The Documenting White Supremacy and its Opponents in the 1920s collection provides scholars with important documentary evidence of organized white nationalism in the 1920s along with the activity of organizations that actively resisted it. It prevents erasure of these historical events and centers the voices of those who worked to dismantle white supremacy.

In this video, Joel Kuszai, Associate Professor of English at Queensborough Community College, discusses his research on the hidden history of the Ku Klux Klan in 1920s Queens, New York, and how the primary sources in JSTOR’s Reveal Digital are helping him bring it to light.

About the collection

Libraries and historical societies have come together to develop and fund this collection of historical newspapers that includes Ku Klux Klan and other white nationalist newspapers as well as papers published by Catholic, African-American, and Jewish organizations that opposed the rising tide of hate and bigotry.

Documenting White Supremacy and its Opponents in the 1920s is being developed with the guidance of an advisory panel of librarians and scholars with experience tackling the complexities of preserving hard history. It is hosted by Reveal Digital, part of ITHAKA, a nonprofit with a mission to improve access to knowledge and education for people around the world.

Access selected publications: Until we reach the project’s cost recovery goal, access to the full collection is only available to funding libraries, but selected anti-Klan newspapers are freely available at this time.

Contribute content: We are seeking additional source material to complete the collection. If your library or archive holds relevant publications, learn more about contributing content or contact Anne Ray, Managing Editor of Reveal Digital, at anne.ray@ithaka.org.

Help fund the collection: We are grateful for the support of the 90 institutions that have contributed funds to this collection’s cost-recovery threshold. Learn more about the costs associated with producing this collection and the funding tiers for libraries. If you have any questions, please contact Peggy Glahn, Associate Director of Reveal Digital, at peggy.glahn@ithaka.org.