National Urban League A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2011 Revised 2013 October Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact Additional search options available at: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms997012 LC Online Catalog record: http://lccn.loc.gov/mm73040774 Prepared by Joseph Sullivan, Clarencetta Jelks, and Harry G. Heiss with the assistance of Paul Colton, Patrica Craig, Patrick Kerwin, Melissa Little, Lisa Madison, Sherralyn McCoy, John Monagle, and William Parham Collection Summary Title: National Urban League Records Span Dates: 1900-1988 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1930-1979) ID No.: MSS40774 Creator: National Urban League Extent: 616,000 items ; 2,002 containers ; 821 linear feet ; 18 microfilm reels Language: Collection material in English Location: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Summary: Civil rights organization. Correspondence, minutes of meetings, speeches, reports, surveys, statistical data, financial and legal records, scrapbooks, printed material, and other records relating to the programs and policies of the league and its affiliates. Selected Search Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. People Alston, Harry L., 1914- Barnett, Claude, 1890- --Correspondence. Bell, William Y. (William Yancy) Bethune, Mary McLeod, 1875-1955--Correspondence. Coleman, Clarence D. Granger, Lester B. (Lester Blackwell), 1896-1976--Correspondence. Granger, Lester B. (Lester Blackwell), 1896-1976. Lester B. Granger papers. Harrington, Oliver W. (Oliver Wendell), 1912- Oliver W. Harrington drawings. Haynes, George Edmund, 1880-1960--Correspondence. Hill, T. Arnold (Thomas Arnold), 1888-1947--Correspondence. Holsey, Albon L., 1883- --Correspondence. Hope, John, 1868-1936--Correspondence. Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967. Langston Hughes papers. 1941-1945. Jackson, Nelson C. (Nelson Crews), 1907- Nelson C. Jackson papers. Jones, Eugene Kinckle, 1885-1954--Correspondence. Jordan, Vernon E. (Vernon Eulion), 1935- Jordan, Vernon E. (Vernon Eulion), 1935- Vernon E. Jordan papers. Lee, J. R. E. (Joseph Robert Edward), 1864-1944--Correspondence. Mays, Benjamin E. (Benjamin Elijah), 1894-1984--Correspondence. McGannon, Donald Henry, 1920- Donald Henry McGannon papers. Moton, Robert Russa, 1867-1940--Correspondence. Nichols, Franklin O. Parris, Guichard--Correspondence. Puryear, Mahlon T. Sims, Harold R., 1935- Harold R. Sims papers. Spaulding, C. C. (Charles Clinton), 1874-1952--Correspondence. Tanneyhill, Ann--Correspondence. Tanneyhill, Ann. Ann Tanneyhill papers. 1931-1986. Thomas, Clarence E. Thomas, Jesse O., 1885- Jesse O. Thomas papers. Washington, Forrester B., 1887- --Correspondence. Wood, L. Hollingsworth (Levi Hollingsworth), 1874-1956--Correspondence. Work, Monroe Nathan--Correspondence. Young, Whitney M. Whitney M. Young papers. National Urban League Records 2 Young, Whitney M.--Correspondence. Organizations Atlanta School of Social Work. National Urban League. National Urban League. Office of Washington Operations. National Urban League. Office of Washington Operations records. 1961-1985. National Urban League. Southern Regional Office. National Urban League Southern Regional Office records. 1900-1988. United States. Navy--Recruiting, enlistment, etc. Subjects Adoption. African American veterans. African Americans--Economic conditions. African Americans--Employment. African Americans--Social conditions. African Americans--Southern States--Economic conditions. African Americans--Southern States--Social conditions. Armed Forces--Minorities. Boycotts. Business enterprises. Citizenship. Civil rights. Community development. Community health services. Crime. Depressions--1929--Southern States. Depressions--1929. Disaster relief. Education. Employees--Training of. Health. Housing. Human services. Industrial relations. Juvenile delinquency. Law enforcement. Manual training. Medical care. Migration, Internal. Older people. Public welfare. Race relations. Segregation. Social problems. Social work with African Americans. Urban renewal. Vocational education. Voting. Women. World War, 1939-1945--African Americans. World War, 1939-1945--Veterans. National Urban League Records 3 Administrative Information Provenance The records of the National Urban League were given to the Library of Congress by the organization from 1966 to 1994. Processing History Part I, containing the records of the National Urban League's national office and its affiliates, was processed in 1976 and described in the Library publication, The National Urban League, Volume I, 1910-1960. Additions to those records were processed as Parts II and III in 1980 and 1993. Parts IV and V contain the records of the organization's Washington, D.C., office and were processed in 1980 and 1994. Parts VI and VII comprise the records of the league's Southern Regional Office. Part VI was arranged in 1968-1969 and an addition received in 1979 was added in 1982. In 1983 the Library published The National Urban League Southern Regional Office, A Register of Its Records in the Library of Congress describing the contents of this part of the collection. Part VII contains later additions to the records of the Southern Regional Office and was processed in 1994. A comprehensive finding to all of the parts was created in 2010. Transfers Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Some photographs, engraving plates, and plaques have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. Books have been transferred to the Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Some maps have been transferred to the Geography and Map Division. Tapes, and sound recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. Some periodicals have been transferred to the Serial and Government Publications Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the National Urban League Records. Copyright Status Copyright in the unpublished writings of the National Urban League in these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public. Access and Restrictions Restrictions apply governing the use, photoduplication, or publication of items in this collection. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division for information concerning these restrictions. In addition, many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use. Microfilm A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on eighteen reels. Consult reference staff in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition as available. Preferred Citation Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Roman numeral designating the Part followed by a colon and a container or reel number, National Urban League Records, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Chronology Date Event 1910 Founded as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes following the merger of three predecessor organizations: the Committee on Urban Conditions Among Negroes; the National League for the Protection of Colored Women; and the Committee for Improving the Industrial Conditions of Negroes in New York National Urban League Records 4 1910-1913 Established affiliated organizations in Philadelphia, Pa.; St. Louis, Mo.; Nashville, Tenn.; Baltimore, Md.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Louisville, Ky. 1910-1916 George Edmund Haynes served as chief executive 1911 Initiated social work training program, "Urban League Fellows" 1916-1941 Eugene Kinckle Jones served as chief executive 1919 Established a southern field office in Atlanta, Ga., headed by Jesse O. Thomas 1921 Established the Department of Research and Investigation 1922 Founded its official publication, Opportunity: Journal of Negro Life 1930-1940 Studied and reported on the effects of the Depression on blacks and worked to secure for Negroes adequate relief and a proportionate share of jobs on public works projects 1935 Celebrated twenty-fifth anniversary; comprised forty-three affiliates with a total national and local budget of over $400,000 1940-1945 Surveyed the Negro's relationship to the United States defense effort and attempted to secure fair treatment in jobs and housing 1941-1961 Lester B. Granger served as executive director 1952 Established a western field office in Los Angeles, Calif., headed by W. Miller Barbour 1960 Celebrated fiftieth anniversary; comprised sixty-three affiliates with a total national and local budget of $3 million 1961-1971 Whitney M. Young served as executive director 1962 Established the Washington Bureau, Washington, D.C. 1963 Proposed a domestic Marshall Plan Established a National Skills Bank 1965 Founded the National Committee on Household Employment 1966 Began a labor education advancement program 1967 Established the Military and Veterans Affairs Division 1968 Undertook the New Thrust initiative to build the internal strength and power of the black ghetto Began family planning project 1969 Established a black executives exchange program Moved the Research