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Size | 20 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 2,500 items) |
Abstract | Joe Herzenberg (Joseph Alexander Herzenberg II) was born in 1941 in Franklin, N.J. He moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., in 1969. Herzenberg was a politician; historian; advocate for social, environmental, and economic justice; and the first openly gay elected official in North Carolina. He died in October 2007 in Chapel Hill. The collection contains diaries, correspondence, subject files, photographs, and other materials relating to Joe Herzenberg. Diaries begin in 1954 during Herzenberg's early adolescence and continue through 2006. Entries are detailed narratives of Herzenberg's daily life during his teenage and college years. From the 1970s on, local and national politics play central roles in the diaries. Correspondence is chiefly incoming and concerns local and national politics and Herzenberg's personal life. Included are letters from Democratic Party politicians running for office; replies from politicians detailing stances on particular issues; letters from local and national non-profits; and letters concerning local politics, such as Chapel Hill Town Council meetings and the Chapel Hill City Greenway. There are also letters, postcards, and greeting cards from friends, family, and students. Subject file topics include politics, family, gay rights, home, hobbies, and social issues in Chapel Hill. Photographs are of Herzenberg's parents; Herzenberg at various stages in his life; school, social, and political events; friends, associates, and other individuals; and Herzenberg's cat and home. Also included are awards received by Herzenberg, his political pin collection, college class notes, and other items. |
Creator | Herzenberg, Joseph A., 1941-2007 |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Joyce Chapman, January 2008
Encoded by: Joyce Chapman, January 2008
Updated by: Nancy Kaiser, January 2021
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.
Joe Herzenberg (Joseph Alexander Herzenberg II) was born 25 June 1941 in Franklin, N.J., to Marjorie and Morris Herzenberg. He was a politician; a historian; an advocate for social, environmental, and economic justice; and the first openly gay elected official in North Carolina. Herzenberg attended Yale University, receiving his B.A. in 1963 and M.A. in European history in 1965. One of his first major involvements with politics was working as a Freedom Summer volunteer in 1964 in Mississippi. He was briefly jailed as a civil rights protester that same year. From 1965 to 1967, Herzenberg worked as assistant professor and chair of the History Department at Tougaloo College, a historically African American school in Jackson, Miss., and a hotbed of civil rights activism in the 1960s. At Tougaloo, he met and was briefly married to an African-American woman at a time when interracial marriages were illegal.
Herzenberg moved to North Carolina in 1969 to enroll as a graduate student in history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he wrote his dissertation on the career of local civil rights leader Frank Porter Graham. He first ran as a Democrat for Chapel Hill Town Council in 1979, but was narrowly defeated. Soon after, he was appointed to the Town Council to replace Gerry Cohen, who had stepped down mid-term. Herzenberg lost the reelection bid in 1981 and lost the election once again in 1983. In 1987, Herzenberg was elected to Chapel Hill Town Council, becoming the first openly gay elected official in North Carolina. He was re-elected by a wide margin in 1991, receiving an unprecedented vote total for Chapel Hill town council race. He remained in office until 1993. During his time in office, Herzenberg was a great proponent of civil rights, social justice, and environmental protection. Even after stepping down, Herzenberg remained involved in local politics and served on various town advisory boards, such as the Chapel Hill Greenways Commission. Herzenberg was a founding member of Pride PAC (later called Equality N.C. PAC), a state-wide advocacy organization working for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender North Carolinians. He played a great part in the enactment of Chapel Hill's tree protection ordinance, the creation of the Chapel Hill Greenways, and the preservation of the Chapel Hill downtown historic district. Herzenberg received the first Citizen's Award from the Independent Newsweekly in 1984. He died at the age of 66 on 28 October 2007 in Chapel Hill from complications of diabetes.
Adapted for the most part from Orange Politics blog: http://orangepolitics.org/2007/10/well-miss-you-joe/ (Date accessed: 30 January 2008)
Back to TopThe collection contains diaries, correspondence, subject files, photographs, and other materials of Joe Herzenberg, politician, historian, and social activist of Chapel Hill, N.C. Diaries begin in 1954 during Herzenberg's early adolescence and continue through 2006. Entries are detailed narratives of Herzenberg's daily life during his teenage and college years. From the 1970s on, local and national politics play central roles in the diaries. Correspondence is chiefly incoming and concerns local and national politics and Herzenberg's personal life. Included are letters from Democratic Party politicians running for office; replies from politicians detailing stances on particular issues; letters from local and national non-profits; and letters concerning local politics, such as Chapel Hill Town Council meetings and the Chapel Hill City Greenway. There are also letters, postcards, and greeting cards from friends, family, and students. Subject file topics include politics, family, gay rights, home, hobbies, and social issues in Chapel Hill. Photographs are of Herzenberg's parents; Herzenberg at various stages in his life; school, social, and political events; friends, associates, and other individuals; and Herzenberg's cat and home. Also included are awards received by Herzenberg, his political pin collection, college class notes, and other items.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Diaries begin in 1954 in early adolescence and continue through 2006, shortly before his death. During Herzenberg's teenage and a college years, the diaries relate detailed narratives of his daily life and routine, including accounts of conversations, school, parents, friends, activities, and readings. After college, the diaries pay increasing attention to politics. By the 1970s, local and national politics play central roles in the diaries. In later decades, diary entries are far less detailed, though they still track the events of daily life. There are no diaries from 1968 to 1974.
