Finding aid for the Urban League of Cleveland Records


Repository: Western Reserve Historical Society
Creator: Urban League of Cleveland
Title: Urban League of Cleveland Records
Dates: 1914-1971
Extent: 19.00 linear feet (50 containers and 5 oversize volumes)
Abstract: The Urban League of Cleveland was organized in 1917, in Cleveland, Ohio, as the Negro Welfare Association of Cleveland. It joined the National Urban League in 1930 and changed its name to the Urban League of Cleveland in 1940. Its purpose is interracial planning to help the community devise solutions to social and economic problems. The collection consists of minutes, reports, correspondence, speeches, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, brochures, financial and membership records, and files of Director Ernest Cooper and Deputy-Director Anita Polk.
MS Number MS 3573
Location: closed stacks
Language: The records are in English

History of the Urban League of Cleveland

The Negro Welfare Association of Cleveland was founded on December 17, 1917 as an organization designed to assist and provide leadership to the city's recent African American migrants in their quest for suitable employment and to aid them in making the transition from rural Southern life to urban Northern life. The interracial group of prominent Cleveland, Ohio residents who organized the Association chose William Conners as its first executive director with offices at 3965 Central Avenue. The Negro Welfare Association of Cleveland was the city's first organization to be successful in the areas of housing, health, sanitation, recreation, education, and employment assistance.

In 1930 the Negro Welfare Association of Cleveland became an affiliate of the National Urban League. The National Urban League was founded in 1910 in New York City with Eugene Kinkle Jones as the first full time executive secretary. The governing board was drawn from the middle class and for this reason the National Urban League remained virtually unknown, during its early years, among the majority of the nation's African Americans. On November 22, 1940, the Negro Welfare Association decided to change its name legally to the Urban League of Cleveland. In 1941, Sidney R. Williams succeeded William Conners as the executive secretary of the League. Edward L. Worthington was president of the Board of Trustees and William O. Walker was chairman of the executive committee. The League, supported by the Community Fund, relocated at 8311 Quincy Avenue. The primary function of the League was interracial planning to serve the best interests of the community. The staff of the Urban League was composed of professionally trained consultants who assembled data regarding specific social and economic problems of minority groups. Social workers and planners were then called in to explore the data and make recommendations. A solution was proposed through cooperative planning.

During the 1930s, much of the League's strength was directed towards setting up neighborhood organizations or councils to improve communities. A consolidation of the African American was advocated to replace the many scattered, weak storefront churches. Constructive recreation was planned for youth in order to prevent juvenile delinquency. The blind and the handicapped were given aid. Counseling in health care and birth control was provided. A vocational guidance service was also available. Extensive research was conducted concerning industrial relations and housing. The League worked to persuade many unions to admit African American workers. Countless employers were induced to eliminate discriminatory practices. As a result of vocational counseling and negotiations, many African Americans received desirable employment. Improvement in working and living conditions was the goal of the league in the 1940s. The League worked for the prohibition of the quota systems, open unions, and reduced job segregation. Through public education, the League stressed self improvement in the African American community and emphasized increased skills and responsibility of workers. Mutual respect for all racial groups was a widely promoted attitude.

The conference was the favored technique used by the Urban League in the 1950s. Extensive research and investigation continued but the African American community was reached directly with public education, individual and group counseling, and community planning.

In 1963, the Urban League of Cleveland was the first of the sixty-five National Urban League affiliates to use the Skills Bank. Many African Americans were able to exercise their full job potential in this program. The highlights of the 1960s were youth motivation, career counseling, and community education. the Urban League Street Academy helped dropouts achieve their high school diplomas and then prepare for college. Most outstanding was the Urban League's work with responsible organizations in the field of Civil Rights. One result of these efforts was the passage of the Fair Housing Law.

