New Government Resource for Researching Civil Rights

The National Archives and Records Administration has recently released the first documents in what will soon be a database of Civil Rights Cold Case Records.  Following the passage of the  Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act in 2019, previously unavailable civil rights cold cases from 1940 to 1979 will be made digitally accessible to the public.  The records will be released on a rolling basis and those released are currently available at the National Archives Catalog.  Eventually NARA will create the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Portal which will allow direct access to the information.  

The first records released concern the case of Hattie Debardelaben, a 46 year old Black mother and grandmother from Mulberry, Autauga County, Alabama.  On the night of March 23, 1945, white police officers conducted a warrantless search of Debardelaben's home, looking for bootleg whiskey.  The officers beat and arrested Debardelaben and her son.  Debardelaben died of her injuries in the back of the police car en route to the Prattville County Jail.  A coroner's inquest found that the officers had no legal responsibility in her death and no arrests have ever been made or trial held.

According to the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Act, records will be reviewed by the Civil Rights Cold Cases Review Board, which designates the records for potential digitalization and public access.  The release of the records is the result of a multi-year collaboration among the review board, the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

The Archivist of the United States, Dr. Colleen Shogan stated, "The release of these records, and the many more to come, will hopefully help foster a deeper understanding of our nation's civil rights history, provide friends and family transparency and closure, and help those impacted claim justice."

Hattie Debardelaben

Find Your Family in Federal Records

The National Archives keeps track of our nation’s most important documents – from our foundational documents such as the Constitution to current materials essential to our national security.  But did you know that the NARA can help you with your own essential, foundational papers? 

Every year the National Archives hosts a series of educational webinars on genealogy research using national records. The sessions, hosted on the U.S. National Archives YouTube channel, are free and intended for all levels of expertise – from novices to experienced researchers. 

Lecture schedule, topic descriptions, videos, and handouts are available at the 2024 Genealogy Series web page. 

Sessions begin May 21^st and continue to the end of June.  They will all be broadcast Tuesdays at 1pm EST.  However, videos and handouts will remain after the event has ended. 

No registration is needed.  Just go to the series webpage and click on the appropriate link for the topic(s) you are interested in. 

 

From the National Archives press release:

Background: The National Archives holds the permanently valuable records of the federal government. These include records of interest to genealogists, such as pension files, ship passenger lists, census, and Freedmen’s Bureau materials. See “Resources for Genealogists” online.