Found 5 collections related to African American civic leaders

An African American educator, Doxey A. Wilkerson made significant contributions to early childhood education and the education of secondary school teachers. The Doxey A. Wilkerson papers reflect Wilkerson's activities at the Jefferson School for Social Science and Yeshiva Universsity; as an educational consultant; and as a board member for many Connecticut-based civic organizations. less

James Weldon Johnson was a publisher, educator, lawyer, composer, artist, diplomat, and civil rights leader. Together with his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, he wrote the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing", which came to be known as the "Negro National Anthem", as well as a large number of popular songs for the musical stage of the early twentieth century. Johnson also served as consul of the United States to Venezuela and Nicaragua. He wrote several books and served as editor of the New York Age. From 1920-1931, Johnson was field secretary, then secretary, of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1930, he became chair of Creative Literature and Writing at Fisk University. The James Weldon Johnson collection consists primarily of programs honoring Johnson following his death in 1938, including those sponsored by the NAACP, Yale University Library, Virginia Union University, and Hampton Institute. Two programs printed during his lifetime provide information about subjects for his lectures and work with students at Fisk University. News clippings discuss a marker erected, in 1972, at the site of his home in Jacksonville, Florida. An obituary marks the passing of his widow, Grace Nail Johnson, in 1976, and two towels with their embroidered initials complete the collection. less

Benjamin F. McLaurin (1906-1989) was a Black labor leader and civic worker who held leadership positions within the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) during the 1920s and 1930s. He worked with A. Philip Randolph throughout the Civil Rights Movement, and later advocated for job equality and increased educational opportunities for minority communities while serving on New York City board committees. The collection, dated from the 1930s to 1983, showcases McLaurin's lifelong labor, civic, and political work through prints, slides, and negatives. less

The collection contains documentation relating to Tobias' involvement with the Phelps-Stokes Fund and the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), as well as other items. Files for the Phelps-Stokes Fund consist of minutes of Trustees' meetings (1940-1944), and files from two Trustees' committees on which Tobias served: the Committee on Negro Americans in Defense Industries (1941-1942) and the Committee on Africa, the War and Peace Aims (1941-1943). Materials pertaining to the YMCA consist of three printed speeches Tobias delivered concerning the YMCA and African Americans in the workplace (1940-1946), and a publication about the contributions of African Americans to the YMCA. Other items in the collection are three letters Tobias wrote to W.E.B. DuBois. The collection also includes an autobiographical sketch in "Thirteen Americans: Their Spiritual Autobiographies" (1953), and some material related to Tobias following his death (1974). less

The collection primarily documents people, places and events in Harlem from the early 1930s to the mid-1950s. The collection consists of studio and candid portraits of mainly African American personalities, Harlem residents, and fashion models; views of various social and political events in Harlem; and coverage of sports events and other news stories, representing the Smiths' freelance photography work for the New York Amsterdam News, the New York Age, and other African-American newspapers. Images depicting the personal activities of the Smith brothers are limited. less