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Ailanthus Peace Witness, Draper Laboratory protests, 1979-1991

 Sub-Series
Identifier: IV

Dates

  • Creation: 1979-1991

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

Records consist of newsletters, historical accounts, administrative records, fliers and promotional materials, and photographs and slides documenting the nonprofit organization Haley House.

Organizational materials consist of annual newsletters, robust community log books, obituaries and memorials of Haley House founders and community members, correspondence, articles, City of Boston Resolutions, and organizational histories. The collection also includes financial records such as expenditure books, audit reports, and donation records, as well as operational records including staff notes, planning schemas, and operating guidelines. Outreach and fundraising materials document numerous anniversary events, issues of Edible Boston which feature articles written by the head chef of Haley House as well as cover art from photographs of Haley House, Haley House publication What's Up Magazine, and ephemera such as recipes, menus, and fliers. The collection includes photographic prints, negatives, and slides spanning the 1960s through 2020, which were described at item-level by a Haley House community member as part of its 50th anniversary. Records also contain photographs from the Haley House Bakery Café relaunch on February 1, 2020, shot by Boston-based photographer John Wilcox.

Notable content includes a letter from Dorothy Day of the Catholic Workers Movement, photographs of visits by Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Marty Walsh, and posters and photographs from Charlie King and Utah Phillips fundraising performances.

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research.

Negatives in box 1715 are not an access medium and are not available for use; print photographs in boxes 2 and 3 are available for access. Slides require use of a light box provided by the Burns Library Reading Room. The audiovisual and born-digital materials in Series V. are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted.

Historical note: Ailanthus

Ailanthus, a “nonviolent witness for peace” organization, was active between 1979 and approximately 1991 in the Cambridge, Massachusetts area. The community was grounded in Christian nonviolence theology, Gandhi's model of nonviolent resistance, and the teachings of James Douglass, a radical Catholic theologian and peace activist. Ailanthus membership was composed mainly of Quakers and Roman Catholics, who met at Boston's Catholic Worker House and conducted weekly nonviolent peace vigils at the Draper Laboratory in Cambridge where first-strike weapons and technology were developed.

Extent

From the Collection: 10.5 Linear Feet (11 containers)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Repository Details

Part of the John J. Burns Library Repository

Contact:
John J. Burns Library
Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill MA 02467 USA
617-552-4861