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Take Up And Read

Authored by Ian Ustick

St. Augustine Hall on the Queens campus of St. John's University.

St. Augustine Hall on the Queens campus of St. John’s University.

Saint Augustine was one of the foremost intellectual thinkers of his time. He lived in the Roman Province of Northern Africa, which today would be modern-day Algeria. In a pluralistic society, not unlike ours, there were competing thoughts, ideologies, and religious faiths. With Christianity now legalized and having become the official state religion of the Roman Empire, Augustine, who had formerly been a pagan, took it upon himself to become the intellectual defender of the church[1]. Continue reading →

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The Ethiopian Committee on Immigration, Inc.: Social Justice in Action

Authored by Leslie Wybiral

The Ethiopian Committee on Immigration, Inc. 1983 Fundraising Letter

The Ethiopian Committee on Immigration, Inc. 1983 Fundraising Letter

The Ethiopian Committee on Immigration, Inc. (ECI) was formed in October, 1982. (Mekbib, 1983). ECI’s main objective is to find a suitable solution to immigration problems faced by Ethiopian citizens in the United States. (Mekbib, 1983). Its principal concern is therefore humanitarian. (Mekbib, 1983).

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Emanuel Bowen: Royal Mapmaker

Authored by Kimberly A. Meyer

Map

“An accurate map of South America : drawn from the best modern maps and charts, and regulated by astron’l. observatns. / by Eman. Bowen, geog’r. to His Majesty, 1747.”

As I combed through the many thousands of maps on the NYPL Map Warper, I knew that I wanted to work with a map of South America because I was born in Colombia. What immediately caught my eye about this map, above the others, was the caption that the mapmaker made this map for His Majesty in 1747. Just who is this “Eman. Bowen” who presented this map to His Majesty?

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The History and Significance of Baptisms in the Catholic Church

Authored by Chante Gaines

Baptism Register Book

Baptism Register book from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church

Introduction

The image, pictured to the left is a Baptism Register book from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Our Lady of Mount Carmel was the first Catholic community in Queens, organized in 1840 by Father Michael Curran (who later became the first pastor of the Church). The following year, in 1841, the trustees obtained property in Astoria to build the church; it was the first Catholic Church in Queens to have a resident priest, and the first to conduct Mass service in its own building, in 1841 (“History of Our Lady,” n.d.). Some regard Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church or “Mother Church of Queens County” as the oldest parish in Queens. Continue reading →

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President Taft Laments the Passing of Father Alexander P. Doyle

Authored by Satasha Williams

Watermarked Telegram from President William H. Taft to Father John J. Burke - August 10, 1912 about the recent passing of Paulist Father Alexander P. Doyle

Telegram from President William H. Taft to Father John J. Burke – August 10, 1912

Introduction

This telegram is addressed to Father John J. Burke from President William Howard Taft concerning the recent death of Father Alexander P. Doyle. Fathers John J. Burke and Alexander P. Doyle were both Paulist Fathers who were actively working to ease the burdens of the poor while adhering to a higher calling . The timeframe for this correspondence was August 10th 1912 one day after the death of Father Alexander P. Doyle. The telegram was sent from the White House in Washington D.C. to New York where the Paulist Fathers have a General Office. Continue reading →

Don Edwards: Argument on the Misuse of Criminal Records, 1972

Authored by Diana Carillo

Chairman Don Edwards, Subcommittee No. 4 on the Judiciary opening statement on the misuse of criminal records.

Chairman Don Edwards, Subcommittee No. 4 on the Judiciary opening statement on the misuse of criminal records.

Introduction

H.R. 13315 92nd congress, is a bill of the United States Code to provide for the dissemination and use of criminal arrest records in a manner that insures their security and privacy. On March 16th, 22nd, 23rd and April 23rd and 26th, 1972, security and privacy of criminal arrest record hearings were made before Subcommittee No.4 of the Committee of the Judiciary House of Representatives.  Committees of the Judiciary are often referred to as the lawyers of the House of Representatives, due to “its jurisdiction over matters relating to the administration of justice in federal courts, administrative bodies, and law enforcement agencies” (Goodlatte). This document provides the opening statement of chairman Don Edwards of California and his belief of the misuse of criminal records.

Don Edwards

Don Edwards was a Democrat representative from California, born in San Jose, Santa Clara Country, California on January 6, 1915. Don attended law school at Stanford University Law School. In 1940 Edwards became a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was elected as a Democrat to the 88th from the 10th Congressional District and to the fifteen succeeding congresses in 1963 and served until 1995. Edwards was also the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights for 23 years. This court case was one of many that Edwards had worked hard on to bring to light the misuse of criminal records, and how the misuse affects the future lives of people who were convicted.

The Artifact

In Edwards’ opening statement, he gives examples as to how the lives of those who were convicted and released are impacted by the misuse of criminal records. He states, “A recent survey, for example, has shown that 75% of the employment agencies in New York City refuse to recommend an individual with an arrest record regardless whether it was followed by conviction.” This statement proves how for those who were arrested and not even convicted have trouble getting job recommendations because their record is available for employers to look at. Even today with advanced technology and the World Wide Web, anyone can view someone’s criminal record. If a normal patron wanted to look up someone’s criminal record they can easily access the information on instantcheckmate.com. All a person has to do is type in the name of who they are looking up and the state they reside in and they have the information right in front of them.

In this court hearing, Edwards states, “we intend to take a hard look at the arrest record problem and come up with a method of protecting individuals’ privacy while at the same time recognizing and safeguarding the objectives and needs of law enforcement officials.” Doing further research on individuals’ rights during an arrest, the fourth amendment seems to appear a lot. The fourth amendment of the U.S. Constitution “protects personal privacy, and every citizen’s right to be free from unreasonable government intrusion into their persons, homes, businesses, and property” (2014). A person who is convicted of a felony has rights and the forth amendment ensures that, and the use of these conviction records should only be in the hands of law enforcement and nothing more. They have a right to their privacy, and this amendment should be “method” enough to protect those individual rights.

References

Edwards, William Donlon, “Biographical Information,” Retrieved March 20, 2015, from http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=E000064

“Security and Privacy of Criminal Arrest Records, Hearings Before Subcommittee No. 4 … , 92-2, on H.R. 13315, March 16, 22, 23; April 13 and 26, 1972,” 1972. Retrieved March 21, 2015, from https://archive.org/stream/securityprivacyo00unit/securityprivacyo00unit_djvu.txt

Goodlatte, B., “About the Committee,” Retrieved March 21, 2015, from http://judiciary.house.gov/index.cfm/about-the-committee

“Instant Checkmate – The Internet’s #1 Source for Background Checks,”Retrieved March 21, 2015, from http://www.instantcheckmate.com

” ‘Search and Seizure’ and the Fourth Amendment,” Retrieved March 21, 2015, from http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-rights/search-and-seizure-and-the-fourth-amendment.html

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Humanity and “Red Tape”: Interpol and the Third Reich

Authored by Chris Scipioni

Watermarked Image #1

Press release from Church of Scientology NCLE Chief Researcher Vaugh Young

It is widely known that following the conclusion of World War II, a number of Nazi officials and collaborators not only avoided prosecution, but retained positions of authority. The most startling instances involve the ranks of German and French Police, as well as the International Criminal Police Organization known as “Interpol.” By the mid-1970s, new and intense pressure was being applied to Interpol regarding reputed ties with the Third Reich. This was spearheaded by a new agency funded by The Church of Scientology, labelled the National Commission on Law Enforcement and Social Justice. The church’s motives have been rightfully questioned; founder L. Ron Hubbard had been long evading taxes and other legal jurisdictions by having business transactions in international waters, and several countries repeatedly lobbied Interpol for support through the late 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970s, Scientologists had reacted by launching a campaign to create negative publicity and public distrust for Interpol (Stalcup 2013 p.236). While these ulterior motives provide a dramatic backdrop, the information put forth by the NCLE has been generally accepted as factual and meticulously researched, and highlights more critical points.  Continue reading →

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Marcel Marceau-William Harris Papers

Authored by Joann M White

Playbill featuring Marcel Marceau from the William Harris Papers

Playbill featuring Marcel Marceau from the William Harris Papers

The William B. Harris Papers are a collection of theater ephemera collected over a period of 30 years. After graduating from college William Harris moved to New York to become a writer. He would eventually be the theater editor for SoHo Weekly News and managing editor of Theatre Crafts Magazine. In the process of doing this work he would accumulate his theater collection. Mr. Harris would die of a massive coronary at the age of 49 on July 27, 2000. His brother John would donate the collection to Marymount Manhattan College, which has a dance and theater program.

 Mr. Harris’s papers are divided into eight separate genres; three are not in the archives at Marymount Manhattan College. The remaining five include unpublished scripts, photographs, posters, one videocassette and the largest part of the collection is in series #2. Series #2 contains 4,450 folders primarily newspaper clipping of reviews, playbills, photographs, postcards, advertisements for performances, as well as personal correspondence. This playbill from 1958 of Marcel Marceau is part of the collection. Continue reading →

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John J. Burke and the Message of “The Seven”

Authored by Nicole Macaluso

Watermarked Image

Speech delivered by Father John J. Burke on November 11, 1929 at the Arlington National Cemetery

The speech “The Message of “The Seven”” written by Father John J. Burke was delivered at the Armistice Day Ceremony on November 11, 1929 at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Arlington National Cemetery. Continue reading →

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The Case Histories of the Refuseniks

Authored by Mary McNulty

Mr. Gorbachev: Let My People Go

Mr. Gorbachev: Let My People Go

Mr. Gorbachev, Let My People Go

Mr. Gorbachev: Let My People Go is a pamphlet held by the Centre for Migration Studies, as part of the Arthur P. Endres collection.  It was published by the South Florida Conference on Soviet Jewry, a smaller entity of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Community Relations Committee (Sanford and Sandberg, 1986).  It details cases of Jews who attempted to receive visas to leave the Soviet Union during the Cold War, specifically from the 1960s through the 1980s (Golub 1989). Continue reading →