James Hal Cone papers, circa 1945 -- 2019

Summary Information

Abstract

This collection contains professional and personal materials of Reverend Doctor James Hal Cone, a pioneering voice in American religious history and founder of Black Liberation Theology. Materials include writings, notes, teaching materials such as syllabi and student work, lectures and documentation of speaking engagements, supporting research for and manuscripts of publications, photographs, personal and professional correspondence, documentation of committee and other work at UTS, AV materials used for research and documenting speaking engagements, books, and awards and memorabilia.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in 8 series: 1. Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians records; 2. Course files; 3. Martin and Malcolm files; 4. Subject files; 5. Audiovisual materials; 6. Personal materials; 7. Union Theological Seminary (UTS) files; and 8. Scholarship, which is arranged in 4 subseries: Subseries 8A: Speaking and publicity, Subseries 8B: Projects, Subseries 8C: Notes, and Subseries 8D: Writings.

• Series 1: Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians records, 1965 -- 2004
• Series 2: Course files, 1969 -- 2019
• Series 3: Martin and Malcolm files, circa 1950 -- 2016
• Series 4: Subject files, circa 1950 -- 2018
• Series 5: Audiovisual materials, circa 1960 -- 2018
• Series 6: Personal materials, circa 1945 -- 2018
• Series 7: Union Theological Seminary (UTS) files, 1969 -- 2018
• Series 8: Scholarship, 1960 -- 2018
• Subseries 8A: Speaking and publicity, 1960 -- 2018
• Subseries 8B: Projects, circa 1966 -- 2000
• Subseries 8C: Notes, circa 1969 -- 2018
• Subseries 8D: Writings, 1960 -- 2018

Description

Scope and Contents

This collection contains professional and personal materials of Reverend Doctor James Hal Cone, a pioneering voice in American religious history and founder of Black Liberation Theology. Materials include writings, notes, teaching materials such as syllabi and student work, lectures and documentation of speaking engagements, supporting research for and manuscripts of publications, photographs, personal and professional correspondence, documentation of committee and other work at UTS, AV materials used for research and documenting speaking engagements, books, and awards and memorabilia.

• Series 1: Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians records, 1965 -- 2004

  This series contains conference materials, including reports, minutes, lectures, papers, correspondence, and travel documentation; publications; correspondence; business and administrative materials including budget and financial information; membership listings; readings; and notes related to Cone's involvement with the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT).

• Series 2: Course files, 1969 -- 2019

  This series contains teaching and course materials, including lectures; syllabi; and supplemental materials including writings; readings and reading lists; notes; student rosters, papers, grades, and other records; course evaluations; correspondence; exam questions; and news clippings related to course topics.

• Series 3: Martin and Malcolm files, circa 1950 -- 2016

  This series contains a body of material related to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X compiled by Cone and used for work on his book, "Martin and Malcolm and America," and other projects. Material includes alphabetical files arranged by author of article on both Martin and Malcolm as well as alphabetical files arranged by title of publication; primary and secondary audiovisual materials including cassettes, cds, and VHS; chronological files on both Martin and Malcolm; files compiled by or related to David Garrow, who wrote "Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference," including transcripts of interviews conducted by Garrow, copies of FBI files, correspondence, and Cone's annotated copy of "Bearing the Cross;" primary material, including copies of speeches, transcripts, sermons, and other primary material by Martin and Malcolm; reference materials, including annotated copies of books and pamphlets and correspondence; and research files, including copies of dissertations, subject files on intersecting research areas, clippings, contemporary scholarship and press, and files on further projects such as a Malcolm X reader.

• Series 4: Subject files, circa 1950 -- 2018

  This series contains materials compiled by James Cone on various subjects for scholarly and research purposes. Formats include articles (academic as well as newspaper and magazine articles); publications, including small-run publications; conference proceedings and reports; correspondence, including hand-written and email; annotations and notes for lectures, articles, and publications; flyers and event materials; theses, manuscript drafts, and primary work of those included in subject files; resumes and CVs; and other materials.

• Series 5: Audiovisual materials, circa 1960 -- 2018

  This series contains AV material including audiocassettes, videocassettes, reels, CDs, and DVDs with recordings of James Cone speaking on Black Theology, and Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, lecturing on various topics, and participating in interviews, conferences, and events. This series also contains AV material compiled by Cone; information on certain speakers and programs is available in the file listing.

