Loading...
Creator
Galamison, Milton A. (Milton Arthur), 1923-1988
Call number
Sc MG 394
Physical description
15 Archival Boxes
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Milton Galamison papers, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

The Milton A. Galamision Papers are primarily a collection of the Reverend's sermons. A few personal items, other writings, and clippings complete the collection. The papers have been divided into the following five series: personal papers, writings, broadcasts, church activities, and civil rights activities. The writings series (1953-1987) contains over one thousand sermons which Galamison preached at Witherspoon Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey, his first church (1947-1948) and Siloam Presbyterian Church. Additionally, there is a copy of Galamison's Master's thesis, "Salvation Themes in the Great Religions," an unpublished autobiographical manuscript, "A Grand and Awful Time." The latter is an account of attempts by African Americans to change the New York City school system, particularly focusing on Galamison's struggles during thirteen years of fighting for integration. Finally, the writings series contains speeches Galamison made, as well as a research file which includes speeches and other printed material he used in writing his articles and speeches.

Biographical/historical information

The Reverend Doctor Milton A. Galamison was born in Philadelphia in 1923. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone Galamison, worked for the U.S. Postal Service and as a saleswoman. From childhood Galamison planned to join the ministry. He graduated cum laude from Lincoln University in 1945 and received his Bachelor of Divinity Degree two years later, also from Lincoln University. Princeton Theological Seminary awarded him a Master of Theology in 1949, and in 1961 he received a Doctor of Divinity Degree from Lincoln University. Galamison married Gladys Hunt in 1965. They had one son, Milton A., Jr..

Galamison was ordained by the Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey in 1947. In that same year he was assigned to the Witherspoon Presbyterian Church in Princeton. The next year, following the death of Reverend George Stark, Galamison was offered a position at Siloam Presbyterian Church in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. Siloam Church, founded in 1849, is the third oldest African American Presbyterian church in the country.

In 1951 Siloam honored Galamison for his work in the community and in building the congregation. With a membership of five hundred in 1949, Siloam had grown to become the second largest African American Presbyterian church in 1952; by 1963 the church had twenty-two hundred members. Galamison also expanded the church by adding a vocational guidance center, a mental hygiene clinic, tutoring facilities, and a credit union. He was a dedicated pastor to Siloam Church during his forty year tenure, until his death in 1988. In addition, Galamison pioneered in the field of religious broadcasting, was an active participant in the civil rights movement, and authored several articles.

Galamison began appearing on religious television programs in the early 1950s; his oral skills made him popular with television viewers. He believed broadcasting was a modern means of bringing religion and the church staight to the people. Among other shows, he appeared on Dumont Morning Chapel, and Frontiers of Faith.

From 1955 to 1957, Galamison served as chair of the Education Committee of the Brooklyn chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which fought for integration of New York City's school system. In 1957 he was elected president of the chapter, and served in that capacity for two years. At the end of his term he left the NAACP and founded his own organization, the Parent's Workshop for Equality in New York City Schools. This group presented a series of integration proposals to the New York City Board of Education, none of which were implemented.

In 1963 Galamison organized and chaired the Citywide Committee for Integrated Schools which included the NAACP, the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), the National Urban League, the Harlem Parents' Committee, and Galamison's Parent's Workshop for Equality. These organizations came together to boycott the New York City public schools in February 1964. Close to five hundred thousand children were absent from school the day of the boycott, nevertheless the Board of Education ignored the Committee's demands for a scheduled plan to desegregate the city's schools. Galamison went on to lead two other boycotts over the next year. Because of these tactics, Galamison was arrested over ten times during the protests, and he lost the support of national civil rights groups which disapproved of his subsequent boycotts and considered him a militant. The Citywide Committee was eventually reduced to grassroots organizations because of this loss of support. Galamison's public image also worsened; the press depicted him as irresponsible and manipulative of the children he used in the boycotts.

In 1967 Galamison founded a new organization called Citywide Coalition for Community Control. This group advocated a decentralized school system in New York City which would allow for community control by encouraging parents to participate in the system. Demonstration schools were set up by the Board of Education with governing boards which were elected by the community and allowed to make hiring and curricular decisions. The result was tension between parents and teachers, and eventually a ten week teacher's strike in 1968. At this time Galamison was appointed to the Board of Education by Mayor John Lindsay; he was later elected to the vice presidency.

Galamison received a grant from the Ford Foundation with which he started SCOPE (School and Community Organization for Partnership in Education). The purpose of this organization was increased integration and raised levels of achievement among African American students. He was also a visiting professor of Education and Urban Studies at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education.

Aside from his struggles with the New York City public school system, Galamison helped to organize a variety of civil rights demonstrations protesting racist hiring practices and other injustices. In 1967 he organized a vocational school, Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) in Brooklyn, a local offshoot of Rev. Leon Sullivan's Philadelphia OIC. Galamison also published articles in magazines such as Freedomways,as well as in religious journals. His articles range from analyses of the New York City school system to discussions of the benefits of religious telecasting. Galamison died at the age of sixty-five, in 1988 following a brief illness.

Scope and arrangement

The Milton A. Galamison Papers, 1947-1987, are primarily a collection of the Reverend's sermons. A few personal items, other writings, and clippings complete the collection.

