Jeremiah Courtney discusses his experience as an Irish immigrant in New York City, and then in Charleston. He came to the States full time in 1991, after having lived in London for five years and finding life there difficult for an Irishman. He speaks warmly of growing up in Kilarney, County Kerry, but left largely because he felt that Ireland couldn’t offer him the variety and adventure that he wanted in his life. He felt welcomed and supported upon first arriving in the States, particularly by others in the Irish or Irish-American community. He made his way down to Charleston after feeling he needed a break from New York. Though he was raised in the Catholic church and attended Catholic school, he finds himself turning away from Catholicism, and has not passed that on to his children.
Correspondence from Pualine T. Ellis of the National Board of the Y.W.C.A. to "Mrs. Allington" of the Southern Region of the Y.W.C.A. regarding a recent Bulletin.
National Board of the Y.W.C.A. memorandum from Lois Diehl, Correlator for the Eastern Region, and Leta H. Galpin, Teen-Age Program Staff, to All Staff Carrying Responsibility for Teen-Age Program.
NAACP memorandum from Robert Ford, Charleston NAACP, to William Penn, Director of Branches, regarding election violations for the Charleston Branch of the NAACP.
Correspondence from Mrs. Joseph Brockington, Bookkeeper and Secretary for the Coming Street Y.W.C.A., to the Savings and Security Plan and the Retirement Fund for the National Board of the Y.W.C.A. regarding financial matters.
National Board of the Y.W.C.A. memorandum from Florence C. Harris, Field Staff for the Southern Region Community Division to Staff Attending the Meetings on Supervision.
National Board of the Y.W.C.A. memorandum from Florence C. Harris and Kathaleen Carpenter, Field Staff for the Southern Region Community Division to Teen-Age Program Directors.
"Suggested Advance Story for World's Y.W.C.A. Membership" from the Public Information Department, to be held during National Y.W.C.A. Week, April 23 through 29, 1950.
Correspondence from Anna D. Kelly, Branch Director for Coming Street Y.W.C.A., to S. C. Electric and Gas Company requesting a "catalog of films and list of subjects from which selections may be made for program groups."
Correspondence from Anna D. Kelly, Branch Director for Coming Street Y.W.C.A., to the National Association of Social Workers requesting copies of "The Work on Poverty."
Correspondence from Naomi S. Hanks, Department of Data and Trends for the National Board of the Y.W.C.A., to the General Secretary regarding the Y.W.C.A. annual report. Enclosed annual report for 1942.
USS Dewey Fleet memorandum from J. P. Harrison, Commanding Officer, USS Dewey (DLG-14) to Commandant, Sixth Naval District, regarding the Gingerbread House, a Day Care and Nursery, who wouldn't accept O'Neil Hightower's child due to their race.
World's Y.W.C.A. Membership Celebration Committee document providing information on World's Y.W.C.A. Membership Day to be held on April 26, 1950. Enclosed "Workers Creed."
National Board of the Y.W.C.A. memorandum from Genevieve Lowry, Executive Committee Division, to Executive Director, Branch Executives and Program Directors.
National Council of the Business and Professional Women's Assembly memorandum from Mary K. Freibott, President of the National Business and Professional Council, to All Business and Professional Girls.
National Board of the Y.W.C.A. memorandum from Mrs. Alfred E. Mudge, Chairman of the Subcommittee for Teen-Age Program, and Leta H. Galpin, National Teen-Age Program Staff, to Chairman of Committee for Teen-Age Program and Teen-Age Director.
National Board of the Y.W.C.A. memorandum from Kathaleen Carpenter, Teen-Age Program Staff, to Amanda L. Keith regarding an orientation period for club advisors.
Advertisement calling for contributions toward the H. Rap Brown Defense Fund including a letter from H. Rap Brown from the Parish Prison in New Orleans, Louisiana.
A letter from Theodore Drayton-Grimke to his father, Thomas S. Grimke, describing his "foolish" behavior in New York City (wasting money on wine for "other gentlemen," tickets to plays, and clothing) and the subsequent debt he fell into.
