Maria Helena Dolan papers

Collection

Identifier: Q134

Staff Only
Not requestable

Scope and Contents of the Papers

The Maria Helena Dolan Papers, 1931-2018 [bulk 1951-2018], consists of a myriad of materials documenting Dolan's vibrant work, life, and activism. The papers primarily contain subject files created by Dolan, containing printed material from many diverse sources with Dolan's notes and annotations, and her own writings. Most of the files represent groupings and titles created by her. They span the topics that engaged her interest and activism, with the largest proportion concerning the LBGTQ and Women's Rights movements, the environment and science, and politics and social change. A large part of the papers is made up of t-shirts and buttons Dolan has kept throughout her life. The papers also contain comic books, both mainstream and women-focused. For a more detailed breakdown of the contents of this collection, please see the scope notes attached to each series.

Dates

Creation: 1931-2018
Creation: Majority of material found within 1951-2018

Creator

Dolan, Maria Helena (Person)

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research use.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.

Biographical Note

LGBTQ+ and feminist rights activist Maria Helena Dolan (1954- ) was born to Helene Nina Esposito Dolan (1935-2010) and Larry Joseph Dolan (1933-1994). Dolan's mother was Italian-American and her father was from Puerto Rico. She grew up and attended undergraduate school in Connecticut, and moved to Atlanta in 1976 after coming out as a lesbian. In 1978 Dolan was a leader of the approximately 2,000 picketers who protested Anita Bryant, an anti-LGBTQ+ activist, when she spoke at the Southern Baptist Convention at the Georgia World Congress Center. Dolan was also one of the featured speakers at the rally. She served as an Automatic Train Control Foreman and then as a Safety and Quality Assurance Engineer with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). Additionally, Dolan was the Southern Regional Organizer for the first and second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979 and 1987. In 1995 she served as the Atlanta Pride Grand Marshal. Dolan is a supporter of feminist and lesbian arts and helped to found the Mother of the Sisters of No Mercy theater troupe and Mother of Lucina Music. She was also a member of the gardening group Digging Dykes of Decatur. A prolific columnist, she wrote articles for the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance ALFA newsletter; Gabriel; Gazette; Cruise; Etc.; and Southern Voice. Other organizations Dolan helped establish include Southern Ladies Against Women (SLAW), Georgia Lesbian EcoFeminists for Animal Rights, and Triangle Video. She served as an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia board member and co-chaired the Privacy and AIDS committee. In the 1990s Dolan helped found the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian History Thing, a nonprofit group that worked to preserve LGBTQ+ history in Atlanta; documents collected and generated by the project were donated to the Atlanta History Center.