Auburn Avenue Research Library

by Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

As a nonprofit organization, the Center for Democratic Renewal relied on donations and grants to fund its staff, programs, publications, and initiatives. Though the CDR accepted individual donations, it did not function as a membership organization. Instead, they placed much time and effort into fundraising and development.

by Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

Though in existence from 1979-2008, the CDR collected a few items from the 1960s. One notable discovery is the first six issues of the Vicksburg Citizens’ Appeal, started in 1964 by Vicksburg African-Americans and white civil rights workers. As stated in the first issue, “The paper will print full news of events in the Vicksburg area Negro community – social and club activities, sporting events, and political and civic news. The Citizens’ Appeal will also keep its readers informed of important events in the struggle for Negro rights, here in Vicksburg and elsewhere in Mississippi.”

Above left: First issue of Vicksburg Citizens' Appeal, 1964. Above right: Article by Jackie Robinson, first issue, 1964. Click to view full size images.

by Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

Chartered in 1917, the NAACP Atlanta Branch started under the leadership of James Weldon Johnson, Harry Pace, Dr. Charles Johnson, Dr. Louis Wright, and Walter White. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Branch fought segregation by filing lawsuits and petitions against golf courses, restaurants, transportation, and other businesses. They were instrumental in the desegregation of Atlanta Public Schools in the early 1960s.

The Branch facilitated initiatives in voter registration, housing and urban development, employment discrimination, education, job placement and training, women and minority employment, police brutality, affirmative action, and legislative monitoring. They helped with lawsuits against the Atlanta and National Post Offices, reapportionment, MARTA, Fort McPherson, and elections. They were instrumental in breaking up the Cox Communication conglomerate that then allowed minorities achieve on-air and high level positions with media outlets.

Above left: Freedom Fund Committee, 1977. Above right: Membership brochure, undated. Click to view full size images.

by Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

Throughout its nearly 30 year existence, a major part of the mission of the Center for Democratic Renewal (CDR) was to act as a clearinghouse of information about hate crime activity. To do this, they had offices in Kansas City and Seattle as well as their headquarters in Atlanta collect newspaper and magazine articles, news stories, and first-hand accounts of incidents from across the country. They also subscribed and obtained numerous newsletters, newspapers, magazines, and other publications.

Above left: Table of Contents from 1st edition, 1986. Above right: Fact Sheet for 2nd edition, 1992. Click to view full size images

By Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

Because I finished the Andrew Young Papers and NAACP Atlanta Branch Records (finding aid forthcoming) with time to spare, CLIR approved adding another collection to our project. The collection chosen was the Center for Democratic Renewal Records (CDR).

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

Above left:  Map of Atlanta public schools.  Right:  WAOK radio announcement.  Click to view full size images.

August 30 marks 50 years since nine black students transferred to white Atlanta high schools. The NAACP filed its first lawsuit, Calhoun v. Latimer, against the Atlanta public school system in 1958, four years after Brown v. Board of Education. In 1959, U.S. District Court Judge Frank Hooper declared Atlanta’s segregated public schools unconstitutional and ordered the system to file a desegregation plan by December 1959 to be implemented in 1960. If schools did not integrate, they would lose federal funding and be forced to close.

By Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History

"Working for Freedom: Documenting Civil Rights Organizations" is a collaborative project between Emory University's Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, The Amistad Research Center at Tulane University, and The Robert W. Woodruff Library of Atlanta University Center to uncover and make available previously hidden collections documenting the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and New Orleans. The project is administered by the Council on Library and Information Resources with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each organization regularly contributes blog posts about their progress.

In 1972, Jondelle Johnson became the Executive Director of the NAACP Atlanta Branch. The organization was at a transitional moment, with the major civil rights actions of the 1960s over but new initiatives not yet defined. Known as “Mrs. NAACP,” her leadership in the 1970s and 1980s helped the Branch continue established committees and initiate new programs.

Johnson was born in Charleston, South Carolina on March 11, 1924. She graduated Allen University in 1945 with honors, with a major in psychology and a minor in education. She also did some graduate work in elementary education at both Atlanta and Emory Universities. She was married to Winfred Johnson with whom she had four children. She was a member of Wheat Street Baptist Church and later Solid Rock Miracle Temple.