Ardelia Bradley Dixon was a lifelong African American rights activist and philanthropist. She was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1916 to Oscar Howard Bradley (d. 1949) and Ardelia Bradley (d. 1966). Dixon moved to Cleveland, Ohio, as a child. She graduated from John Hay High School. She attended Fenn College (later Cleveland State University) for a year from 1940-1941, and then attended Cleveland College of Western Reserve University (later Case Western Reserve University) part time. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948.
In 1945, Ardelia Bradley married fellow civic leader Henry George Dixon (d. 1991), who served in World War II. Ardelia Dixon served as secretary at the Antioch Baptist Church, Central High School, and John Hay High School. She was a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), serving on many of its committees. She was a member of the Cleveland Public Library board of trustees from 1980-1988 as chair of the personnel and community services committees and as secretary. She supported the Cleveland Public Library in letters to the editor of the Cleveland
In 1963, Dixon took part in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom for Colored People led by Martin Luther King, Jr., and was passionate about the issues of desegregation in schools and racial violence. For forty-seven years, Dixon belonged to the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which promoted the strength of the individual, and encouraged organizations of courageous women. She volunteered at the Interchurch Council of Greater Cleveland, the National Council of Churches, Fairhill Mental Health Center, and the Phillis Wheatley Center. She also supported New Day Press, a non-profit children's book publisher.
Dixon died in Beachwood's Parkland nursing home in 1991. She and her husband had no children.
The Ardelia Bradley Dixon Papers, 1931-1991, consist of booklets, brochures, cards, church programs, correspondence, funeral booklets, hymns, letters, letters to the editor of the
This collection is of value to researchers studying the African American civil rights movement, specifically its local leaders and progress, and the philanthropic contributions to the Cleveland, Ohio, community during the twentieth century. Researchers interested in political events of the twentieth century, particularly the issues of desegregation in schools and racial violence, will also find the collection useful. Of special note are Dixon's scrapbooks containing
The collection also contains volunteer information on the Cleveland chapter of the NAACP and various church and public councils, such as the Interchurch Council of Greater Cleveland, the National Council of Churches, and the Cleveland Public Library. Anyone interested in discovering more about the Cleveland Public Library, especially the library's remodel and new director during the late 1980s, may find the library board papers and newspaper clipping of Dixon to be significant.
Finally, this collection is also of importance to those studying the life of Dixon as it includes some of her personal correspondence documenting her activities, such as her membership in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and participation in the 1963 March on Washington.
The collection is arranged in two series.
Researchers should also consult: MS 4221 Reverend Bruce Klunder Collection; MS 4680 Casimir Bielen Papers; MS 4814 United Freedom Movement Freedom Schools Records; MS 4823 Henry Lee Moon Family Papers; MS 4851 Mary P. Hutchings Papers; and MS 5123 James L. Hardiman Reed v. Rhodes Papers.
Processed by Kari Mariner and Chloe Snider in 2014.
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[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 5199 Ardelia Bradley Dixon Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gifts of Emily G. Johnson in 1994 and Ebraska Ceasor in 1995.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.