Ruth Wilson Collection on Human Rights and Social Work
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Abstract
The Committee for International Human Rights Inquiry (CIHRI) was a social worker driven volunteer organization opposed to human rights violations globally. Social worker Ruth Wilson served as a founder, secretary, and coordinator for CIHRI. The Ruth Wilson Collection of Human Rights and Social Work Records (1958-2005) is comprised of materials created by organizations including the Committee for International Human Rights Inquiry (CIHRI), the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), Amnesty International, the United Nations (UN), and more -- all of which were collected by Ruth Wilson. Materials consist of correspondence, research materials, administrative paperwork, conference materials, newsletters, photographs, news clippings, speeches, publications, and brochures. The collection also contains Wilson's personal research materials related to her areas of interests including Marxism, U.S. politics, healthcare reform, unions, Bertha Capen Reynolds, and social work education.
Biographical Note
Ruth Wilson was a social worker and human rights advocate who lived and worked in New York City. In 1974, she and fellow social workers Sol Gorelick, Phyllis Grunauer, and Celia Wolksy founded the Committee for Chilean Inquiry in response to alleged human rights violations in Chile following a 1973 military coup. In 1990, the Committee for Chilean Inquiry changed its name to the Committee for International Human Rights Inquiry (CIHRI). Throughout her membership, Wilson served as both secretary and coordinator of CIHRI. Wilson was involved in other professional organizations including the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW).
Wilson's personal and professional interests included, but were not limited to, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), American politics, the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (a subset of the Communist Party USA), the American healthcare system, domestic violence, Marxism, unions, the LGBTQIA community, racism, discrimination, women's rights, Native American rights, Bertha Capen Reynolds, and Karen Silkwood.
Arrangement
This collection has been arranged into three series by topic and two sub-series:
Series I: Committee for International Human Rights Inquiry (CIHRI), 1973-2005
Sub-series I.A: Administrative Files, 1974-2003
Sub-series I.B: Topic Files, 1973-2005
Series II: Affiliated Human Rights and Social Work Organizations, 1974-2005
Series III: Research Files, 1958-2004
Within each series, the materials have been grouped thematically and arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Contents
The Ruth Wilson Collection of Human Rights and Social Work Records (1976-2005) is comprised of materials created by organizations including the Committee for International Human Rights Inquiry (CIHRI), the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and the United Nations (UN) – all of which were collected by Ruth Wilson.
The overarching theme of the collection is human rights, human rights violations, and advocacy on behalf of victims of human rights violations. This is reflected in both Sub-series I.B: Topic Files and Series II: Affiliated Human Rights and Social Work Organizations. These series highlight human rights violations in countries including Guatemala, Chile, the Philippines, Israel, Palestine, and South Africa. They also focus upon human rights violations against specific individuals including Olga Gonzalez, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Rula Abu Duhou, Phyllis Coard, Shirley Gunn, Rigoberta Menchu Tum, and Benedict Topin. These subjects are documented through newspaper and magazine clippings; correspondence between human rights advocacy organizations, social workers, and government officials; flyers, posters, and newsletters; conference materials and speeches; petitions, press statements and government reports about human rights conditions globally; journal articles and informational pamphlets; and fact books providing background context about specific countries, individuals, and subjects.
The collection also provides an overview of the administrative aspects of CIHRI, NASW, and IFSW. Documents include membership lists, correspondence, election materials, financial records, historical overviews, meeting materials, conference materials, and newsletters and provide insight on how these organizations operated.
In addition to materials related to human rights, Series III: Research Materials contains Wilson's personal research files related to her interests including, but not limited to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), American politics, the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (a subset of the Communist Party USA), the American healthcare system, domestic violence, Marxism, unions, the LGBTQIA community, racism, discrimination, women's rights, Native American rights, Bertha Capen Reynolds, and Karen Silkwood.
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Ruth Wilson Collection of Human Rights and Social Work Records; TAM 342; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials were donated by Ruth H. Wilson on behalf of the Committee for International Human Rights Inquiry (CHIRI) in 2005. The accession number associated with this gift is 2005.027.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, special.collections@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596 with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Born-Digital Access Policies and Procedures
An access terminal for born-digital materials in the collection is available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Researchers may view an item's original container and/or carrier, but the physical carriers themselves are not available for use because of preservation concerns. Advance notice is required for the use of computer records. Original physical digital media is restricted.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The Ruth Wilson Collection of Human Rights and Social Work Records (1958-2005) was arranged and described by an archivist in the fall of 2023. At the time of processing, the name of the collection was changed from the Committee for International Human Rights Inquiry Records to the Ruth Wilson Collection of Human Rights and Social Work Records in order to better reflect the contents of the collection.
Materials were placed in new archival folders and boxes. Original folder titles were retained when possible. Materials were grouped together thematically, placed into appropriate series, and then arranged alphabetically by file title within those series. Photographs were removed from their original housing and placed into archival sleeves. Four audiocassette tapes were assigned a unique AV identification number, rehoused into a shared archival box, and intellectually incorporated into the finding aid. Audiovisual materials have been listed with the original titles found on their containers.
Materials related to Burma and Myanmar were arranged under the country's current name, Myanmar. Folders relating to the LGBTQIA community using various labels were grouped together and renamed to reflect current preferred terminology.
Duplicate materials were removed from the collection and returned to the donor. Personal documents belonging to Ruth Wilson and her husband Theodore, such as medical and financial documents, were also removed from the collection and returned to the donor.
New York University Libraries follow professional standards and best practices when imaging, ingesting, and processing born-digital material in order to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the content. One floppy disk was forensically imaged using KryoFlux Imager and then arranged and analyzed using Forensic Toolkit.