The Urban League is the oldest social work organization in the country whose aim is eliminating racial prejudice as a barrier to equal opportunity.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Urban League of Cleveland

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for William Conners


Scope and Content

The Urban League of Cleveland records, 1914-1971 and undated, consist of minutes, reports, correspondence, speeches, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, brochures, financial and membership records, and files of Director Ernest Cooper and Deputy-Director Anita Polk.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of Cleveland, Ohio, and civil rights issues there in the twentieth century. Those studying the history of the African American community in Cleveland, issues surrounding employment, education, community planning, and fair housing, and the history of social work will find this collection useful.


Statement of Arrangement

The collection is arranged in six series.
Series I: Annual Meetings is arranged chronologically.
Series II: Board of Trustees is arranged chronologically.
Series III: Subject Files is arranged alphabetically by subject and then chronologically.
Series IV: Organizational Files is arranged alphabetically by organization name and then chronologically.
Series V: Administrative Files is arranged in two sub-series.
Sub-series A: Anita L. Polk Files is arranged alphabetically by subject and then chronologically. Polk was was the Deputy Director of the Urban League of Cleveland beginning in 1970.
Sub-series B: Earnest Cooper Files is arranged by document type and then chronologically. Cooper was the Executive Director of the Urban League of Cleveland beginning in 1962.
Series VI: Oversize Material is arranged chronologically.

Restrictions on Access

None.

Related Material

The researcher should also consult MS 4206 Urban League of Cleveland Records, Series II.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

African Americans -- Employment -- Ohio -- Cleveland.
African Americans -- Housing -- Ohio -- Cleveland.
African Americans -- Ohio -- Cleveland -- Social work with.
Cleveland (Ohio) -- Race relations.
Cleveland (Ohio) -- Social conditions.
Community welfare councils -- Ohio -- Cleveland.
Housing -- Ohio -- Cleveland.
Urban League of Cleveland.

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3573 Urban League of Cleveland Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Urban League of Cleveland in 1970.

Processing Information

Processed by Judith R. Arnold in 1976.

Detailed Description of The Collection

Series I: Annual Meetings 1944-1967 undated

Box Folder
1 1-6 Annual meetings, including reports, correspondence, minutes, and records relating to the organization of the League 1944-1960
Box Folder
2 1-5 Annual meetings, including reports, correspondence, minutes, and records relating to the organization of the League 1961-1967 undated

Series II: Board of Trustees 1917-1971 undated

Box Folder
3 1-5 Board of trustees material, including minutes, correspondence, and reports 1917-1952
Box Folder
4 1-5 Board of trustees material, including minutes, correspondence, and reports 1953-1961
Box Folder
5 1-3 Board of trustees material, including minutes, correspondence, and reports 1962-1971 undated

