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Size | 0.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 100 items) |
Abstract | The Janet Anderson and Eugene Anderson Collection documents African American life and culture in rural Fayette County, Tennessee, especially the intersection of African American health crises and civil rights concerns. The collection consists of an interview with Janet and Eugene Anderson in May 2019 in Rossville, Tennessee, and copies of newspaper clippings, photographs, and flyers that supplement their stories about African American health activism in Fayette County. Topics include Tent City (1959-1960); the Appalachian Student Health Coalition in Rossville, Tennessee; the Poor People's Health Council of Rossville, Tennessee in the late 1970s; the Fayette County, Tennessee Civic and Welfare League in the early 1990s; and Janet Anderson's campaign for Fayette County Court Clerk in 1978. |
Creator | Anderson, Eugene, 1947-
Anderson, Janet, 1949- |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: Nancy Kaiser and Chaitra Powell, October 2019
Encoded by: Nancy Kaiser, October 2019
Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.
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Janet and Eugene Anderson are a married African American couple who are health care and civil rights activists in Rossville, Fayette County, Tenn. During the 1970s they hosted Student Health Coalition members from Nashville, Tennessee, and participated in the Poor Peoples Campaign.
Janet Anderson was born 12 January 1949, in Fayette County, Tenn., and attended Fayette County schools. After high school, she went to Lane College (1967-1968) but left to get married and start a family. After her children were older, she got involved in local politics. Starting in the late 1970's, she was a county commissioner, worked as the outreach coordinator for the Tennessee Hunger Coalition, and served alongside Sister Elaine Wicks with the Poor People's Health clinic in Fayette County, Tenn. Her platforms included improving the school system, increasing voter registration, and rural healthcare.
Eugene Anderson, born 3 June 1947 in Fayette County, Tenn., also attended Fayette County public schools. He joined the military and served in the Vietnam War. When he returned home, he worked in the steel industry and finished his career as a union representative for United Steelworkers.
Back to TopThe Janet Anderson and Eugene Anderson Collection documents African American life and culture in rural Fayette County, Tennessee, especially the intersection of African American health crises and civil rights concerns. The collection consists of an interview with Janet and Eugene Anderson in May 2019 in Rossville, Tennessee, and copies of newspaper clippings, photographs, and flyers that supplement their stories about African American health activism in Fayette County. Topics include Tent City (1959-1960); the Appalachian Student Health Coalition in Rossville, Tennessee; the Poor People's Health Council of Rossville, Tennessee in the late 1970s; the Original Fayette County, Tennessee Civic and Welfare League, Inc., in the early 1990s; and Janet Anderson's campaign for Fayette County Court Clerk in 1978.
Back to TopArrangement: as received from donor.