Black Sash /Records

The Black Sash was founded in 1955, the successor of the Women's Defence of the Constitution League, founded a year earlier by a group of women voters who had mobilised to protest unsuccessfully against the removal by the Nationalist Party government of the so-called coloured voters from the common voters' roll. Throughout the years of apartheid, the organisation continued in various ways to fight against human rights abuses, focusing in particular on the provision of legal and material aid to people affected by discriminatory legislation. Since 1994 the promotion of human rights has continued to be the central concern of the Black Sash, mainly through specific research projects and the operation of advice offices.
The records in this collection reflect the varied activities of the Natal Coastal Branch of the Black Sash. Killie Campbell was one of the founding members of this branch.