Search

Daniel R. Sivil was active in the gay and lesbian civil rights and advocacy movement of the 1980s. b He was a founding member of the Michigan Organization for Human Rights and president of the Association of Suburban People, a gay-lesbian organization devoted to social and political activity. Files relating to organizational and advocacy efforts; correspondence with Henry Messer and other activists; and photographs.

The papers of Daniel Ross Sivil provide insight into the gay and lesbian civil rights and advocacy movement of the early 1980s on both a personal and professional level. Sivil's writings and correspondence with peers demonstrates the joys and difficulties of presiding over a grassroots gay and lesbian organization (including fundraising, attracting members, and competing with similar organizations) and lobbying for gay rights in general. The papers have been divided into three series; Activities, Correspondence, and Photographs.

Bishops files, records of executive and administrative bodies and of diocesan organizations, staff files, parishes and mission's materials, and visual materials and sound recordings.

The records of the diocese of Michigan have been arranged into the following series: Bishops' files, Executive and administrative bodies, Diocesan organizations, Diocesan programs, Diocesan staff, Parishes and missions, Clergy, Audio and visual material, and Miscellaneous.

The record group is most valuable for its documentation of the history of the diocese and the individual churches within its administration, with a lesser amount of material pertaining to religious functions performed and to the operation of diocesan administrative groups and departments. For a number of reasons, there is scant material pertaining to the administration of the diocesan office or to the special programs that have been initiated by it over the years. Some of this material may be found in the papers of individual bishops whose papers have also come to the library and are separately cataloged. These include Samuel McCoskry, Samuel Smith Harris, Charles D. Williams, Herman Page, and Richard Emrich.

A coalition of state and local human rights organizations, served as resource, lobbying and educational agent for organizations and individuals engaged in struggle to eliminate all forms of discrimination, gay and lesbian rights became an early focus of MOHR. Records document founding and administration of the organization and numerous, legislative lobbying efforts and other activities.

The records of the Michigan Organization for Human Rights, measuring 10 linear feet, were donated to the library by M.O.H.R. in four accessions: May 1983, February and September 1994, and September 1998. The audio materials span the time period 1973 to 1980, while the manuscript materials cover the period from 1977 through the disbanding of the organization in Spring, 1994. The records are arranged in eight series: Administrative, Correspondence, Topical, Clippings, the Robert Lundy Papers (two series), Visual Materials, and Audio Materials. The series provide documentation of the founding, growth, and topical interests of a grassroots political and social organization, including the stresses involving fundraising and personality conflicts that occurred as M.O.H.R. experienced rapid growth during the late-1970s and early-1980s.

The two Robert Lundy series (1970-1995, 4 linear feet) were donated to the library in several accessions over a period of years. There is some overlap as each series contains files on legislation, files relating to his work with M.O.H.R., and topical files on issues organizations and events with which he was active in his capacity as M.O.H.R.'s legislation officer.