The Ruth Shack Papers archive the life of a remarkable woman who was elected to her first of three terms as a Dade County Commissioner in 1976. She had an unsuccessful campaign for Dade County Mayor which led to her taking over as the President of the Dade Community Foundation in 1984. She led the Dade Community Foundation with great distinction for 25 years until her retirement in 2009. As president she expanded the Foundation's finances exponentially and was able to positively affect the community of Miami Dade County. She received the Susan B. Anthony Award in 1975 and the Sojourner Truth Award in 1977, she has been recognized as the Citizen of the Year, honored with the Spirit of Excellence Award and countless other recognitions for her service. Known as the “Kissing Commissioner” for her affectionate demeanor, she was proud to sponsor the Human Rights Ordinance and admired by the Gay Community for her dedication to fighting discrimination.
The Elena Mederos Papers contain documents pertaining to human rights and women's rights activist Elena Mederos (1900-1981).
Included are scholarly articles, clippings, manuscripts, official documents and certifications. Also included are documents from the School of Social Work in Havana, Cuba, where Mederos worked, as well as reports from United Nations panels on women's rights in Latin America, a report from the Comision Internacional de Mujeres, and a program from Mederos' memorial service.
The collection consists of published and unpublished articles written by and about Agustín Blázquez, correspondence, and materials about his documentary, “Covering Cuba.”
This collection contains brochures, pamphlets, periodicals, and other assorted Latin American publications regarding social issues, such as diversity, labor rights, discrimination, poverty, and sexual identity.
The Katy Sorenson papers document the career of Kathryn “Katy” Sorenson, a former Miami-Dade County Commissioner (District 8) for 16 years, from 1994–2010. As commissioner she was concerned with human rights, the environment, child welfare and the arts. After leaving the County Commission, Sorenson founded the Good Government Initiative at the University of Miami to cultivate strong political leaders in South Florida. The collection consists primarily of campaign files, along with a number of scrapbooks and government and other documents relating to Sorenson’s terms as commissioner.