Series III: Subject Files 1922-1970 undated

Box Folder
6 1-2 Administrative clerical council 1949-1962
6 3 Administrative memoranda 1952-1959
6 4 Agency Institute Programming 1966
6 5 American Society for Public Administration 1966-1969
6 6 Awards 1949
6 6 Banks 1954-1957
6 7 Budget 1922-1941
Box Folder
7 1-3 Budget 1945-1951
Box Folder
8 1-6 Budget 1951-1956
8 6 Miscellaneous budget material 1948-1957
Box Folder
9 1 Building fund 1956-1957
9 2 Citizens League of Greater Cleveland 1966-1968
9 2 City Planning Department 1966-1967
9 3 Committee members 1968
9 3 Community Hour undated
9 4-6 Conferences 1950-1951
Box Folder
10 1-7 Conferences 1952-1958
Box Folder
11 1-4 Conferences 1959-1961
Box Folder
12 1-5 Conferences 1962-1967
Box Folder
13 1 Department of Child Welfare 1966-1967
13 2-3 Department of Industrial Relations 1944-1948
Box Folder
14 1-6 Department of Industrial Relations 1949-1958
Box Folder
15 1-4 Department of Industrial Relations 1959-1963
15 5 Economic Opportunity Act 1966-1967
15 6 Education 1947-1967
Box Folder
16 1 Education 1968 undated
16 2-3 ENABLE - Project 1965-1966
16 4-5 Equal Opportunity Day 1957-1963
Box Folder
17 1 Executive Committee 1948-1950
17 2 Executive Secretary's report 1952-1967
17 3 Flash 1964
17 3 Garden Valley Neighborhood House dates vary
17 4 Group Work Council 1950-1961
17 5 Health and Welfare Training 1966-1967
17 5 Health and Welfare 1967
17 6 Hospitals 1966
Box Folder
18 1 Housing - Advisory Committee on Housing 1965
18 2 Housing - Department of Community Development 1966-1967
18 3 Housing - Erieview I - Urban Renewal Project 1966-1967
18 4 Housing - fair housing organizations 1958-1967
Box Folder
19 1-2 Housing Committee 1962-1970
19 3 Housing laws 1955-1958
19 4 Housing memoranda from the National Urban League 1966-1968
19 5 Housing specialist 1966
19 6 Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 1966-1967
Box Folder
20 1-5 Housing - Joint Committee on Public Housing 1961-1968 undated
Box Folder
21 1 Housing - Joint Committee on Public Housing, newspaper clippings 1947-1967
21 2 Housing - Mayor's Citizen Advisory Committee on Community Development 1966-1968
21 3 Housing - Model Cities Program 1966-1968
21 4-5 Housing - Operation Equality 1964-1968
Box Folder
22 1 Housing - Path 1962-1969
22 2 Housing - Real Property Inventory of Metropolitan Cleveland 1964-1967
22 3 Housing - Rosewood Project 1960-1967
22 4 Housing - Stride 1961-1967
22 5 Housing - suburbs 1966
22 6 Housing - Trends in Housing 1956-1963
22 7 Housing - University-Euclid Urban Renewal Project 1961-1967
22 8 Housing - Urban Renewal and Housing Committee meetings 1966-1968
22 9 Housing - Urban Renewal Project No. 1 1965
22 10 Housing - Warrensville Heights integration plan 1966
Box Folder
23 1 Housing and other committee membership cards dates vary
23 2 Housing availability listings dates vary
23 3 Industrial Secretaries Council 1945-1948
Box Folder
24 1 Industrial Secretaries Council 1947-1953
24 2 Juvenile Court 1965-1966
24 3-4 Labor 1960-1967 undated
24 5 Lead poisoning undated
