Esther M. Lee Project
The Esther M. Lee collection is an autonomous in-progress community digital collection consisting of photographs, correspondences, brochures and newspaper clippings accumulated by Esther M. Lee, a prominent NAACP leader in Bethlehem, PA. Check back here for updates on when the full collection will be available, and explore selections from the collection below. The pictures depict Lee’s maternal and paternal family, her in-laws, church and community members, from the 1920s to 1990s, including images of everyday life of outdoors summer fun and a variety of celebrations. Correspondences consist of letters received from friends and businesses. NAACP brochures from the 80s to 90s contain historical data on who was who in Bethlehem, PA’s Black community and race matters that were affecting them locally. Newspaper clippings on topics of racism, education and political activism range from the 1970s to 2013.
M. Rayah Levy and Elizabeth Saracino created the digital collection and were instrumental in all aspects of the the project. Levy provided the data for the entries and Saracino entered the data. Lindsey Jancay and Jasmine Woodson volunteered their time scanning documents as well. We were all inspired to get involved in this project because of the historical richness it will add to the community at large.
