The historical collection of civil rights icon Rosa Parks has finally found a home at the Library of Congress.
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced Tuesday that Parks collection will be at the library on a 10-year loan from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, a foundation ran by billion investor Warren Buffett’s son.
“Rosa Parks is an iconic figure in the American civil rights movement, the very definition of the quiet power of an individual to inspire action in others,” said Billington in a press release. “This collection joins our unparalleled holdings of African-American materials in a public institution.”
The collection consists of approximately 1,500 items from Ms. Parks, including personal correspondence and photographs, autobiographical notes, letters from presidents, her Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Medal Award and so much more. Items from the collection will also be incorporated in the spring of 2015 into a new exhibition called “The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle to Freedom,” which opens on Sept. 10.
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Howard G. Buffett reportedly purchased Parks’ collection earlier this month for $4.5 million, saying that his intent was always to ensure that the collection was made available to the public.
“My goal was always to ensure this historical collection would be made available for the public’s benefit so that as many people as possible can learn about Rosa Parks and the sacrifices she made to support the civil rights movement,” said Buffett. “I believe that partnering with the Library of Congress to display these items in our nation’s capital is the best way to achieve that goal.”