Records (Documents)

These workers were the first African Americans allowed to work at Midway Airport’s AMF postal facility. They later worked on trains, distributing mail throughout the Midwest. The AMF Midway Postal Retirement Organization was founded in 1991 to document the history of African Americans in the organization. The collection contains administrative records, newsletters, photographs, reports, diagrams and memorabilia.

Warren Bacon was a prominent Chicago civic leader and member of the Chicago Board of Education. Bacon opposed the policies of Chicago Public Schools superintendent Benjamin Willis. The papers include photographs and documents from Warren’s career and from his wife, Mary, and from their membership in the Great Black Book Club.

A lifelong Chicagoan, Brenetta Howell Barrett was a leader and political activist in West Side community organizations. She served in the mayoral administrations of Harold Washington and Eugene Sawyer. Active in housing, environmental and civil liberties issues, she was also involved in community protests in the 1960s and 1970s. Her papers include correspondence, office files, programs, clippings, photographs and memorabilia.

Houston and Cora Bowman were founding members of Trinity United Church of Christ, a large and influential church on Chicago’s South Side. Their papers include the early history of Trinity, church newsletters, event programs and organizational records.

South Shore Country Club, originally a private club that barred African Americans, was scheduled for demolition in 1977. A grassroots coalition of community organizations organized to save, preserve and restore the historic site for all citizens. This collection contains blueprints and drawings of the renovation of South Shore Country Club, administrative records, statistical reports, newspaper clippings, photographs and memorabilia.

Jearl Wood was charged in the 1980 shooting of his supervisor at the Chicago Ford Motor Company’s assembly plant. This collection contains the records of the Jearl Wood Defense Committee, including correspondence, litigation documents, meeting materials, leaflets, newspaper clippings, and an organization button.

Ernece Kelly was an activist in the 1960s Chicago civil rights movement and a staffer for the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations. This collection contains political buttons, books and pamphlets.

The Morgan Park Co-op Credit Union, founded in 1940, is the oldest African American credit union in Chicago. The collection contains photographs, legal documents, history brochures and memorabilia.

Jane Ramsey served in Mayor Harold Washington’s cabinet as Director of Community Relations (1986-1988) and served as Executive Director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. Her papers represent her work in Washington’s administration and his campaigns for Mayor, with an emphasis on Jewish voters.

ShawChicago specialized in concert readings of works by playwright George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. The collection includes production records, including programs and promotional materials, in addition to scripts, photographs and papers from long serving Artistic Director Robert Scogin.

Laurence Turner, an African American supporter of independent African nations, moved to Tanzania in the 1970s. He established his own business and trained local entrepreneurs. His papers document his life and work in Tanzania.

oan Wallace, daughter of painter William Edouard Scott and widow of anti-poverty federal official Maurice Dawkins, was an Assistant Secretary of Agriculture during the Carter administration. Her papers contain correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, photographs and memorabilia.

The Central Files Records consist of correspondence received by the Mayor’s Office. Incoming mail was sorted by Harold Washington’s Executive Office using the Central Filing System. Included in the collection is a small amount of papers from Harold Washington and the files of Dolores Woods, Harold Washington’s Executive Secretary.

Records in this collection document the roles of Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff in the management of the city’s workforce, the execution of policies set by Mayor Washington and the administrative direction of the mayoral liaisons. The records were created by William Ware, Ernest G. Barefield, Brenda Gaines and Susan Annable.

Records created by the Harold Washington’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) and the Legislative Liaison. IGA was established to coordinate legislative and lobbying efforts for and with various city departments, boards and commissions and with state and federal governments. Major topics in the collection include transportation issues and Chicago’s anti-apartheid and divestment from South Africa efforts.

Files from Mayor Harold Washington’s Scheduling Department detailing events that the mayor was invited to. Records include reports of site-visits, seating plans, floor plans of the venue, the racial mix of the audience and follow-up reports about how the Mayor was received.

Washington Heights Civic Organization, formed in 1966 for the upkeep and economic development and growth of the area, was initially composed of formal block clubs in the Washington Heights and Mount Vernon communities. The organization also campaigned to name a neighborhood elementary school after Marcus Garvey. The archive includes correspondence, board minutes, agendas, newspaper clippings and organizational files.