The Milton Galamison papers are arranged in six series:

  • Personal Papers

    The PERSONAL PAPERS SERIES (1953-87) contains correspondence and memorabilia.

  • Writings

    The WRITINGS SERIES (1947-80) has over one thousand of Galamison's sermons which are arranged chronologically; those without dates are in alphabetical order. The majority of sermons have been kept with the church bulletin corresponding to that day. A few sermons were filed by the donor with a bulletin indicating a different sermon title than that noted on the sermon. These were left as they were, on the assumption that the donor had a purpose for keeping them together. All sermons were preached at Witherspoon or Siloam Church, except for a folder of sermons which Galamison preached as a visiting pastor. There are also handwritten sermons, church bulletins from which the sermon is missing, and miscellaneous pages of sermons. Several sermon titles are repeated because Galamison often preached the same themes over the years, although he changed the sermon's content.

    The WRITINGS SERIES also includes a copy of Galamison's Master's Thesis, Salvation Themes in the Great Religions, and several short articles on a variety of topics. An autobiographical manuscript which Galamison intended to publish makes up a large part of the series as well. The manuscript, A Grand and Awful Time, appears first in its most updated form with several editorial marks and corrections. This is followed by a draft without corrections that has missing chapters. Lastly, there are drafts of each chapter contained in separate folders. The manuscript is an account of African Americans' attempts to change the New York City school system, particularly focusing on Galamison's struggles during thirteen years of fighting for integration. Folders eighty-one and eighty-two appear to be chapters of the manuscript but are not contained in the final draft found in this collection. The WRITINGS SERIES also has speeches made by Galamison, as well as a Research File containing clippings and other printed material that he apparently used in writing his articles and sermons.

  • Broadcasts

    The BROADCASTS SERIES (1952-69) consists of sermons which Galamison preached on television and transcripts of television interviews. There are sermons from WABD Channel 5's Dumont Morning Chapel, from 1949-52. The Broadcasting and Film Commission's radio series, Faith in Our Times is represented by several sermons Galamison preached in the early 1950s for this program. This organization also telecast Frontiers of Faith on NBC; sermons preached by Galamison for this series between 1952-54 are included. In addition there are transcripts of television interviews (1964-69), concerning Galamison's opinions of the New York City school system from CBS's Newsmakers. This folder also contains Galamison's statement from the talkshow, Court of Reason. He appeared on the show in 1963, in a debate with Malcolm X on integration.

  • Church Activities

    CHURCH ACTIVITIES (1947-74) includes programs and bulletins from the Siloam Presbyterian Church and from other churches. There are also brochures and letters regarding church functions and organizations. In 1955, Galamison took a four month trip to Cameroun, sponsored by the Presbyterian Church. A journal which he kept while there, and letters he wrote to his congregation and family, are in this folder.

  • Civil Rights Activities

    The series, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVITIES (1948-68) focuses on two major events: The 1964-65 school boycotts, and the 1968 United Federation of Teachers Strike. The series includes a folder for each of these events, primarily containing clippings and letters. Letters, memos, proposals and minutes from the organizations with which Galamison worked are arranged by association. The NAACP material has been filed with the Brooklyn Committee on YMCA Discrimination, because the two organizations were affiliated. There is little material from Galamison's organizations: the Citywide Committee for Integrated Schools and the Citywide Coalition for Community Control. The Parents' Workshop for Equality folder has three items: a letter from Galamison to Mayor Wagner, an analysis and recommendation written by Galamison to the Board of Education, and a press release quoting Galamison. The final folder contains material from several organizations and concerns the school system of New York City and the prospect of decentralization.

  • Scrapbook

    A scrapbook dating roughly from 1940-1955 completes the collection. It includes photographs, clippings, and letters relating to the major events in Galamison's life. There are photographs from Lincoln University, a copy of the school newspaper, The Lincolnian (1945), and several clippings mentioning Galamison at his graduation in 1945. Additionally there are wedding photographs, clippings and announcements; letters of acceptance to schools and churches, and letters of congratulations. Galamison's certificate of election to Witherspoon's pastorate is included (1947) as are his ordination and installation programs from Witherspoon and Siloam churches and a copy of his seminary graduation address given in 1947. A program and clippings from Siloam's one hundredth anniversary (1949), and from Galamison's testimonial dinner (1951) are included. Lastly there are clippings regarding Galamison's religious broadcasts and his trip to Africa.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Sondra Hodges, July 1990.

SCM 90-35

Processing information

Processed by Hanna Bailey; Machine-readable finding aid created by Apex Data Services; revised by Terry Catapano.

Separated material

The following items were removed from:

Name of Collection/PapersMilton A. Galamison Papers

Accession NumberSCM90-35

Donor:Sondra Hodges

Date received:July 12, 1990

Date transferred:July 18, 1990

The item(s) listed below have been sent to the division indicated, either to be retained or disposed of there. Any items that should receive special disposition are clearly marked.

Schomburg Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division:

Four (4) films

Schomburg Photographs and Print Division:

Four (4) photographs

Accessioned by:D.Lachatanere

Date:July 18, 1990

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor