 |
Atlanta
Community Relations Commission Collection
1960-1968
1 linear feet
NOTE: A paper copy
of the finding aid,
with container list,
is available at the
Atlanta University
Center Archives for
in-house consultation
and may be obtained
for a fee.
The Atlanta Community Relations Commission
(ACRC) was a community action group created by
the City
of Atlanta in November 1966. Consisting of 20
members appointed by the mayor, their mandate
was to study and report on race relations, investigate
discrimination, and to make recommendations to
the mayor, all in order to improve “human
relations.” In February 1967, Eliza K.
Paschall (b. 1917 d. 1990) resigned as Executive
Director of the Council on Human Relations of
Greater Atlanta to accept the appointment as
Executive Director of the newly formed ACRC.
Under her direction, the ACRC organized a series
of public meetings in various neighborhoods to
discuss housing conditions. The ACRC also served
as a liaison between the African American community
and the City Administration in investigating
discrimination complaints. In January 1968, the
ACRC declined to reappoint Paschall as Executive
Director and she was effectively dismissed from
the ACRC. This collection
consists of the papers generated by Eliza
Paschall and the Commission during her year
as Executive Director of the ACRC. The bulk of the
collection is the research materials gathered by
Paschall and the ACRC to support their work in the
community. The files contain reports and statistics
that document issues such as employment discrimination,
police action in the Dixie Hills Riots, and desegregation
efforts in the public schools. Of special interest
are the studies that survey the conditions of Atlanta’s
disadvantaged neighborhoods. The correspondence is
to and from some of the leading politicos and civil
rights organizations in Atlanta regarding the actions
of the ACRC. Also included in this collection are
a few earlier records created when Paschall was Executive
Director of the Council on Human Relations of Greater
Atlanta. These consist mainly of her articles for
the Atlanta Inquirer, press releases, and a few letters.
Related collection:
Atlanta Urban League Papers
Samuel W. Williams Papers
|