Primary Source Set: Community Organizing
This guide links to a small number of items from our collections to get you started on research. To see many more items view the digital collection. You can also e-mail us or view our website for more information on non-digitized collections. Content note: some of the primary sources quoted include offensive racist language.
Community Associations & Organizations
From the early days of the city clubs, non-profits and organizations worked to bring together city residents for pleasure, assistance or to improve living conditions.
- Newark Social Settlement Association, 1905
- Negro Welfare League – Minutes, Sept 1917
- NAACP Minutes, Newark NJ Branch, 1919-1923
- Phillis Wheatley Literary Club, materials 1939-1973
- Coming of Age, YWCA, 1942
- Clinton Hill Neighborhood founding document, 1956
- Our Heritage, NJ State Federation of Colored Womens’ Clubs, c. 1957
- Man in Emotional Space, Family Service Bureau, 1958
- What BICC will do in 1971, 1970
- El Club del Barrio Brochure, 1975
- Early brochure for Ironbound Community Corporation, 1977
- Tri-City, the One That Lasted, 1978
- Annual Report La Casa De Don Pedro, 1990
Protests and Organizing
Groups across the city protested for various causes throughout the city’s history. Common causes included better schools (Documents A and R), racial justice or understanding (Documents G, M and N), better housing (Documents B, H-K and S), jobs (Documents D and O) and the environment (Documents P and Q). There were also quality of life protests, such as protests to save the Wilson Ave. Bathhouse (Document L). Citizens protests urban renewal both when highway construction threatened their neighborhoods (Document B) and when the Medical School construction threatened homes (Document E). Two famous struggles were the Stella Homes rent strike (Document H), the longest rent strike at the time, and the Kawaida struggle where Italians and African Americans clashed over proposed public housing (Document I). Today, groups like Ironbound Community Corporation and People’s Organization for Progress (Document T) continue to protest for better conditions.
- Clinton Hill Rally For Better Schools, 1961
- Come To Save Our Homes Rally, 1962
- Flier to protest against Cardinal Glove Co., 1963
- Join the Non-Violent Demonstrations for Jobs and Freedom, 1964
- Medical School Fight, 1967
- Mass Arrest Procedures, 1968
- Dennis Westbrooks Speaks at March for Understanding. 1968
- Stella Wright Rent Strike, 1972
- Support Kawaida Bail Fund, 1974
- Tenants United no. 1, 1977
- NCN early publication. 1980
- Flier “Wet Down” Protest, 1980s
- Demonstration Against Black Oppression, 1981
- Green Ribbon Protest (for Atlanta child killings), 1981
- Help Fight For Jobs! Protest Unemployment Rally, 1983
- Photo: March Against The Incinerator, 1984
- Ironbound Committee Against Toxic Waste, 1984
- Flier: Land for Learning Rally, 2000
- Expanding the HUD Tenant’s Coalition, 2003
- Robert Curvin Interview: Larry Hamm, c. 2008