Box 1 |
1954-1961 |
Box 2 |
1962-1967 |
Box 3 |
1975-1980 |
Box 4 |
1980-1982 |
Box 5 |
1982-1983 |
Box 6 |
1983-1984 |
Box 7 |
1985-1986 |
Box 8 |
1987-1988 |
Box 9 |
1989-1990 |
Box 10-11
Box 10Box 11 |
1991-1992 |
Box 12 |
1993-1994 |
Box 13 |
1995-1996 |
Box 14 |
1997-1998 |
Box 15 |
1999-2000 |
Box 16 |
2001-2002 |
Box 17 |
2003-2004 |
Box 18 |
2005-2006 |
Arrangement: as received.
Correspondence is chiefly incoming and concerns local and national politics and personal life. Included are letters from Democratic Party politicians running for office; replies from politicians detailing stances on particular issues; letters relating to the Chapel Hill Town Council; letters relating to local projects such as the Chapel Hill City Greenway; and letters from local and national non-profits such as PridePac, the ACLU, the Nature Conservancy, the AIDS Service Agency NC, and others. Letters trace the campaigns of local and national Democratic candidates including Bill Clinton, Harvey Gantt, Ellie Kinaird, Jose Medina, Mike Nelson, and David Price.
There are also postcards, greeting cards, and letters from friends, family, and students. Though the letters are chiefly incoming, there are a few originating with Herzenberg, including a June 1995 letter documenting the refusal of a Chapel Hill, N.C., restaurant to serve him due to his sexual orientation.
Many letters were annotated by Herzenberg. These annotations include information such as whether or not Herzenberg responded to the letter, whether he voted for a particular politician and his opinion of the politician, what his answer was to a question in the letter, or how much money he donated to a specific organization. Filed among the letters are official documents such as Herzenberg's voter registration certification, GRE and other test scores, Chapel Hill Town Council documents, and tax information.
Box 19-20
Box 19Box 20 |
1940-1966Although most letters are arranged chronologically, Herzenberg arranged these letters alphabetically within date spans. Tables of contents created by Herzenberg listing correspondents alphabetically can be found in the first folder of each group. |
Box 21 |
1966-1970 |
Box 22 |
1970-1972 |
Box 23 |
1973-1976 |
Box 24 |
1977-1980 |
Box 25 |
1981-1983 |
Box 26 |
1984-1988 |
Box 27 |
1989-1990 |
Box 28 |
1991-1994 |
Box 29 |
1994-1995 |
Box 30 |
1996-1997 |
Box 31 |
1998-2006 and undated |
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Subject file topics include politics, family, gay rights, home, hobbies, and social issues in Chapel Hill, N.C. Materials are letters, photographs, publications, and clippings.
Note that original file folder titles have, for the most part, been retained. See Series 4. Photographs for other photographs.
Folder 149 |
6 Cobb TerracePhotographs, tax information, and other papers relating to Herzenberg's Chapel Hill, N.C., residence. |
Folder 150 |
AIDSMaterials relating to the AIDS Service Agency of NC (1990-1993). Includes meeting minutes and information on the debate about the creation of the AIDS house in Carrboro, N.C. |
Folder 151 |
Board of Elections |
Folder 152 |
Books read |
Folder 153 |
Cartoons, lettersMix of newspaper cartoons involving Herzenberg and official letters written by Herzenberg. |
Folder 154 |
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) |
Folder 155 |
Cobb TerraceMaterials include official correspondence, court judgments, clippings, zoning plans, photographs, and other items relating to Akin et. al vs. Town of Chapel Hill , a 1987 court case revolving around the Women's Center and preservation of the residential Chapel Hill historic district. |
Folder 156 |
David Herzenberg (1950-1991)Materials relating to Herzenberg's brother. |
Folder 157 |
Democratic Socialists of America |
Folder 158 |
Durham MarchMaterials relating to the Durham, N.C., Pride parade, 1991. |
Folder 159 |
East Franklin Democrats |
Folder 160 |
The ExchangeMaterials relating to the 1991 legal dispute regarding the Chapel Hill, N.C., Columbia Street Exchange Coffeehouse. |
Folder 161 |
Family genealogyMaterials include a copy of an 1883 Romanian birth certificate for Herzenberg's grandfather, copies of two handwritten autobiographical narratives of Herzenberg's ancestors who came to the United States from Romania (one by Henry Herzenberg, b. 1868), and a copy of a 1924 handwritten declaration by Henrietta Herzenberg. |
Folder 162 |
