Correspondence and Administrative Files, 1944-1982

The Atlanta Urban League is a private, non-profit social service agency, affiliated with the National Urban League, an organization based in New York City. The Atlanta Urban League services are geared towards community development, health care, and employment and housing opportunities for African Americans. The agency is staffed mainly by professional social workers who administer its programs and report to a board of directors.

The Atlanta Urban League papers document the agencies activities since its founding, although the bulk mainly consists of material generated after World War II. A notable exception to this are the agencies annual reports, most of which cover the Leagues earliest years of operation. The collection is divided into three groups of records: the records of the board of directors; executive director's files; and departmental records.

The material relating to the activities of the board of directors is further divided into five series. Minutes of meetings, correspondence, reports, budget information, and other miscellaneous documents constitute this part of the collection. The second group of records are correspondence and administrative files of the executive directors, beginning with Grace Hamilton and proceeding with Robert Thompson, Harold Arnold and Lyndon Wade. Most of the material pertains directly to the operations of the League, however there is some documentation on the outside activities of the directors, such as their memberships and affiliations in other organizations. These records feature a sizeable amount of correspondence with prominent Atlanta figures such as Mayors William Hartsfield, Ivan Allen, Jr., and Sam Massell, along with others such as Whitney Young, Thurgood Marshall, and Atlanta attorney Morris Abram. Other material in this group of records include a newspaper clipping file, printed material and photographs.

The last group of records are material generated from the departmental staff, including the community services department, the housing department, and the employment department. The organizational structure of the Atlanta Urban League has been static over the years, and while these three departments have not existed as such throughout the agencies history, they do represent the Leagues major units of operation. Included in these three series are administrative records of department heads, records of programs and initiatives administered by the League, and material relating to the League's affiliates.

The Atlanta Urban League has played an important role in the city's development and adaptation to a more equal role for African Americans in the important areas of housing, employment, health facilities, and community development. The Atlanta Urban League papers offer insight into the operations of one of Atlanta's most important institutions. The collection also presents unique information on community-based affiliates of the League, their memberships, deliberations, and actions. Finally, the collection features correspondence and personal records of some of Atlanta's most influential figures.