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 History
What has become known as the Vivian G. Harsh Society, Inc. started out in April of 1994, when a committee was formed to find out what became of the remainder of the allocated monies  and to press for additional funds for the actual construction of an adequate facility to house the collection. Dr. Aldon Morris , co-chair of the Planning Committee, said that the group was formed because of the awareness of the poor state of the Harsh Collection on the part of a number of scholars and concerned citizens. Concern also for the future of the collection illustrated the need for an organized group to publicize to the city and the community what was not happening and to come up with solutions. The group, over 20 strong, included a broad spectrum of people - physicians, attorneys, scholars, community activists, and educators.
In 1994, these local scholars, professionals, and community activists, committed to preserving the legacy of African American history and literature for future generations, began petitioning city officials to invest the promised funds toward renovating the Woodson Regional Library by providing new space for the Vivian G. Harsh Collection. The press, particularly the Chicago Defender , picked up on the issue and helped to spark more community and citywide support. In this same year, the committee formed the Society for the Advancement of the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature.
Harsh Collection New Addition
 Members of the Committee succeeded in their quest for an enhanced facility. In 1995, city and state officials announced they would begin a $3.5 million renovation project to expand and update the building housing the Harsh Collection. Ground was broken for the new addition on June 17, 1996, at the 95th and Emerald site. Three years of construction work followed with the Vivian G. Harsh Society keeping close watch on all aspects of the project. In the midst of construction, the Society was forced to reopen its public action campaign in order to insure that the original agreement was not altered. In 1999, the new home of the Vivian G. Harsh Collection officially opened to the public with a permanent exhibit gallery, an expanded reading room, preservation facilities, and excellent fire and theft protection.
The Committee that began as a support mechanism to obtain a new facility for the Harsh Collection has continued to the present with many of the same people who began the struggle. The Vivian G. Harsh Society, Inc., is now a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization with the same mission that it had from the beginning - preservation, expansion, and publicizing of the collection and it programs
SOME PROJECTS AND GOALS
The truth is that, although the Harsh Research Collection is a unit of the Chicago Public Library, city funds have never been sufficient to meet the needs of the Collection. Over the past five years, the Society has obtained grant support, provided supplementary funds, and donated labor to assist the Harsh Research Collection in a variety of projects. Among recent projects now underway are:
- Purchase of much-needed equipment to provide public access to audio-visual holdings
- Conversion of rare oral histories from deteriorating audio tape to more permanent formats, and the transcription of these valuable tapes
- Assistance with major exhibits, including those on "Brown v. Board of Education," "African American Achievement in Chicago's Medical History," and "Chicago's Black Writers and Publishers"
The Society has a number of goals for the upcoming years. Just as it has done in the past, the organization will support, publicize, and help to fund new exhibits like the civil rights presentation featuring Timuel Black and the Negro Baseball Leagues exhibit.
We invite and encourage you to support these and other efforts to preserve and promote Black History. We would welcome your membership in the Vivian G. Harsh Society!
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