• Series 6: Personal materials, circa 1945 -- 2018

  This series contains yearbooks, a selection of annotated books, and memorabilia including postcards, pins, a t-shirt, and other memorabilia; images including photographs, slides, and drawings of Cone, as well as others in his personal and professional life; and degrees, awards, and honors received by Cone, as well as remembrances of Cone. This series also includes biographical information, materials of Sandra and Cecil Cone, and correspondence.

• Series 7: Union Theological Seminary (UTS) files, 1969 -- 2018

  This series contains correspondence, faculty and committee files, recommendations and student and people files, and other files created during or related to Cone's career at Union Theological Seminary.

• Series 8: Scholarship, 1960 -- 2018

  This series contains material related to Cone's scholarship, including documentation of Cone's speeches and speaking engagements, his writings, his notes, and projects and committees in which he was involved.

Burke Library record group:

Union Theological Seminary Archives: UTS 1, papers of faculty and students

Using the Collection

Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Conditions Governing Access

This collection contains some restricted material. Restrictions related to specific material are listed in the detailed contents list.

The following boxes are located offsite: Box 11-42, 76. Please note that requests for use of boxes held in offsite storage must be made three to five business days in advance.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Information concerning copyright, fair use, and reproduction requests can be consulted at Columbia's Copyright Advisory Office.

Preferred Citation

Item description, UTS1: James Hal Cone papers, circa 1945-2019, series #, box #, The Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University in the City of New York.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was donated by Kelly Brown Douglas, Cone's executor, in 2019, and transferred in March 2020, accession UTS1-2020-005.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary

Processing Information

150 boxes were transferred by Leah Edelman, Matthew Baker, and Calvin Mason in 2020; approximately 50 boxes of unannotated books were then separated from the archival collection. Original folders with titles were kept when possible; some material was re-housed in acid-free folders, and all folders were placed in acid-free boxes. Sensitive material, including medical, financial, and other personal information, was weeded from the collection. The finding aid, including box and folder-level inventories and series and subseries-level descriptions, was created by Leah Edelman between 2020 and 2023.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

Reverend Dr. James Hal Cone was the founder of Black Liberation Theology, an award-winning author, and the Bill and Judith Moyers Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary, where he taught for 50 years. Cone's work-- which synthesized the experience of being Black in America with a theology that asserts a love for Black people and a God aligned with the liberation of the oppressed-- shaped generations of scholars, professors, clergy, and activists.

James Hal Cone was born on August 5, 1938 in Fordyce, Arkansas, the youngest of three sons of Charlie and Lucy Cone. Cone grew up in nearby Bearden, Arkansas and attended the Macedonia A.M.E. Church, entering the ministry at age 16. He attended Shorter College and Philander Smith College (B.A .1958) in Little Rock, Arkansas, before pursuing graduate education at Garrett Theological Seminary (M.Div. 1961) and Northwestern University (M.A. 1963 and Ph.D. 1965). Cone taught at Philander Smith College as an Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy from 1964-1966, at Adrian College as an Assistant Professor of Religion from 1966-1969, and joined the faculty of Union Theological Seminary in 1969 as an Assistant Professor of Theology. At Union, he then taught as Associate Professor of Theology from 1970-1973, Professor of Theology from 1973-1977, Charles A. Briggs Professor of Systematic Theology from 1977-1987, the Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology from 1987-2017, and the Bill and Judith Moyers Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology from 2017-2018. Cone taught courses on systematic theology, the Blues, James Baldwin, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, Black theology, and liberation theologies of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America, among other courses.  Cone's major writings include the ground-breaking Black Theology and Black Power (1969), A Black Theology of Liberation (1970), The Spirituals and the Blues (1972), God of the Oppressed (1975),  Black Theology: A Documentary History 1966-1979 (edited with Gayraud Wilmore, 1979), My Soul Looks Back (1982), For My People (1984), Speaking the Truth (1986), Martin and Malcolm and America: A Dream or a Nightmare (1991), Risks of Faith (1999), The Cross and the Lynching Tree (2011), and Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody (2018). Cone is also the author of numerous other articles and publications.  Cone lectured widely, traveling domestically and internationally to do so. He received 13 honorary degrees and numerous awards, including the 2018 Grawemeyer Award in Religion for The Cross and the Lynching Tree. Cone was an active member of professional societies including the Society for the Study of Black Religion, and the American Academy of Religion. James Cone died on April 28, 2018 in New York City at the age of 79.