included are documents related to various peace and social justice issues, including draft registration, draft resistance, apartheid in South Africa, nuclear disarmament, feminism, lesbian and gay rights, civil disobedience, American foreign policy in Central America, and the Vietnamese conflict.
The collection also contains informational packets, produced by the War Resisters League and other organizations, related to either specific protest actions or to general topics such as nuclear disarmament, fundraising, war tax resistance, and civil disobedience training. Publications in the collection include magazines published by the War Resisters League, including WIN Magazine and The Nonviolent Activist, as well as newsletters from various WRL regional offices and local chapters, including the WRL/SE. Slide shows are included which document the history of the War Resisters League, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and the consequences of nuclear war, among other issues. Also included are photographs of War Resisters League members at protests and conferences, posters advertising protest actions and pacifist issues, and various audio-visual materials, including films.
Back to TopArrangement: by type.
Correspondence, financial documents, bulletins, notes, and other materials related to the operation of the War Resisters League, Southeast Regional Office (WRL/SE). Correspondence is mostly from people interested in becoming involved with the War Resisters League, or people involved with other peace and social justice groups. Mailings are mostly from the WRL/SE office to members and supporters of WRL/SE, containing information about WRL/SE events and demonstrations, appeals for financial support, and tips on effective community organizing. Conference materials include meeting notes, informational mailings, registration forms, agenda, and other materials related to WRL/SE Regional Conferences. Fundraising and financial materials are related to various WRL/SE fundraising efforts, including benefit concerts, grant proposals, pledge campaigns, mailed fund appeals, and sales of War Resisters League calendars. Administrative materials include notes and minutes from Working Committee and other WRL/SE staff meetings, returned literature order forms, and bills for office expenses, including phone service and computer operation. The scrapbook contains flyers, newspaper clippings, and letters related to WRL/SE protests and other events. Also included are materials related to Mandy Carter, staff person at the WRL/SE office from 1983 to 1988.
Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained.
Arrangement: chronological.
Folder 1 |
1977 |
Folder 2 |
1982-1983 |
Folder 3-4
Folder 3Folder 4 |
1983-1985 |
Folder 5 |
1986 |
Folder 6 |
1987 |
Folder 7 |
1988 |
Folder 8 |
Correspondence with WRL National Office |
Arrangement: chronological.
Folder 9 |
1977-1978 |
Folder 10-12
Folder 10Folder 11Folder 12 |
1980-1984 |
Folder 13 |
1985 |
Folder 14 |
1986 |
Folder 15 |
1987 |
Folder 16 |
1988 |
Folder 17 |
Key contact list and mailings |
Folder 18 |
Mailing list: New names from WRL National Office |
Folder 19-20
Folder 19Folder 20 |
Mockups |
Folder 21-24
Folder 21Folder 22Folder 23Folder 24 |
"Swipe file" |
Acquisitions Information: Accession 101610
Newsletters, communications, fliers, and other programming materials.
Folder 779-780
Folder 779Folder 780 |
Mailings, 1979-1989 |
Arrangement: by name.
Folder 25-27
Folder 25Folder 26Folder 27 |
WRL/SE Regional Conference, 1984 |
Folder 28 |
WRL/SE Regional Conference, 1986 |
Folder 29 |
WRL/SE Regional Conference, 1986: Copy |
Folder 30 |
WRL/SE Regional Conference, 1986: Registrations |
Folder 31 |
WRL/SE Retreat, 10-12 September 1982 |
Folder 32 |
War Resisters International Triennial, 1985 |
Arrangement: by name.
Acquisition Information: Accession 101303
Folder 781-782
Folder 781Folder 782 |
Bookkeeping binder (disassembled), 1979-1983 |
Arrangement: by subject.