FlagsSeveral flag catalogs and a 1987 San Francisco Chronicle opinion article on the rainbow flag. |
Folder 163 |
Franklin, N.J. |
Folder 164 |
Frank GrahamWritings by and about civil rights leader and University of North Carolina president Frank Porter Graham, including a manuscript by Herzenberg entitled, "Frank Porter Graham and the North Carolina Senatorial Primaries of 1950." |
Folder 165 |
Funding Exchange |
Folder 166 |
Fund for Southern Communities |
Folder 167 |
Gay Baiting |
Folder 168 |
Gay Democrats |
Folder 169 |
Gay Elected Officials |
Folder 170 |
Gay Lists |
Folder 171 |
Gay Miscellany |
Folder 172 |
Herzenberg Campaign, 1987Includes official correspondence with supporters, precinct information, lists of campaign contributors, election ballots, newspaper articles, and photographs. |
Folder 173 |
Herzenberg CampaignsMaterials relating to the 1985 Chapel Hill Town Council election, including the official election results, precinct information, lists of campaign contributors, election ballots, newspaper articles, and photographs. |
Folder 174 |
HerzenbergsNewspaper articles, photographs, and papers related to various members of the Herzenberg family. |
Folder 175 |
Herzenberg Town Council campaign, 1991Materials include photographs, official municipal election results, and a list of campaign contributors. |
Folder 176 |
Human Rights Fund |
Folder 177 |
Human Rights Campaign Fund |
Folder 178 |
Joe HerzenbergPhotographs of relatives and of Herzenberg, a tape log and index of an oral history conducted with Herzenberg by the Southern Oral History Program, and newspaper articles about Herzenberg spanning a number of years. |
Folder 179 |
John Ehle, The Free MenMaterials relating to Herzenberg's work with The Free Men, a 1965 book detailing the desegregation of the University of North Carolina. The book was republished by Herzenberg in early 2007. |
Folder 180 |
Lightning BrownMaterials relating to Herzenberg's close friend, fellow activist and Chapel Hill poet Lightning Brown (1947-1996). Included are poems by Brown; letters written by Brown on political subjects; newspaper articles about Brown; the eulogy read by Herzenberg at Brown's funeral; and photographs, articles, and other materials on the dedication of the Bolin Creek Greenway in Brown's honor. |
Folder 181 |
Number not used. |
Folder 182 |
MishmashClippings, articles, and other printed materials. Subjects include rapid urban grown in Chapel Hill, arctic birds, local gun control, and opinion articles from local papers. |
Folder 183 |
Mondale-Herzenberg Campaign, 1984 |
Folder 184 |
National Association of Gay and Lesbian Democrats |
Folder 185 |
NC Pride PAC |
Folder 186 |
OLGA (Orange Lesbian and Gay Association) |
Folder 187 |
Orange County Democratic Party |
Folder 188 |
Pension |
Folder 189 |
"Politics Public and Private: the Emergence of Gay Activism in North Carolina, 1972-1984," Senior Honors Thesis by Marc Garfinkel, 1988 |
Folder 190 |
Chapel Hill Preservation Society |
Folder 191 |
Chapel Hill Public Library |
Folder 192 |
San JorgeMaterials relating Herzenberg's trip to San Jorge, Nicaragua, as part of Chapel Hill's first delegation sent to a new sister city community, 1990. |
Folder 193 |
"Significance Report: Chapel Hill Historic District" |
Folder 194 |
Stonewall Supper |
Folder 195 |
Town Council: AIDS |
Folder 196 |
Town Council: Gay Rights Legislation |
Folder 197 |
Town Council: Tree Protection Board, 1993 |
Folder 198 |
Town Council: San Jorge Sister City Project, 1990 |
Folder 199 |
Triangle Alliance |
Arrangement: by subject and date.
Childhood photographs of Herzenberg's parents; photographs of Herzenberg throughout his life; photographs of school, social, and political events; photographs of other individuals; and photographs of Herzenberg's cat and home. See Series 3. Subject Files for other photographs.
Image Folder PF-5367/1-7
PF-5367/1PF-5367/2PF-5367/3PF-5367/4PF-5367/5PF-5367/6PF-5367/7 |
Joe Herzenberg |
Oversize Image Folder OP-PF-5367/1 |
School photograph, undated |
Image Folder PF-5367/8 |
Individuals and Herzenberg's house, yard, and catHerzenberg does not appear in these photographs. |
Awards received by Herzenberg, his political pin collection, college class notes, his parents' marriage certificate, and other items.
Folder 200-211
Folder 200Folder 201Folder 202Folder 203Folder 204Folder 205Folder 206Folder 207Folder 208Folder 209Folder 210Folder 211 |
Other materials |