Correspondence from Ada C. Baytop, Chairman and Secretary for the Coming Street Y.W.C.A., to "Mrs. Saunders" regarding Beatrice Simmons, Marguerite Simmons, and Rosina Middleton visiting New York City.
Correspondence from Mabel T. Everett, Office Executive and Business Manager for the Conventions and Conferences Division for the National Board of the Y.W.C.A., to Ada C. Baytop regarding the a financial dispute.
Bar owner Tommy Snee discusses his experiences as an Irish immigrant in Charleston. He is the youngest of ten children and describes his upbringing in a poor family as a happy one despite the hardships of poverty. He first came to the United States at the age of seventeen in 1980, to stay with an aunt and uncle in St. Augustine, Florida for a holiday. He returned home for a period of time before returning to the States in 1986 and gaining his green card. He gained U.S. citizenship in 2017. He attended a Christian Brothers School in Ireland, and left school at the age of fourteen to work in construction. Feeling that there was “nowhere to go in Ireland,” he came to the States, where he found the opportunity to work hard and make a life immensely appealing. The weather, the diversity, and the local culture drew him to Charleston from New York. He finds that the response to him as an immigrant has been nothing but positive. While he loves his life in the States, he states that, first and foremost, “I’ll always be an Irishman.” On Irish stereotypes, he disagrees with many of the simplistic stereotypes, but argues that the best way for Irish immigrants to dispel these kinds of false notions is through education. He also discusses the importance of honoring diverse backgrounds and experiences, and the importance of listening to and learning from those with different perspectives, which he feels is critical for America, or for any country, to becoming as great as it can be.
Correspondence from Robert E. Speer, President of the National Board of the Y.W.C.A., to the Chairman and Branch Secretary regarding the 1930 Convention.
Correspondence from Anna D. Kelly, Branch Director for Coming Street Y.W.C.A., to Dorothy I. Height, Bureau of Personnel and Training for the National Board of the Y.W.C.A., regarding Committee on Administration matters.
Correspondence from Anna D. Kelly, Branch Director for Coming Street Y.W.C.A., to Ethlyn Christensen, Director for the Bureau of Research and Program Resources for the Y.W.C.A., regarding material on Household Employment matters.
Lynn Dugan attended Catholic grammar and high schools in New York City. With a lesbian friend, she visited lesbian bars where rigid “butch” or “fem” roles prevailed. She came of age just after the Stonewall Riots of 1969, later befriending some of the participants, as she became part of a community that looked after and protected each other from attacks, some of which she describes. She notes the comradery of men and women in the early gay rights movement, and the accessibility of many future celebrities entertaining in the gay baths and bars. She was mentored by an older gay man, Jimmy Alan Newcomer and she created a marriage ceremony with a woman opera singer at St. Peter’s MCC Church in 1981. She witnessed the start of the AIDS crisis and the work of many women and activists such as Larry Kramer. Professionally, she held jobs in management and sales, drove a taxi, and had her own greeting card company. In some jobs, she had to hide her sexuality. She visited Colorado often before moving to Boulder ca. 1993, participating in the LGBTQ community there. While attending a Pride parade in Columbia SC, she met political activist Charlie Smith, who invited her to Charleston, SC; she moved there soon after and began her involvement in the community, founding the Charleston Social Club, which offered opportunities to many isolated and closeted women. One of the programs, Lezz Fest, produced on the club’s tenth anniversary closed off part of North Charleston and drew 1,000 participants. Dugan was the prime mover in establishing the first Pride Festival in the lowcountry. She and a cadre of friends staged fundraisers for the event which the City of Charleston wanted to sideline. The city of North Charleston, however, including Mayor R. Keith Summey, who served as grand marshal of the parade, supported it, despite the criticism of many local churches. The Charleston Pride Organization event took place on May 15, 2010, and its impact, and that of the evening event held on the Citadel campus, is described in detail by Dugan. In response to questions, she comments on African American participation in the community and ends the interview with suggestions of other issues that LGBTQ community could address, such as the care of its older citizens, a task in which she is involved.
