This week we have issues of Durham’s North Carolina Anvil spanning from 1975-1983. Founded by UNC alum Robert Brown in 1966, the Anvil was a self-proclaimed “newspaper of politics and the arts” that included features on Brother Yusuf Salim, Elizabeth Cotton, as well as heavily covering 1979’s Greensboro Massacre. Former contributor, Barry Jacobs, described the paper’s mission as “Whatever injustices we saw, we tried to go after them,” adding that “The Anvil was combative to the point that it was difficult to survive financially.”

The Robert Brown papers are housed in Wilson Library as part of the Southern Historical Collection. The collection contains correspondence with politicians, activists, and even comedian Bill Hicks. The paper is now available via DigitalNC thanks to our partner Chapel Hill Historical Society.