Kelly Alexander, Sr. papers concerning the NAACP
Scope and Contents
The collection contains material generated by various NAACP figures, including Kelly Alexander, Roy Wilkins, Benjamin Hooks, Benjamin Chavis, Clarence Mitchell, Kivie Kaplan and Myrlie Evers-Williams. The material is related to the NAACP's work at the National, State (North Carolina) and local (Charlotte) level. Contains minutes, correspondence, reports, speeches, press releases, membership records, photographs, and memorabilia. Topics covered include school segregation, housing and employment discrimination, and the Charlotte Area Fund. There is also a small amount of items on Zechariah Alexander's work with the Shriners and Masons.
Dates
- Creation: 1911 - 1997
Creator
- Alexander, Kelly M. (Person)
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Charlotte Branch. (Organization)
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. North Carolina State Conference (Organization)
- Wilkins, Roy, 1901-1981 (Person)
- Hooks, Benjamin L. (Benjamin Lawson), 1925-2010 (Person)
- Chavis, Ben, 1948- (Person)
- Mitchell, Clarence M. (Clarence Maurice), 1911-1984 (Person)
- Kaplan, Kivie, 1904-1975 (Person)
- Evers-Williams, Myrlie (Person)
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Kelly Alexander, Sr. papers concerning the NAACP are the physical property of J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives. Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
Historical Note
The NAACP was founded in 1909 in Springfield, Illinois in response to the vast number of lynchings taking place throughout the state at the time. To combat this high level of violence against African-Americans, a group of white liberals called for a meeting to discuss racial justice. They were supported by many of the leaders of the African-American community at the time, including W.E.B. DuBois and Ida Wells-Barnett.
In the beginning, the organization sought to guarantee the rights promised to all Americans in the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, including the equal protection of the law and universal adult male suffrage. The NAACP served to advance the interests of all minority citizens in the country, not only African-Americans. By 1919, the organization had grown from a small group of founders to around 90,000 and had established itself as a strong legal advocate for equality and justice. The NAACP’s groundbreaking report, “Thirty Years of Lynching in the United States, 1889-1919” helped spark a public debate that greatly decreased the amount of lynchings in the country.
Walter White became the President in 1930 and began a long period of legal advocacy that included the Margold Report, which established the legal basis for overturning the “separate-but-equal” doctrine that had governed the country since 1896. White’s tenure also saw cooperation with white labor unions that helped many African-Americans earn jobs. After helping to better the economic situation of minorities, the NAACP turned its attention towards ending segregation and securing civil rights for all. They successfully ended federal enforcement of school segregation in 1954 when Thurgood Marshall won the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954. Ten years later, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act that eliminated discrimination based on race, gender, religion or national origin.
In the early 21st century, the NAACP has largely focused its attention on ending disparities in economics, health care, education and the criminal justice system. It has been a very important organization for over one hundred years and impacted many of the most significant civil rights court cases and legislation of the twentieth century.
Extent
29 Linear Feet (29 boxes)
Abstract
Papers documenting the activities of the NAACP, with an emphasis on the work and correspondence of Kelly Alexander, Sr. and his sons Kelly Alexander, Jr. and Alfred Alexander. Includes papers from the National Board, the North Carolina chapter and the Charlotte chapter. Contains minutes, correspondence, reports, speeches, press releases, membership records, photographs, and memorabilia. Topics covered include school segregation, housing and employment discrimination and the Charlotte Area Fund.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into the following six series: Addresses and Statements (1948-1991), NAACP Charlotte (1952-1998), NAACP North Carolina (1936-1998), NAACP National (1911-1997), Clippings and Printed Material (1948-2001) and Awards and Memorabilia.
Available Online
A portion of the Kelly Alexander, Sr. papers concerning the NAACP have been digitized and are available online: https://goldmine.uncc.edu/index/render/pid/mss:naacp
Processing Information
The collection was processed in 2015 by Andrew Pack, graduate student assistant.
Subject
- Alexander, Kelly M. (Person)
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Charlotte Branch. (Organization)
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. North Carolina State Conference of Branches (Organization)
- Wilkins, Roy, 1901-1981 (Person)
- Hooks, Benjamin L. (Benjamin Lawson), 1925-2010 (Person)
- Chavis, Ben, 1948- (Person)
- Mitchell, Clarence M. (Clarence Maurice), 1911-1984 (Person)
- Kaplan, Kivie, 1904-1975 (Person)
- Evers-Williams, Myrlie (Person)
Genre / Form
- Correspondence
- Financial statements
- Memorandums
- Minutes
- Newsletters
- Photographs
- Press releases
- Reports
Topical
- Title
- Kelly Alexander, Sr. papers concerning the NAACP
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscript Collections, J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, UNC Charlotte Repository
Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte
9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte NC 28223 United States
spec-coll@uncc.edu