The Extraordinary World of MARBL: Resurrection City Street Signs

The Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library is a place of discovery. All are welcome to visit and explore our unique holdings, whether as a researcher or an observer. The breadth and depth of our collections are vast, and it is nearly impossible to investigate every nook and cranny. We invite you this year, through our blog, to tour some of those places you didn’t know existed, and get acquainted with collections you might not have previously explored. Check back in with us weekly over the course of 2013 as we offer you a delightful look into some of the favorite, but perhaps lesser-known, corners of our collections. These pieces are visually interesting, come attached with fascinating stories, and are often 3D objects you might not have realized are part of what makes up The Extraordinary World of MARBL.

 

 

In May 1968, thousands of demonstrators, led by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, poured into Washington, D.C. for the Poor People’s Campaign. The protestors took up residence on the National Mall in a tent encampment called Resurrection City. The community was intended to be the embodiment of SCLC’s vision for the nation: a peaceful and loving community, fully integrated, free from greed, envy and want. It was also meant to be a stark example of the plight of the poor in America. Pictured above are original street signs from the encampment, currently on display in Woodruff Library as part of the exhibition, “And the Struggle Continues: The Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Fight for Social Change.“

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