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The Source: UTSA Collects History of Activism From 2017 Marches in San Antonio

Here's how you can be a part of history:

UTSA Libraries is asking for artifacts – signs, buttons and other non-digital items – from the local Martin Luther King Jr. march & Women's March last month.

San Antonio celebrated 30 years of Martin Luther King Jr. Day marches this year. One of the largest MLK gatherings in the country, the 2017 event drew an estimated 300,000 people who marched in the rain to celebrate the civil-rights leader and principles he advocated.

The 2017 Women's March in San Antonio took place January 21 in conjunction with unprecedented crowds at hundreds of similar marches, as people around the world rallied around a variety of issues from reproductive and civil rights to immigration and more. 

UTSA's Special Collections archive is working to document these historic moments of activism in San Antonio. Donated materials will be preserved and kept as teaching tools for future generations.

Credit Courtesy UTSA Libraries
Examples of posters received by UTSA, which will be preserved in the university's Special Collections archives. See more scans in the slideshow above.

"These items are often thrown away or discarded, and while they aren't what we traditionally think of as historical documents, they can serve as a platform for voicing issues important to individuals in our community," according to UTSA Libraries' Amy Rushing.

The donation deadline has been extended to Sunday, March 5, 2017. Details about submission guidelinesand drop off locations can be found here, or call (210) 458-4889 for more information.

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