The Social Action Committee of the Newport Ministerial Association records are now available for research in Special Collections, Steely Library. The records document the work of the Social Action Committee to rid Campbell County, Kentucky of illegal activity, particularly gambling, illegal alcohol sales, and prostitution, during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The collection contains organizational records such as correspondence, committee minutes, project materials, and research file that document this work. A guide to the collection can be found at: http://archives.nku.edu/special_collections/collections/social_action_committee/index.php
The Social Action Committee was formed by and reported to the Newport Ministerial Association, which was a group of northern Kentucky protestant ministers, in 1957. Most of its membership was comprised of laypeople under the leadership of Christian Seifried, a postman from Newport, Kentucky who served as chairman from 1957 until Dec. 11, 1966 when the committee officially dissolved. The Social Action Committee is distinct from and its formation predates the Committee of 500, another reform organization active in Campbell County and northern Kentucky in the late 1950s-1960s.
Researchers using this collection may also be interested in looking at Special Collection’s Claude W. Johnson Committee of 500 records and the H. Lew Wallace Newport History Collection for other information on reform in northern Kentucky in the 1960s.
Special Collections and Archives is open to students, staff, faculty, and the general public from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is located on the 1st floor of Steely Library in room 106 near the fountain entrance. A map of Steely Library is located here: http://library.nku.edu/about_the_library/maps_and_parking/ .