24 6 Literature 1964-1968
24 7 Maternity and inspection 1966
24 8 Medicare 1965-1967
24 9 Membership 1955-1969
Box
25 Membership card file, A - M dates vary
Box
26 Membership card file, M - Z dates vary
Box
27 Membership card files 1964
27 Membership card files, special groups undated
Box Folder
28 1 Mental Health 1966-1967
28 2 National Association of Manufacturers undated
28 3 National Association of Social Workers 1967
28 4-5 National Urban League 1950-1960
28 6 Negro American Labor Council 1952-1964
28 7 Newsletters 1965-1966
28 8 Northern Ohio Institution 1964
Box Folder
29 1-4 Newspaper clippings 1930-1966
29 5-6 Newspaper clippings, civil rights and civil disorders 1966-1967
29 7 Newspaper clippings, housing and zoning 1966
Box Folder
30 1-5 Newspaper clippings 1967-1970
Box Folder
31 1-2 Newspaper clippings undated
Box Folder
32 1 Nominating committee 1947
32 2 Nursing undated
32 3-5 Occupational Planning Committee of the Welfare Federation of Cleveland 1944-1961 undated
32 6 Ohio Civil Rights Commission 1964-1965
32 7 Ohio Executive Secretaries Council 1951-1960
32 8 Ohio League for Nursing 1960
32 9 On the Job Training Project 1963-1967
32 10 Orders - Resource Health and Welfare materials 1966-1967
32 11 Organizing committee for Tenant Union in Clevelnad 1967
Box Folder
33 1-2 Payroll 1945-1958
33 3 Personnel committee 1950
33 4 Personnel directory 1967-1968
33 5 Petty cash 1943-1957
33 6 Pilot Placement project 1948-1950
33 7 Planned Parenthood 1966-1967
33 8 Postal alliance 1948-1963
33 9 Poverty - War on Poverty program 1964-1965
33 10 Progressive Adult League 1946-1954
Box Folder
34 1 Publication reports 1964-1966
34 2 Public relations material 1960-1967
34 3 Quarterly reports 1963-1967
34 4 Radio programs 1957-1961
34 5 Religious resource project 1960-1961
34 5 Religion and race 1964-1967
34 5 Requests 1947-1951
34 6 Report - monthly departmental 1967
34 6 Salvation Army undated
34 6 Service statistics 1961-1963
34 6 Skills Bank 1961-1966
34 7 Social Welfare Planning and Program Committee 1966-1967
34 8 Speaking engagements 1947-1963
34 9 Staff bargaining at UOPWA 1946-1949
Box Folder
35 1 Staff committee rosters undated
35 2-3 Staff development 1965-1968
35 4 Staff directories 1966
35 5 Staff meetings 1946-1955
35 6 Staff members 1965
35 7-8 Staff weekly reports 1963-1964
Box Folder
36 1 Staff weekly reports 1965
36 1 Staff weekly projections undated
36 2 Stride 1966
36 3 Title VI - medical 1959-1967
36 4 Tuberculosis League, Cleveland 1965-1966
36 5 United Freedom Movement 1963-1964
36 6 Urban League organization 1966-1968
36 7 Urban League Street Academy 1970
36 8 Urban League and union contract 1947-1949
36 9 Urban League robbery 1953-1955
36 9 Urban League study - banner report 1957-1958
36 10 Urban migration workshop 1960-1961
Box Folder
37 1 Vista volunteers undated
37 2-4 Vocation 1947-1969
37 5 Vocational Education Committee 1965
37 6-8 Womens World 1954-1957 undated
Box Folder
38 1 Youth Resources 1966
38 2 Zoning 1968
38 3 National Urban League miscellaneous material 1953-1959

