IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
HELEN LEMME READING CLUB
(IOWA CITY, IA)
RECORDS, 1984-1998
4 linear inches
|
ACQUISITION: |
The records (donor no. 568) were
donated by Susan Mask in 1998. |
|
ACCESS: |
The records are open
for research. |
|
COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright to portions of the collection has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
|
PROCESSED BY: |
Eugenia M. Hernandez, 2000.
[Word 7 Helen Lemme Reading
Club.doc] |
History
African-American University of Iowa graduate students founded the Helen
Lemme Reading Club in 1984, under the name The Third Thursday Reading
Club. The original purpose of the
reading club was to provide a forum for African-American men and women to meet and
discuss literary works by and about African-Americans. It also served as a support group, helping
African-American students combat feelings of isolation in a mostly white
environment.
In the early years of the reading club, there was a substantial membership
consisting of graduate students from different departments, including English,
History, and American Studies. Members
of the reading club volunteered to serve as discussion leaders, gather critical
reviews, and help facilitate discussions.
In addition to literary discussions, the reading group expanded its
interests to include sponsorship of events, such as films shown at the
Afro-American Cultural Center, and speakers, including James McPherson and Greg
H. Williams. The reading club also
evolved into a social organization, holding potluck dinners at members' homes.
Susan Mask has the distinction of being the longest continuously active
member of The Helen Lemme Reading Club.
She has also served as de facto secretary for a number of years. Club membership continues to be comprised of
graduate students, but has expanded to include faculty, staff, and other
individuals who are associated with the University of Iowa. The reading club
has met continuously throughout the years and still meets today, despite a
dwindling membership.
In the late 1980s, June
Davis and Jo Jones initiated a campaign to have the name of the reading club
changed to honor Helen Lemme. Helen
Lemme was born in 1909(?) in Grinnell, Iowa, and died as a result of smoke inhalation
at a fire in her home in 1968. A wife
and mother, she worked as a research technician at the University of Iowa
Hospitals and Clinics. University of
Iowa alumni and others in the Iowa City community best remember Lemme for
opening up her home to African-American University of Iowa students. Her service to the student community began
in the 1920s when African-Americans could not obtain housing in the University
of Iowa dormitories or elsewhere in Iowa City because of their race. Lemme opened her home and allowed a number
of students to live with her family during this time. Even after World War II, when African-Americans were allowed to
live on campus, Lemme’s home remained the social nucleus that kept the student community
together. Her son remembers people such
as Duke Ellington coming to the Lemme home to play and entertain at all-night
parties. Lemme was active in a number
of forums combating racism and discrimination.
She helped to create the Negro Forum, was a member of the Democratic
Party’s Black Caucus, and in 1946 was elected president of the Iowa City League
of Women Voters. She was also an active
member of the first Iowa City Human Relations Commission. Lemme was the first
woman to be honored as Best Citizen in Iowa City, and the first person to
receive the honor of Iowa City Woman of the Year. The Helen Lemme elementary school in Iowa City is named in her
honor. [For more information see Helen
Lemme newspaper clippings, undated folder.]
Scope and Content Note
The Helen Lemme Reading Club records date from 1984 to 1998 and measure 4 linear inches. The collection consists primarily of the club's meeting announcements, book lists, and articles. The articles include book reviews, literary essays, training guides for discussion leaders, and articles dealing with issues of race. The collection contains extensive book lists that demonstrate the focus of the reading group. There is a slender file of newspaper clippings on Helen Lemme.
The collection also includes one folder on the Black Women’s Support Group. The support group was developed in conjunction with the reading club, also in 1984. Mary Arnold, who was one of the founders of the reading club, participated in a number of other grassroots organizations including the Black Women’s Support Group. The support group overlapped with Arnold’s work at the Women’s Resource and Action Center. The support group, however, was a short-lived organization that lasted only one or two years
The collection also includes a survey conducted during one of the first meetings of the reading club. In the surveys there are suggestions for possible names of the book club as well as suggestions about how to make the reading group better. In the correspondence file includes letters from members proposing books to read. There are also letters about the use of the Afro-American Cultural Center, and reservation slips for the group to meet there on a regular basis. The collection also contains a number of mailing lists that demonstrate the changing membership of the reading group.
Related Collections
The Lemme Family papers.
The collection consists of four items, including a genealogy.
Box no. Description
Box 1
Articles (on book clubs, literature,
and race)
1987-1994
Undated
Black Women’s Support Group, 1985-1986
Book lists
1987-1994
Undated
Helen Lemme, Newspaper clippings,
undated
Informational brochures and logos,
undated
Mailing lists, 1984 - 1994 and undated
Meeting announcements, 1984-1998 and
undated
Correspondence and notes, 1985-1996 and
undated
Surveys, 1984(?)