The Constance Baker Motley Papers are primarily related to her professional and public life from 1948 to 1988. Types of material include correspondence; speeches; legal documents; photographs; press releases; reports; journal and newspaper articles; transcripts of interviews; and memorabilia.

The bulk of the papers date from 1964 to 1966 and focus on Motley's tenures as New York State Senator, President of the Borough of Manhattan, and her early years as a Judge in one of the busiest federal district courts in the country. Major topics found throughout these papers include the civil rights movement in the South; racism and discrimination in the U.S; equal opportunities for African Americans in employment, housing, and education; urban renewal in New York City, particularly Harlem; community activism and neighborhood development; New York (State and City) politics; women in the legal profession and politics; and modern judicial history. The papers are equally rich as a record of the public life and career of a pioneering African American woman in her ascent to national prominence often in the face of strong prejudice.

Correspondence comprises roughly half of the collection. Included are exchanges with constituents and other concerned citizens relating to legislation before Motley as State Senator; a myriad of political and social issues she faced as Manhattan Borough President; and cases she presided over as Justice in the Southern District Court of New York. These letters, both supportive and negative, illustrate the turbulent social and political atmosphere of New York City in the mid-1960s. Certain letters from detractors offer evidence of the sometimes quite virulent public sentiment Motley faced in challenging racism and discrimination.

Notable correspondents include: Bella Abzug, Brooke Astor, Shirley Chisholm, Hubert Humphrey, Lyndon B. Johnson, Florynce Kennedy, Dorothy Kenyon, Martin Luther King, Jr., John V. Lindsay, George McGovern, Floyd B. McKissick, James and Mary June Meredith, Pauli Murray, A. Philip Randolph, and Robert F. Wagner. Cross-references in the folder list and the Name Index at the end of this document refer researchers to material on individuals found in series other than Correspondence.

Researchers may also wish to consult two databases which were created through a project at Columbia University Law School in 1995. The first is a database of the Constance Baker Motley papers available in the Sophia Smith Collection and elsewhere. The other is a database of summaries of important NAACP cases in which Motley was counsel. In addition there are text files consisting of a list and case summaries of significant NAACP cases as well as cases Motley tried as a Federal judge. Copies of the databases and text files are all available in electronic form on the SSC computer network. A complete description of the project, the databases, and printouts of some of the text files are filed in the last box of this collection. Consult the Reference Archivist for more information on how to access the electronic resources.

This collection is organized into four series:

• I. Biographical Material
• II. Correspondence
• III. Professional Activities
• IV. Speeches