Cheryl Johnson-Odim Collection, 1967-1990

Cheryl Johnson-Odim was born in 1948 in Ohio and spent most of her childhood in New York. She was first introduced to the injustices of apartheid in South Africa in 1963, when her school music teacher brought her to sing on a radio show with Harry Belafonte, with whom he was friends. Belafonte, who was already active in anti-apartheid movements, brought Johnson-Odim and her classmates along to a performance by a troupe of South African dancers whose United States tour he was sponsoring.

She studied at the City College of New York before transferring to Youngstown State University in Ohio, and did her graduate studies at Northwestern University. A Fulbright Fellowship to Nigeria in 1975 cemented her desire to study African history. Johnson-Odim has been active in higher education in Chicago since the 1970s, working as a professor at Northwestern University and Loyola University, a dean at Columbia College Chicago, and most recently as provost of Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois.

Between 1948 and 1994, South Africa's government adhered to a policy of apartheid. Under this policy, white South Africans had privileges and powers that black, Asian, and mixed-race South Africans did not. These privileges included the right to vote, access to education and careers, and ownership of most of the country's land. South Africans of color, particularly black South Africans, suffered greatly under apartheid. They had reduced access to education, limited job and housing opportunities, and faced severe penalties if they spoke out against government policies. Changes in South African leadership allowed the de-escalation of apartheid beginning in the late 1980s, and the nation had its first democratic elections in 1994.

CIDSA, or the Coalition for Illinois Divestment from South Africa, was formed by an interracial group in the spring of 1983. Their goals were to convince the state to stop investing in South African industries, both through portions of pension funds being removed from the nation and the refusal to buy South African products, particularly steel. They traveled around the state promoting divestment, with the support of politicians like Charlie Hayes and Carol Moseley Braun. CIDSA also worked with student groups in universities, Chicago city aldermen, and city unions, giving workshops on apartheid and the benefits of divestment. While the state of Illinois never completed divestment from South Africa, CIDSA did convince it to cease using South African steel.

The Free South Africa movement began in 1984 as another organization that campaigned against apartheid in South Africa. It had its roots in the TransAfrica organization, and was started after TransAfrica founder Randall Robinson and several co-activists were arrested for refusing to leave the South African embassy. Members included career activists and politicians, and a group from the organization were members of the Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side. Pastor Jeremiah Wright was one of the first religious figures in Chicago to support Free South Africa.

CCISSA, or the Chicago Committee in Solidarity with South Africa, was formed in March 1987. It was a reorganization of CIDSA after the state of Illinois passed legislation moving towards divestment from South Africa. The group continued to raise awareness about the situation of people of color in South Africa through events and newsletter updates.

The United Nations Centre Against Apartheid was formed in 1976 to actively work against apartheid in South Africa, and grew out of previous special committees on the same topic. For nearly the next two decades, the Centre gathered research about life in that country and published it for activist and government use. The Centre also frequently published lists of third party resources on South Africa, as well as lists of athletes and entertainers who appeared in South Africa.

The Cheryl Johnson-Odim Collection dates from 1967 to 1990 (mostly 1980s) in 2.60 cubic feet and its strength lies in Johnson-Odim's documents and research on apartheid and anti-apartheid activism. In addition, the collection includes records created in the day to day activities of her work, and articles, papers, and reference materials she used to supplement her knowledge.

The Cheryl Johnson-Odim Collection has been organized into five series and four subseries:

Series 1: TransAfrica Chicago, 1981-1987 Series 2: CIDSA, 1982-1989 Series 3: CCISSA, 1985-1989 Series 4: Other Countries, Organizations, & Literature, 1967-1990 Subseries 1: Organization, 1967-1990 Subseries 2: Other Country Files, 1978-1989 Subseries 3: Publications & Clippings, 1972-1990 Subseries 4: United Nations Centre Against Apartheid, 1979-1986 Series 5: General Apartheid Literature, 1977-1986

The first three series are arranged chronologically by date of Johnson-Odim's involvement in the organization. The fourth and fifth series reflect the original order of the papers. The subseries and folders were arranged alphabetically.

Folder/Item Title, (date). Series Title, Cheryl Johnson-Odim Collection, College Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago.

Digitized Posters Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies Northwestern University Library Chicago, Illinois About: The Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies at Northwestern University is the largest separate Africana collection in existence. Its scope is as wide as the continent of Africa itself; its subject matter ranges from art, history, literature, music, science, technology and religion to communications, engineering, management and cooking.

Title: Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement Collection ID: RG 1000.03 About: The Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement Collection was assembled through the efforts of Dr. Lisa Brock and highlights the grassroots organizations during the 1980s and 1990s that formed to protest international issues of apartheid and how they operated to reach a common goal.

Title: Rozell (Prexy) Nesbitt Collection ID: RG 1000.03.01 About: Rozell "Prexy" Nesbitt is an activist and educator who has been highly active in labor, human rights, and equality movements. Nesbitt's personal papers highlight additional anti-apartheid work internationally and includes approximately 200 publications.

Title: Orlando Redekopp Collection ID: 1000.03.03 About: Orlando Redekopp is an activist and retired minister in the First Church of the Brethren. Redekopp's personal papers highlight his experience as an Ecumenical election observer for the 1994 South African general election, his work with local and international anti-apartheid and anti-conscription campaigns, and includes approximately 100 publications.

Title: African Activist Database | http://africanactivist.msu.edu/aboutus.php

The African Activist Archive Project seeks to preserve for history the record of activities of U.S. organizations and individuals that supported African struggles for freedom and had a significant collective impact on U.S. policy during the period 1950-1994. One of the significant U.S. political movements in second half of the twentieth century, it included community activists, students, faculty, churches, unions, city and county councils, state governments, and others. This democratization of foreign policy was unprecedented and it is important that the lessons learned be documented for the benefit of ongoing social justice activism.

The entirety of the Cheryl Johnson-Odim Collection is available to all users.

Materials are the property of Columbia College Chicago. Intellectual property rights of work belong to the original creators. Materials within the collection that are published and copyrighted maintain their copyright protections and must be used according to United States Copyright Law. Use of this collection and its materials is understood to be primarily for research, teaching, and creative study; additional uses, such as publication, exhibition, or other appropriate purposes may be considered upon consultation with the Archivist.

All physical materials and reformatted media must be viewed during a scheduled appointment time within the College Archives & Special Collections office. No materials are to be circulated unless otherwise consulted with the Archivist.

This collection was donated by Cheryl Johnson-Odim in 2011.

• Subject
  • Apartheid -- South Africa
  • Apartheid -- South Africa -- History
  • Anti-apartheid movements
  • Anti-apartheid movements -- South Africa
  • Apartheid in mass media
  • Anti-apartheid activists
  • United Nations Centre Against Apartheid
  • Community Organization -- Illinois -- Chicago
  • Cuba
  • Disinvestment
  • Johnson-Odim, Cheryl, 1948-
  • Women anti-apartheid activists
• Geographic Coverage
  • Namibia
  • South Africa
• Names
  • Johnson-Odim, Cheryl
  • TransAfrica
  • Coalition for Illinois Divestment from South Africa
  • Chicago Committee in Solidarity with South Africa