Hugh Pearson papers (Ms.2011.006)

The Hugh Pearson papers have been organized into the following 13 series:

Series 1. Correspondence consists of letters written by Hugh Pearson to various individuals, friends, family members, and in some instances the staff where his children attended school. It has been divided into three subseries: Subseries A. Outgoing, Subseries B. Incoming, and Subseries C. Miscellaneous. In the majority of the letters, Pearson writes about his relationship with his partner Nancy Ross and his children. The correspondence includes a sizeable number of letters to the editors of the New York Times. Incoming correspondence to Pearson includes writings by friends, family members, and Nancy Ross, as well as numerous greeting cards such as birthday greetings and other occasional cards. This series also includes correspondence that is untitled and letters to and from people other than Pearson.

Series 2. Writings contains articles written by Pearson for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal,the Washington Post, Newsday, the Village Voice, and Rolling Stone Magazine. Also included are a collection of book reviews, essays, article queries and letters to various editors.

Series 3. Writings by others incorporates writings about Pearson, including book reviews of Shadow of the Panther, and writings by Huey Newton, Bob Dole, and Clarence Thomas. There are also articles on various topics written for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Village Voice, and other publications.

Series 4. Manuscripts include Deliver Me from Evil, Shadow of the Panther, and a draft copy of Under the Knife. This series also includes chapter summaries, sample chapters, and various proposals.

Series 5. Publications includes copies of the Brown Alumni Monthly, the New Yorker, the San Francisco Chronicle, Center News, the Free Press, and numerous other publications.

Series 6. Research files has been organized into two subseries. Subseries A. Files contains research Pearson created in preparation for the writing of his books. Some of the research file topics include the Black Panther Party, Dr. Joseph H. Griffin, Harlem Hospital, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Huey Newton. Subseries B. Books contains two boxes of books owned by Pearson and annotated by him. In each box the books are arranged alphabetically by the author's last name. A complete list of the books owned by Pearson is in Box 5, Folder 72. Only the books annotated by Pearson were kept with his papers.

Series 7. Financial files consist of various bills, student loan information and forms, receipts, and royalty statements. Some of the financial files are restricted until 2055.

Series 8. Legal files contains publishing agreements, book contracts, employment agreements, and tenant agreements. Some of the legal files are restricted until 2055.

Series 9. Personal files includes biographical information about Mr. Pearson, obituaries, and assorted resumes. This file also contains loose scrap notes along with some maps.

Series 10. Notebooks contains Hugh Pearson's personal notebooks on various topics written while he was working for the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the Wall Street Journal.

Series 11. Clippings includes numerous clippings written for Newsweek, the New Yorker, the Washington Post, and many other magazines and newspapers. The majority of these writings by Pearson and others concern themselves with the subject of African Americans, the Black Panthers, Civil Rights, Rodney King, and Jews in America.

Series 12. Media includes cassettes, VHS tapes, floppy discs, and CD-ROMs. Some of the media files are restricted until 2055.

Series 13. Photographs includes black and white photographs, color photographs and photographic negatives of Hugh Pearson, his children, Nancy Ross, family members, Huey Newton, and scenic locations. Most of the photographs are not dated and the people and places in them are not identified.