John Mathews collection of political protest drawings and ephemera

The collection contains 23 children drawings, posters, student newspapers, flyers, banners, pamphlets and ephemera related to some of the political and civil rights protests during 1968 and 1969. The drawings depict the riots in Washington, DC that followed Martin Luther King's assassination in 1968 through the eyes of children, ages 8 to 16, who lived in the neighborhoods most affected by the turmoil. Norman W. Nickens, the assistant superintendent, instructed his teachers to have the students use a variety of creative forms to express their feelings. Forms included discussions, compositions and drawings.