Language of Material: English

Contributing Institution: Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento Room

Title: Dell Richards Papers

Identifier/Call Number: MC 95

Physical Description: 3.75 Linear Feet 9 Archival Boxes

Date (inclusive): 1960-2007

Abstract: The Dell Richards Papers are composed of newspaper articles, correspondence, photographs, and electronic media that document the professional and personal life of the creator, with a particular focus on Sacramento and her role as a writer and activist in the gay and lesbian liberation/civil rights movement of the 1980s and 1990s.

Dell Richards was born in the copper-mining town of Bisbee, Arizona, in 1947. Soon after that her family settled in Southern California. Even at a young age, Richards was acutely aware of the sexism women – and girls – faced at the time. As a feminist who opposed the Vietnam War, Richards left the United States in 1967. She married and lived in London until 1972 when she, in her words, "decided to become gay" and return to California.

Calling it a political weapon – one in three women being raped in their lifetimes at the time – Richards used her anger and her writing skills to document the experience, becoming one of the first women to come out publicly about it. Her 1974 book of poems, the rape journal, was published by Women's Press Collective. The first half of the 25-poem The Woman Fables later was excerpted in Judy Grahn's 1981 anthology, True to Life Adventure Stories. Richards also contributed a chapter to the 1988 book You Can Do Something about AIDS, edited by Sasha Alyson, published and distributed free by the book publishing industry.

Her journalism career began with profiles of gay men and lesbians living everyday lives. Syndicating the stories to alternative newspapers nationwide, the profiles eventually reached an audience of 350,000.

Her first book Lesbian Lists: A Look at Lesbian Culture, History, and Personalities came out in 1990. It spanned lesbian culture, history and personalities up to 1970. Her second book focused on women who seemed to be lesbians, but had to hide their sexuality because of the era. Superstars: Twelve Lesbians Who Changed the World, had chapters on Florence Nightingale, Jane Addams, A'Lelia Walker and Anna Freud, among others.

While also having written for the mainstream press, Richards eventually moved to public relations, helping non-profits and small businesses gain recognition for their services.

All requests to publish or quote from private collections held by the Sacramento Public Library must be submitted in writing to sacroom@saclibrary.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Sacramento Public Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron. No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.

[Identification of item], Dell Richards Papers, MC 95, Sacramento Room, Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento, California.

The collection consists of nine series. Note that Series VIII and IX are restricted to researchers for 75-years past the date of creation. Series I, Newspaper and Magazine Clippings, is comprised of newspaper and magazine articles written by Richards between 1985 and 2001, covering a series of topics affecting the gay and lesbian community in Northern California and across the nation. Content has been arranged in chronological order. Series II, Book Notes, covers reviews, interviews and promotional material created for three of Richards's published works. Items – articles, press releases, notes, advertisements – have been left in their original order. Series III, Photographs, occupies a single folder. The series has been left in original order and is made up of several photographic prints, both color and black and white, of the creator and others taken between roughly 1960 and 2007. Series IV, Mainstream Articles, occupies a single folder and contains several articles that Richards wrote for mainstream publications between 1976 and 2006. All articles are left in their original order. Series V, Electronic Media, is comprised of audio and video content, including interviews conducted by the creator as well as media appearances by her. Formats include in 11 VHS tapes, 34 MC-60 microcassettes, and five 1/8-inch compact cassettes. Series VI, Public Relations, relates to Richards's founding and operation of a Sacramento-based public relations firm from 1993 to 2017. Supporting articles, photographs, and ephemera are in original order. Series VII, Personal, contains images, articles and ephemera relating to the creator's personal interests. Original order has been maintained. Series VIII and IX, Family Correspondence and Correspondence, respectively, are maintained in the creator's original order and are restricted to researchers for 75-years past the date of creation. Postcards and stationery formats are primary in both series, in addition to period greeting cards and scratch paper.