Auburn Avenue Research Library

By Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Jean Childs Young Papers, Auburn Avenue Research Library

"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.

Jean Childs Young devoted much of her professional career to education. With both a bachelor’s and master’s in education, Young taught at Atlanta’s Whiteford and Slaton Elementary Schools in the 1960s. She served as coordinator of elementary and pre-school curriculum for Atlanta Public Schools (APS), in particular the Central City Program started in 1969. Focused on improving standards and staff development for teachers working at inner city schools, the CCP’s objectives included updating curriculum for all subjects, improving reading skills, and emphasizing students' successes not failures.

By Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Andrew J. Young Papers, 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 the midst of President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference addressed poverty and its effect upon civil rights. The Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) in 1968 was an effort to raise awareness of the variety of issues associated with poverty. Participants spoke with government departments and requested a living wage, secure income, access to land and capital, and a role in government programs for citizens.

By Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Jean Childs Young Papers

A surprise while processing the Andrew J. Young Papers was the extent of the material from his wife of 40 years, Jean Childs Young. Though her role as Andrew’s wife raised her to prominence locally, nationally, and internationally, she also forged her own identity and career, now reflected in the Jean Childs Young Papers. Her activism extended to the Civil Rights Movement, education, children, women, African-Americans, and many other political and social interests.

By Courtney Chartier, Project Archivist, Voter Education Project Collection

On March 29-30 the Council on Library and Information Resources held a Hidden Collections Program Symposium in Washington, DC. Representatives from all of the institutions involved in the “Working for Freedom” project attended.

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

In 1970, Mayor Sam Massell appointed Andrew Young to chair the Atlanta Community Relations Commission (CRC), replacing Reverend Samuel Williams. Formed in 1966, the CRC served as a liaison between African-American residents and City Hall, primarily to address incidents of discrimination. As a seasoned leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Civil Rights Movement, Young was a natural fit for this position.

By Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Andrew J. Young Papers

The Andrew Young Papers, located at Auburn Avenue Research Library, contain documents spanning Young’s entire career – from his days at Hartford Theological Seminary in the early 1950s through his current activities at GoodWorks International, and includes material from his participation in the Civil Rights Movement.

By Cheryl Oestreicher, Project Archivist, Andrew J. Young Papers

Fifty-five years ago, Andrew Jackson Young, Jr. was ordained as a minister at the Central Congregational Church in New Orleans. The eldest of two brothers, Young was expected to follow his father’s footsteps and become a dentist. After graduating from Howard University in 1951 (age 19), he struggled to figure out his path in life. That summer, Young had a spiritual awakening on the top of King’s Mountain in North Carolina. Later, he attended a retreat, volunteered with the United Christian Youth Action, and took introductory classes at Hartford Theological Seminary. Also influenced by Nicholas Hood, minister at Central Congregational Church in New Orleans, by the end of 1951 Young knew he wanted to be a minister.