Description: Photograph showing ComFest vendors at a booth set up along the street, likely in June 1980, taken for the Columbus Free Press. Their sign reads "Middle Earth Terrariums." ComFest, short for "Community Festival," is an annual volunteer-run event in Columbus, Ohio, first organized in 1972. The festival was originally put on by a group of local progressive organizations including the Columbus Free Press, the Columbus Community Food Co-op, the Open Door Clinic, and others; it is now an independent non-profit. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B02F10_02
Subjects: Festivals; Civic organizations; Social services--Ohio; Columbus (Ohio)--History;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Members of the Vanguard League dining together, ca. 1940-1950. Seen on the right nearest to the camera is attorney Frank Shearer, who served as president of the Vanguard League and was one of its founding members. The Vanguard League was founded in May 1940 by members of the African American community in Columbus, Ohio. They were dedicated to using nonviolent direct action to solve problems of race relations in the city, and the League's original motto read, "For equality, opportunity, liberty, and democracy for Negroes." Some of the problems addressed by the Vanguard League included discrimination in hiring, fair housing, segregated schools, and community conduct. By publishing pamphlets, holding civil rights events, organizing pickets, and filing civil suits against discriminatory practices, among other methods, the group achieved numerous successes including the hiring of African American women at the Curtiss Wright plant, and the desegregation of many theaters in Columbus. In 1950 the Vanguard League became part of the Columbus chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.), and former members of the Vanguard League continued to fight for civil rights in Columbus in many different capacities. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS508_B01F07_001
Subjects: African American Ohioans; Civil rights; Race relations; Vanguard League (Columbus, Ohio); Civic organizations; Discrimination; Activism
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing a Columbus resident identified as Karen Kieffer presenting a Columbus City Council resolution to a member of the town council in Copopoyo, El Salvador, ca. 1973. This photograph comes from a collection organized by the Columbus Free Press. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05846
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio)--History; Ohio History--State and Local Government--Social Welfare; International relations; Civic organizations;
Places: Copopoyo (El Salvador); Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing Ellen Mumma seated at a spinning wheel while children look on, taken at ComFest for the Columbus Free Press in June 1982. ComFest, short for "Community Festival," is an annual volunteer-run event in Columbus, Ohio, first organized in 1972. The festival was originally put on by a group of local progressive organizations including the Columbus Free Press, the Columbus Community Food Co-op, the Open Door Clinic, and others; it is now an independent non-profit. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B02F10_03
Subjects: Festivals; Civic organizations; Social services--Ohio; Columbus (Ohio)--History; Textile arts;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph taken for the Columbus Free Press showing ComFest vendors at booths set up along the street, June 1980. ComFest, short for "Community Festival," is an annual volunteer-run event in Columbus, Ohio, first organized in 1972. The festival was originally put on by a group of local progressive organizations including the Columbus Free Press, the Columbus Community Food Co-op, the Open Door Clinic, and others; it is now an independent non-profit. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B02F10_01
Subjects: Festivals; Civic organizations; Social services--Ohio; Columbus (Ohio)--History; Jewelry;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)