Folder 69-70
Folder 69Folder 70 |
Action Update returns |
Folder 71 |
Bulk mailing receipts |
Folder 72 |
Computer |
Folder 73-74
Folder 73Folder 74 |
Ideas |
Folder 75 |
Literature orders, 1985-1986 |
Folder 76 |
Literature orders: Filled |
Folder 77 |
Literature orders: Unfilled |
Folder 78 |
"Mandy's flyers" |
Folder 79 |
Monthly meetings |
Folder 80 |
Newsletter survey responses |
Folder 81-82
Folder 81Folder 82 |
Notebooks |
Folder 83 |
Old log and records |
Folder 84 |
Orientation notes, November 1982 |
Folder 85-87
Folder 85Folder 86Folder 87 |
Phone bills |
Folder 88 |
Press conference drafts |
Folder 89 |
Speaking engagements |
Folder 90 |
Staff meetings, 1982-1983 |
Folder 91 |
Staff reports |
Folder 92 |
Strategy group |
Folder 93-94
Folder 93Folder 94 |
Tenth Anniversary Committee |
Folder 95 |
Tours |
Folder 96 |
Volunteer pool |
Folder 97-98
Folder 97Folder 98 |
Working committee, 1982 |
Folder 99 |
Working committee, 1985 |
Folder 100 |
Working committee, 1986 |
Folder 101 |
Photocopy masters |
Folder 102-107
Folder 102Folder 103Folder 104Folder 105Folder 106Folder 107 |
Scrapbook |
Arrangement: by subject.
Folder 108a |
The Independent Citizenship Award, 1986 |
Folder 108b |
Mandy's Old File from WRL West |
Folder 108c |
Notebook from Mandy Carter's Orientation at WRL/SE |
Folder 108d |
Women and War: Oral History Interview with Mandy Carter |
Arrangement: by type.
Correspondence, notes, meeting minutes, administrative documents and other materials related to the operation of the War Resisters League National Office, located in New York, N.Y. Correspondence largely consists of letters from the WRL National Office to regional and local offices and individual WRL members about WRL actions, meetings, and administrative details. Also included in the correspondence are informational flyers related to disarmament, human rights, and other issues addressed by WRL actions. Committee meeting materials consists mostly of minutes and staff reports from meetings of the WRL Executive Committee and the WRL National Committee. National conference materials consist of program proposals, agenda, administrative forms, and other documents related to WRL National Conferences. There is a particularly large collection of materials from the 1987 WRL National Conference, which was held in Raleigh, N.C. The WRL Southeastern Regional Office was largely responsible for planning and organizing the event; the collection contains financial materials, registration forms, and administrative documents related to meals, housing, child care, and other services for the attendees. Materials related to WRL public events include flyers for speaking tours by noted pacifists David Dellinger, David McReynolds, Igal Roodenko, and others affiliated with the War Resisters League. Administrative documents consist of annual budgets and other financial materials, literature and resource guides for local WRL chapters, and miscellaneous flyers.
Arrangement: by type.
Folder 108e |
Correspondence: Grace Hedeman to regional and local offices |
Folder 109 |
Disarmament questionnaire |
Folder 110-112
Folder 110Folder 111Folder 112 |
Mailings |
Folder 113 |
Survey results |
Arrangement: by subject.
Arrangement: by subject.
Arrangement: by subject.
Folder 171 |
David McReynolds tour, 1977 |
Folder 172 |
Dellinger tour, 1981 |
Folder 173 |
Draft/Counter-militarism weekend, 1982 |
Folder 174 |
Igal Roodenko tours, 1977-1981 |
Folder 175 |
Igal Roodenko tour, 1984 |
Folder 176 |
National Civil Defense Project |
Folder 177 |
60th anniversary file |
Folder 178 |
Speakers lists |
Arrangement: by subject.
Folder 179 |
Budget materials |
Folder 180 |
Feminist task force |
Folder 181 |
Flyers |
Folder 182 |
"Forming a Local WRL" |
Folder 183 |
Fund appeal |
Folder 184 |
Literature lists, 1980-1983 |
Folder 185 |
New WRL Local chapters: Written inquiries |
Folder 186 |
Resource list, 1983 |
Arrangement: by office.
Newsletters, clippings, meeting minutes, and other materials documenting various regional and local offices of the War Resisters League. Particularly well-documented are the WRL Piedmont Region local chapter (founded in Durham, N.C., in 1990), and the WRL West office, located in San Francisco, Calif.
Folder 187 |
WRL: Birmingham, Ala. |
Folder 188 |
WRL: Houston, Tex. |
Folder 189 |
WRL: New England Regional Office |
Folder 190 |
WRL: New Orleans |
Folder 191 |
WRL: New York, N.Y. |
Folder 192 |
WRL: Oak Park, Ill. |
Folder 193 |
WRL: Orlando, Fla. |
Folder 194 |
WRL: Philadelphia, Penn. |
Folder 195 |
WRL Piedmont Regional Office: Articles and clippings |
Folder 196 |
WRL Piedmont Regional Office: Committee meeting minutes |
Folder 197 |
WRL Piedmont Regional Office: Financial records |
Folder 198 |
WRL Piedmont Regional Office: Lesbian and gay rights |
Folder 199 |
WRL Piedmont Regional Office: Key lists, 1992 |
Folder 200-201
Folder 200Folder 201 |
WRL Piedmont Regional Office: Mailings from WRL National office |
Folder 202-203
Folder 202Folder 203 |
WRL Piedmont Regional Office: Miscellaneous materials |
Folder 204 |
WRL: Richmond, Va. |
Folder 205 |
WRL: Seattle, Wash. |
Folder 206-210
Folder 206Folder 207Folder 208Folder 209Folder 210 |
WRL West Regional Office |
Arrangement: by subject.
