Jim Blanton AIDS collection

James Blanton was a co-founder (1990) of the South Carolina Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement (SCGLPM) and a longstanding member of its steering committee. In the late 1990s and 2000s, he was a Producer of Rainbow Radio, South Carolina’s first GLBT radio show, and occasional co-host.

This group of materials collected by Blanton is part of the Department’s “AIDS and its Impact” Collection. It is organized into three main parts: clippings, ephemera, and offprints about HIV/AIDS originating from within South Carolina; a similar group of materials from around the country, both of which are arranged chronologically; and a collection of videotapes of AIDS-related television programming. Also included in this collection is a sweatshirt commemorating The Names Project AIDS Quilt in Washington, D.C. (1988-89) and a collection of pins and buttons originating from the activist and church communities.

The collection of clippings, offprints, and ephemera contains issues of newsletters from South Carolina-based AIDS and public health organizations, their literature and brochures, newspaper clippings, and magazine and journal offprints. Also notable is a group of materials documenting the activities of Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services of South Carolina (PALSS) from 1986-1989.

A separate collection of books, public health manuals, and other monographs from Mr. Blanton’s collection has been added to the book collections of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections and is cataloged individually.