{"value"=>"<p><span class=\"emph\">GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE,</span>1925-1950, n.d., the largest of the series in this collection, is comprised of incoming and outgoing correspondence between Pickens and his friends, acquaintances, fellow scholars and business associates. Included is correspondence with many organizations with which Pickens was involved, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, League for Industrial Democracy, Socialist Party of America, National Council of the Young Men's and Young Women's Christian Association, American Committee for the Protection of the Foreign Born, and the Council for Pan American Democracy.</p> <p>Pickens corresponded with a wide range of notable figures in government, education, and other fields. He also received, and did not stint in acting upon and answering, requests from strangers seeking help concerning education or jobs. In addition, he maintained correspondence with a number of African students.</p> <p>The series contains revealing correspondence concerning Pickens' feelings about the treatment of blacks in the areas of public transportation and accommodations. He wrote many letters, particularly to railroad lines, complaining about his treatment at the hands of their employees and received a number of apologetic replies.</p> <p>A large amount of correspondence passed between Pickens and Claude A. Barnett and Percival L. Prattis, his associates at the Associated Negro Press. He also corresponded frequently with E. Kinkle Jones of the National Urban League, with two New York clergymen--John Haynes Holmes of the Community Church, and William L. Imes of St. James Presbyterian Church. In the field of politics he corresponded with Roger Baldwin (ACLU), and Norman Thomas.</p> <p>Correspondence for 1930 through 1940 was voluminous and varied. After Pickens' confrontation with the House Un-American Activites Commitee and during his later years as a government employee, Pickens curbed his correspondence with “controversial” organizations.</p> <p>The correspondence is filed chronologically and, therein, alphabetically by person or institution, and in a few instances, topically. Thus, letters from individual correspondents may be found in more than one location within the series.</p>"}