Flyers, brochures, informational bulletins, planning notes, clippings, and other materials related to various protests, conferences, organizations, and issues related to the War Resisters League's mission. The War Resisters League participated in some of the documented protests, while they only kept information on other events. Some of the protests prominently represented include the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, the 1976 Continental Walk for Disarmament and Social Justice, the 20th anniversary of the National March on Washington, the Women's Peace Walk, and the Women's Roundhouse for Survival. Also included are pamphlets, mailings, clippings, and other materials produced by other peace and social justice organizations with which the War Resisters League either worked or communicated. These organizations include the American Friends Service Committee, the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the Southern Organizing Committee for Economic Justice, Jobs with Peace, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. The collection also contains various informational materials on issues related to the peace and social justice movements. Those include draft registration and resistance, apartheid in South Africa, nuclear disarmament, feminism, lesbian and gay rights, civil disobedience, American foreign policy in Central America, and the Vietnamese conflict.
Arrangement: by subject.
Arrangement: by subject.
Arrangement: by subject.
Arrangement: by organization.
Informational packets produced by the War Resisters League and other peace and social justice organizations. Some of the packets were produced for attendees of a particular conference, while others were meant to be available for general distribution. War Resisters League packets include instructional materials for organizers, as well as materials on the nuclear weapons freeze campaign and on ROTC and Junior ROTC programs. Packets compiled by other organizations such as Jobs with Peace and the American Friends Service Committee, deal with issues such as nuclear disarmament, fundraising, war tax resistance, and civil disobedience training.
Arrangement: title and date.
Folder 572 |
Community of Resistance packet |
Folder 573 |
"High School Organizing Packet" |
Folder 574-575
Folder 574Folder 575 |
Notebook: The Freeze |
Folder 576 |
"Readings on Feminism and Nonviolence" |
Folder 577 |
"Refusing War Preparations: Conscientious Objection and Non-Cooperation" (War Resisters International) |
Folder 578 |
"ROTC Dismantling Kit" |
Folder 579 |
"1987 War Resisters League Training Program for Organizers" |
Folder 580 |
"1988 War Resisters League Training Program for Organizers" |
Folder 581 |
"1989 Training Program for Organizers" (War Resisters League) |
Folder 582-583
Folder 582Folder 583 |
"1991 War Resisters League Organizer Training Program" |
Arrangement: by title.
Arrangement: by title.
Newsletters, magazines, manuals, reports, and other publications from the War Resisters League and other activist organizations. Earlier War Resisters League publications include WIN Magazine, a magazine covering issues related to the peace movement, and WRL News, a newsletter covering War Resisters League events and actions. In 1984, both of these publications ceased, and their functions were merged into The Nonviolent Activist. Also included are War Resisters League calendars, often referred to as "peace calendars," which were sold to raise money for the national organization. Newsletters from various WRL regional offices and local chapters, including the War Resisters League, Southeastern Regional Office, are also present in the collection. Non-WRL publications include magazines and newsletters produced by organizations such as the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, Mobilization for Survival, and the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. Also included are reports issued by the United States military on the distribution of military contracts with private industry.
Arrangement: by title.
Folder 635-638
Folder 635Folder 636Folder 637Folder 638 |
The Nonviolent Activist, 1984-1995 |
Folder 639 |
The Nonviolent Activist: Publication Committee |
Folder 640-647
Folder 640Folder 641Folder 642Folder 643Folder 644Folder 645Folder 646Folder 647 |
War Resisters League Calendar, 1973-1980 |
Folder 648-651
Folder 648Folder 649Folder 650Folder 651 |
War Resisters League Calendar, 1982-1985 |
Folder 652 |
War Resisters League Calendar, 1987 |
Folder 653-677
Folder 653Folder 654Folder 655Folder 656Folder 657Folder 658Folder 659Folder 660Folder 661Folder 662Folder 663Folder 664Folder 665Folder 666Folder 667Folder 668Folder 669Folder 670Folder 671Folder 672Folder 673Folder 674Folder 675Folder 676Folder 677 |
WIN Magazine, 1972-1983 |
Folder 678 |
WIN Magazine: Lists of Missing Issues |
Folder 679 |
WRL Guide to War Tax Resistance |
Folder 680-682
Folder 680Folder 681Folder 682 |
WRL News, 1972-1984 |
Folder 683 |
WRL Organizers Manual, 1974 |
Folder 684 |
WRL Organizers Manual, 1981 |
Arrangement: by publisher.
