Theodore R. Gibson Family papers

Identity elements

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

Theodore R. Gibson Family papers

Date(s)

  • 1955-1996 (Creation)

Extent

33 Boxes

Name of creator

Biographical history

Name of creator

Biographical history

Reverend Theodore R. Gibson devoted his life toward the advancement of civil rights in Miami. He was born to Bahamian immigrant parents. Thanks to the efforts of his mother who worked as a maid, Gibson attended St. Augustine College in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Bishop Payne Divinity School. He returned to Miami to become pastor of the 800 member congregation of Christ Episcopal Church in Coconut Grove.

He spoke strongly about the need for improvements of conditions for Black residents in the community, and fought for desegregation of Miami. As early as 1945 he led a group of blacks to swim at the all-white Baker’s Haulover Beach. The action served as an impetuous for the creation of the Virginia Key Beach for colored people by the Dade County Commission.

In the 1960s he joined forces with Grove activist Elizabeth Verrick and the Coconut Grove Slum Clearance Committee to ameliorate the standard of living of residents in the Black Grove. These efforts led to the establishment of indoor plumbing and improvements in the sewage disposal system.

Gibson’s mission for equality led him to posts of importance; he served as president of the Miami NAACP in the 1950s and 60s. The 1963 Gibson Case centered on his refusal to reveal the membership of the local chapter of the NAACP. His stance resulted in a prison sentence in 1960, but in 1963 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Gibson’s favor and dismissed the charges.

Reverend Gibson was later elected to the Miami City Commission, a job he held from 1972 and for nearly the rest of his life, until 1981. As a commissioner Gibson pushed for the inclusion of African Americans and Hispanics to civil service jobs and to the promotion of blacks to higher level administrative positions.Thelma Vernel Anderson Gibson (1926- ) is a native of Coconut Grove, who along with her husband Reverend Gibson, promoted the civil rights of black residents in Miami. Mrs. Gibson has more than 30 years of professional experience in the field of nursing with degrees from Saint Agnes School of Nursing in North Carolina and Teachers College at Columbia University in New York.

Mrs. Gibson’s work in the community has focused on health and education projects such as the Gibson Health Initiative and the Theodore and Thelma School of the Performing Arts in Coconut Grove. In addition she is a board member of the Coconut Grove Mental Health Association, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a trustee of the University of Miami.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

The Theodore R. Gibson Family Papers document the life and work of Reverend Gibson, longtime Miami Commissioner during the 1970s and 1980s, and champion of Black Coconut Grove. The collection also contains materials documenting the civic activities and interests of Reverend Gibson’s wife, Thelma Gibson.

The collection includes albums that document Reverend Gibson’s family life, as well as his church, community, and political activities. The albums include photographs, letters of commendation, invitations, programs, biographical information, and numerous clippings.

The subject files provide evidence of the activities and interests of Reverend and Thelma Gibson, dating from the 1950s to the 1990s. Included are programs for services and events at Christ Episcopal Church and other area churches; speeches and invocations written by Reverend Gibson; letters received; and materials concerning the NAACP.

The clippings document the interests of Reverend and Thelma Gibson and highlight their work and accomplishments. A majority of the clippings are arranged chronologically and date from 1981-1990. Clippings arranged by subject document the activities of Reverend Gibson and his family, as well as other topics, and date from the 1960s to the1990s.

System of arrangement

The Theodore R. Gibson Family Papers are organized into three series.

Series I: Albums

Series II: Subject Files

Series III: Clippings

Series IV: Thelma Vernell Anderson Gibson

Please see the Finding Aid/Inventory section of this guide for more detailed information.

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

This collection is open for research.

Physical access

Items from this collection are kept on-campus and may be requested from the first floor Kislak Center in the Otto G. Richter Library at University of Miami.

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Theodore R. Gibson Family Papers Finding Aid © 2010 University of Miami. Requests to reproduce or publish materials from this collection should be directed to asc.library@miami.edu.

Languages of the material

  • English

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Related archival materials

Theodore R. Gibson is also featured in the UM Libraries' Digital Exhibit: "The Civil Rights Movement and the Black Experience in Miami." For more information please see http://scholar.library.miami.edu/miamiCivilRights/.

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Other Information:

Processing of the Thelma Gibson series made possible with a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, Summer 2013.

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