Boatwright Library's Reference and Processing Archivist Taylor McNeilly is leading the effort to process the personal collection of distinguished theologian and civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker and his wife Theresa Ann Walker.
Walker, who passed away in 2018, served as chief strategist for Martin Luther King Jr. The University of Richmond is home to hundreds of historical items such as photographs Walker took of King while they were jailed in Birmingham in 1967; numerous letters to King and others regarding civil rights issues; and journals, drawings, diagrams and notes kept by Walker’s wife Theresa, who was also active in the civil rights movement. The collection also includes books, records, awards and clothing.
"Walker’s work included everything from high-level strategy, such as the timing of demonstrations, to the detailed work of counting seats in restaurants and churches to coordinate the sit-ins and kneel-ins."
Contact director of media and public relations Sunni Brown at sbrown5@richmond.edu to connect with McNeilly.
Taylor McNeilly, reference and processing archivist in Boatwright Memorial Library, authored this piece.
Taylor McNeilly, reference and processing archivist in Boatwright Memorial Library, authored this piece, which originally appeared in The Conversation.