Folder 685 |
WRL/SE Newsletter, 1977-1982 |
Folder 686 |
WRL/SE Triangle Newsletter, 1982-1983 |
Folder 687 |
War Resisters International Newsletter |
Folder 688 |
WRL Chapel Hill Newsletter |
Folder 689 |
WRL Oak Hill: Peace Action |
Folder 690 |
WRL South Central Newsletter |
Folder 691 |
WRL West: War Resister |
Folder 692 |
Miscellaneous WRL Publications |
Arrangement: by title and type.
Arrangement: by title.
Slide shows, with slides arranged and housed in carousels, assembled by the War Resisters League and other organizations, as well as scripts and other materials related to the slide shows, on various issues related to the peace movement. Included are Forgotten History: Fifty Years of Nonviolence in America, a pictorial history of the War Resisters League, as well as slide shows on draft resistance, Strategic Defense Initiative, war tax resistance, and the consequences of nuclear war.
NOTE: Slides are not available for all of the slide shows mentioned in the collection. For some, only the scripts and other materials are available. Consult the folder list for notes on the availability of slides.
Arrangement: by subject.
Photographs of various WRL members at the 1979 War Resisters League National Conference, photographs taken by the North Carolina March Committee at the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, and other miscellaneous photographs.
Image Folder P-5213/1 |
1979 WRL Conference |
Image Folder P-5213/2 |
North Carolina March Committee |
Image Folder P-5213/3 |
Miscellaneous |
Posters produced by the War Resisters League and other peace and social justice organizations. Some posters advertise specific protest actions, while others illustrate pacifist views on issues such as capital punishment, nuclear disarmament, draft resistance, anti-militarism, and prison reform. Included are posters, printed in German, which likely were printed for protests in West Germany against the NATO deployment of nuclear missiles in Europe.
Extra Oversize Paper Folder XOPF-5213/1 |
Posters |
Arrangement: by type.
Articles, catalogs, clippings, informational packets, notes, publications, and other materials which were not organized by the WRL/SE office.
Folder 752 |
Miscellaneous articles |
Folder 753 |
Miscellaneous catalogs |
Folder 754-757
Folder 754Folder 755Folder 756Folder 757 |
Miscellaneous clippings |
Folder 758-765
Folder 758Folder 759Folder 760Folder 761Folder 762Folder 763Folder 764Folder 765 |
Miscellaneous documents |
Folder 766 |
Miscellaneous informational packets |
Folder 767 |
Miscellaneous notes |
Folder 768-778
Folder 768Folder 769Folder 770Folder 771Folder 772Folder 773Folder 774Folder 775Folder 776Folder 777Folder 778 |
Miscellaneous publications |
Arrangement: format and title
Films, a videotape, and a cassette owned by the War Resisters League, Southeast Regional Office. The films mostly deal with the Vietnamese conflict. The cassette tape is a lecture given by Dr. Helen Caldicott, the founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, to California state officials about the dangers of nuclear power.
Film F-5213/1 |
Like a Beautiful Child |
Film F-5213/2-3
F-5213/2F-5213/3 |
Once Upon a War |
Film F-5213/4-5
F-5213/4F-5213/5 |
The Selling of the Pentagon |
Film F-5213/6 |
Vietnam and Beyond |
Film F-5213/7 |
Vietnam Dialogue #3 |
Film F-5213/8 |
Vietnam : How In, How Out? |
Film F-5213/9 |
Vietnam: Still America's War |
Film F-5213/10 |
Village by Village |
Film F-5213/11 |
War's Children |
Film F-5213/12 |
What Can I Do |
Film F-5213/13-14
F-5213/13F-5213/14 |
Who Invited Us? |
Videotape VT-5213/1 |
"Zero-Time": An Action for Peace |
Audiocassette C-5213/1 |
A Talk by Dr. Helen Caldicott |