Series IV: Organizational Files 1914-1967

Box Folder
39 1 Alcoholics Anonymous 1964
39 1 American Negro Emancipation Centennial Authority 1963
39 2 Associated Industries 1945-1964
39 3 Christian Community Center 1955
39 3 Church-Labor Fellowship 1959-1962
39 4 Civil Rights - local and national 1959-1965
39 5 Cleveland Association of Business and Professional Women 1960-1961
39 6 Cleveland Business League 1958-1964
39 7 Cleveland Chamber of Commerce 1948-1964
39 8 Cleveland Church Federation 1945-1961
39 9 Cleveland Civil Liberties Union 1952-1965
39 9 Cleveland Development Foundation 1956-1963
39 10 Cleveland Intergroup Relations Council 1956-1959
Box Folder
40 1 Cleveland Committee on Employment Practices 1947-1953
40 2 Cleveland Council for Information on Communism, Inc. 1960-1964
40 3 Cleveland Intergroup Relations Council 1956-1960
40 3 Cleveland Orchestra 1956
40 4 Cleveland Young Adult Planning Committee 1955-1956
40 5 conference with Government Agencies 1962
40 6 Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) 1964
40 7 Consumers Corporations 1947-1952
40 8 Consumers League of Ohio 1945-1963
40 9 The Continuing Debate: Community Organization or Community Planning 1963
40 10 Council on Human Relations 1948-1964
Box Folder
41 1 Council on World Affairs 1952-1964
41 1 County Charter proposals 1959
41 2 Credit Union 1954
41 2 Current Race Relations Reports and Literature 1959
41 2 Ebony magazine 1950-1962
41 2 Emergency Committee of Clergy for Civil Rights 1963
41 2 Episcopal Churchmen of Greater Cleveland 1955-1957
41 2 Euclid Beach Park 1946
41 2 Fellowship of Reconciliation 1957
41 3 "Folkcul" 1952
41 4 Future Outlook League 1946-1956
41 4 Girls Industrial School 1953-1963
41 4 Greater Cleveland Growth Board 1966
41 4 Home Service Advisory Committee 1950
41 4 Human Rights 1958-1964
41 4 The Ideal Youth Foundation 1955-1956
41 5 Jewel Luke Park 1955-1956
41 6 Junior League of Cleveland 1965
41 6 League of Women Voters 1958-1964
41 6 Lucus - State School Board 1955
41 6 Ludlow Area Council 1958-1960
41 6 Medics Incorporated 1962
41 7 Metropolitan Planning 1956-1958
41 8 Metro - The Cleveland Metropolitan Services Commission 1955-1964
Box Folder
42 1-2 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) 1914-1966
42 3 National Association for the Advancement of White People undated
42 4-6 National Association of Intergroup Relations 1952-1966
Box Folder
43 1 National Association of Intergroup Relations 1958-1965 undated
43 2-3 National Association of Social Workers 1948-1965 undated
43 4 National Conference on Social Welfare 1948-1961
Box Folder
44 1 National Conference on Social Welfare 1954-1965 undated
44 2 Ohio Citizens Council for Health and Welfare 1958-1967
44 3-4 Ohio Welfare Conference 1959-1965
44 5 PACE 1963-1965
44 6 Personal Psychology Association of Northern Ohio 1960
44 7 Plus Club 1958-1963
44 8 Police Community Relations 1960-1964
Box Folder
45 1 Practical Nurse Association of Ohio 1949 undated
45 2 Protestant Ministry to Poverty 1966-1967
45 3 Public assistance manual 1966
45 4 Retail Merchants Association 1961
45 4 Rockefeller Foundation 1958
45 5 United Freedom Movement Education Commission 1963-1965
45 6 United Nations (Zelma Watson George) 1960-1962 undated
45 7 WABQ radio station 1961
45 8 White House Conference on Children and Youth 1956-1960
45 9 WJW television (Storer Broadcasting Company) 1963-1965
45 10 Women's Civic League 1953-1958

Series V: Administrative Files 1936-1971 undated

Sub-series A: Anita L. Polk Files 1953-1971 undated

Box Folder
46 1-5 Correspondence 1960-1971
46 6 Cuyahoga Community College 1969
46 6 Department of Housing and Urban Development 1966-1967
46 7 Miscellaneous 1966-1971 undated
Box Folder
47 1 Newspaper clippings and news releases 1966-1970
47 2 Operation Equality Programs and Projects 1965-1967
47 3 Programs and Projects 1953-1967
47 4 Speeches and statements 1969
47 4 Voter Registration Drive 1969
47 5 Miscellaneous papers undated

Sub-series B: Earnest Cooper Files 1936-1971 undated

Box Folder
48 1 Staff reports 1965-1969
48 2 Newspaper articles 1969-1971
48 3-5 Correspondence 1945-1970
Box Folder
49 1 Voter manual, printed items 1967 undated
49 2 Publications 1960-1963
49 3 Reports 1966-1969 undated
49 4 Miscellaneous 1945-1971 undated
Box Folder
50 1 Miscellaneous 1936-1967 undated
50 2 Receipt books 1967-1968

Series VI: Oversize Material 1947-1958

Volume
1 Scrapbook 1947-1948
Volume
2 Scrapbook 1954-1955
Volume
3 Scrapbook November 2, 1956
Volume
4 Scrapbook November 4, 1957
Volume
5 Scrapbook November 5, 1957
Volume
6 Scrapbook 1957-1958