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Founded by a group of Albany area residents who organized to prevent the Springboks, the all-white South African national rugby team representing the apartheid South African government, from playing a game against the American all-star rugby team in Albany scheduled in 1981.

This series includes copies of police investigation reports, court papers, testimony, and photocopies of newspaper articles. The legal documents stem from the demonstration organized by various groups against the rugby game scheduled for September 22, 1981 between the South African national rugby team and the American all-star rugby team. The bulk of the documents relates to the arrests of Vera Michelson, Aaron Estes, John Spearman and Michael Young on September 21, 1981. The police surveillance records and the court documents were obtained by CD-CAAR through the Freedom of Information Act. The police surveillance documents come from the Albany Police Department, Albany's Police Court and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The records include proposed plans for security at the anti-apartheid demonstration, police reports, photocopies of articles regarding groups expected to participate in the demonstration, arrest reports, court arraignment papers and investigation reports. The court records are from Albany's Police Court, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York and the State of New York Supreme Court Appellate Division. The records include some correspondence, papers for the case of the People versus Vera Michelson, Aaron Estes, and Michael Young, testimony in the government's unsuccessful case against Michael Young and John Spearman, and a motion to suppress evidence involving Michelson and Estes. The court records also include papers involving the successful case launched by Michelson and CD-CAAR in 1982 against named and unnamed officials in the FBI, New York State Police, Albany County District Attorney and Assistant District Attorneys, Albany County, Albany Police Officers and the City of Albany. The court records also include documents relating to a 1988 appeal to the Federal Court of Appeals pertaining to the civil case started by Vera Michelson and CD-CAAR in 1982.

This series contains correspondence, minutes and reports relating to the activities and interests of CD-CAAR and consists mostly of copies of letters sent by CD-CAAR to others. Topics of correspondence include fund-raising, the cultural boycott of entertainers who had performed in South Africa and had not vowed to stay out until apartheid ended, the campaign beginning in 1983 to divest New York State pension funds from businesses operating in South Africa, letters to pastors requesting support, requests for participants in demonstrations, announcements of meetings, arrangements for conferences, requests to institutions not to sponsor pro-South African speakers, letters to legislators supporting or opposing proposed legislation especially relating to divestiture, and letters regarding testimony given by Vera Michelson in front of the United Nations. Although Michelson testified twice before the United Nations, the collection contains only a copy of her November 5, 1984 appearance in which she spoke about the frustrations and concerns of CD-CAAR and other anti-apartheid groups and expressed gratitude to the United Nations for assisting the groups in their work. Includes letters sent to political figures both in the United States and abroad such as Albany Mayor Thomas Whalen III regarding Albany's place in the fight against apartheid, Schenectady Mayor Karen Johnson, NYS Assemblywoman Cynthia Jenkins (with reply) regarding divestiture, President P.W. Botha, Lindwe Mabuza, African National Congress chief representative to the United States, Namibian Minister Helmut Angula, and Ambassador Hipolito Patricio from Mozambique supporting the ANC and the frontline states. Also included are letters to pastors such as Reverend Robert W. Dixon; academics such as President Hines of Siena College, President John S. Morris of Union College, Professor Warren Roberts of the University at Albany, and Martin circa Barell, Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents protesting pro-South African speakers, writing letters of recommendation for professors, and thanking those who aided the anti-apartheid movement; and with people at other organizations with similar goals such as Solly Simelane of the African National Congress, E.J. Josey, President of the Albany NAACP, and Richard Dillard of the Public Employees Federation Black Caucus. Includes a typescript diary written by Eileen Kawola detailing a July 1992 visit to Mozambique. Arranged chronologically.