Al Gerhardstein, noted Cincinnati civil rights attorney, has donated to the University of Cincinnati Libraries' Archive and Rare Books Library, papers documenting his nearly 50-year career in civil rights litigation and advocacy, with focuses in reproductive rights, prisoner's rights, policing, employment discrimination, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.
Gerhardstein is the founder of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, a nonprofit agency that advocates and litigates for criminal justice reform. Gerhardstein is a partner at Friedman, Gilbert + Gerhardstein, an Ohio civil rights law firm. On the firm's website, Gerhardstein has the following description:
"Central to his work is the pursuit of meaningful, lasting reforms. For Gerhardstein, it's not just about seeking and getting monetary damages or settlements for clients. The further goal is to leave a defendant's city or government agency better off than before, to seek true reforms by looking at the source of the problem and working to remediate that problem so the next person is less likely to be abused," Friedman, Gilbert + Gerhardstein.
"Mr. Gerhardstein spent his career working for meaningful change to improve the civil rights of people. He chose Cincinnati as a place to find plenty of work as a civil rights lawyer, and he certainly left his mark," said Alex Temple, archivist in the Archives and Rare Books Library who is working to process the collection. "It's fascinating to go over the collection and to see all of the causes he has advocated for."
The Al (Alphonse A.) Gerhardstein Collection is available for research and study in the Archives and Rare Books Library. A finding aid listing the items in the collection is available via the library's website for searching the collection.
"This monumental collection documenting groundbreaking causes and issues that impact the lives of not only people in Cincinnati, but throughout the country, will be of great value to researchers, scholars and students of law, history, civil rights and social justice among other disciplines," said Lori Harris, interim dean and university librarian. "We are honored that Mr. Gerhardstein chose the University of Cincinnati to serve as stewards of his collection."
Al Gerhardstein said, "Civil rights law is a public practice. I hope people can learn about the issues we have pursued and the principles we have upheld by accessing this collection. Many of the issues I litigated decades ago are still challenging us as a society. I know at UC these materials are in great hands."
