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Giese served as director of the Michigan Project on Equal Education Rights (PEER), a division of the National Organization for Women's Legal Defense and Education Fund, from 1978 to 1984. The collection also contains files on Michigan women in high school athletics, vocational education courses, math classes, and science classes. Other files relate to legal cases on sex discrimination, the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, and all-male academies in Detroit.

The papers of Elizabeth Giese have been divided into six series: Biographical File, PEER Files, Subject Files, Legal Cases on Sex Discrimination, Women's Rights Organizations, Math and Science, and Vocational Education. The bulk of the material in this collection relates to the activities of Michigan PEER. However, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish materials related to Giese's role as a citizen, activist and consultant from materials collected in her official capacity as an employee of Michigan PEER. The organization of the collection occasionally reflects this fact. Some of the series, and some individual files, are organized around particular subjects, rather than Giese's professional or personal activities.

Interracial, non-profit, non-partisan community service organization in Battle Creek, Michigan (formerly Battle Creek Area Urban League) founded in 1966 and affiliated with the National Urban League. Series include: History, Administration, Correspondence, Reports, Meetings, Programs, Community Memberships, Public Relations, Events, Battle Creek Area Urban League Guild, and Visual, Audio, and Digital Materials.

The records of the Southwestern Michigan Urban League span the years 1962-2007. The League's mission of providing and administering services for minorities and the disadvantaged, as well as internal operations, are reflected in the records, which consist mainly of administrative and program materials, correspondence, minutes, reports and proposals. While the years represented incorporate tenures of numerous executive directors, the records most fully document leadership provided by Benjamin Richmond (1982-1987) and Joyce Brown (1988-1992).

The Southwestern Michigan Urban League Records are relevant to the study of the administration of African American social service organizations, especially Urban Leagues, within the context of particular communities. The collection is strong in illuminating the effectiveness of collaboration -- civic, business and educational groups addressing interrelated community issues. Both Richmond and Brown maintained high profiles on numerous boards and committees working in Battle Creek to solve social problems and promote economic development.