Elmer R. Rusco, a Kansas native and graduate of the University of Kansas, was an activist, author, and professor of political science, specializing in the civil rights movement, at the University of Nevada-Reno. This collection is comprised of material related to Rusco's participation in the civil rights movement as well as research regarding minority rights, conducted for the completion of his master's thesis.

This collection contains materials on the civil rights movement, anti-war activities, and the women's movement. Christine Leonard was a member of the February Sisters, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and the Students for a Demoractic Society (SDS) while a student at the University of Kansas.