Columbia Council on Religion and Race, Columbia, Missouri, Records, 1963-1970 (C3841)

.4 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

These records were maintained by a Columbia Council on Religion and Race, Housing Committee member and are not the official records of the council. They consist of minutes, committee reports, correspondence, conference materials and housing surveys. The major emphasis is on racial discrimination in housing within Columbia, Missouri, but also includes information on the entire state. There is an extensive clipping file.

DONOR INFORMATION

The Columbia Council on Religion and Race, Records were donated to the State Historical Society of Missouri by Bernice Miller on 17 December 1972 (Accession No. 987). An addition to the papers was made on 2 April 1974 (Accession No. 1060).

AGENCY HISTORY

Organized in 1963 as an inter-denominational Council, membership was primarily through church affiliation. Many of the workshops and attitude surveys were organized through Columbia church channels with assistance from state agencies. Sponsorship of events was shared with the National Council of Churches, United Church Women, Columbia Ministerial Alliance, Congress on Racial Equality, and the Columbia NAACP.

The purpose of the Council was to lessen racial tensions and encourage integration and fair housing throughout the community. This mandate included a concern for foreign nationals, especially students, residing within Columbia. As a voluntary association, the membership fluctuated greatly. This may indicate that some members served only as designated representatives. The minutes of the Council indicate attendance by clergy and members of many of the area churches. Major areas of activity for the Council were a freedom of residence campaign and survey in 1964, discussions with the Columbia Real Estate Board, and attempts to modify the housing policies of the University of Missouri.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The donor of this collection was particularly active in organizing and analyzing the freedom of residence survey, which is reflected in the quantity of material from the Housing Committee within the collection. The collection also contains correspondence with community leaders, real estate agents, University of Missouri officials and other agencies across the State and nationally. There is an extensive clippings file concerning the Council and race relations in the Columbia area. Some of the topics in the correspondence and clippings file include discriminatory city hiring practices, poverty, urban renewal and the Land Clearance Authority, recreation facilities, restaurant integration, and the Civil Rights Movement, especially the events in Selma, Alabama.

The collection is organized in three chronologically arranged series. The first series is Council Minutes, Correspondence and Committee Reports. These are both committee working files and the results of work accomplished. Materials from surveys and workshops are filed within this chronological arrangement as presented to the Council.

The second series, Membership and Publicity, contains pamphlets, brochures, mailing lists and membership information. These pamphlets and brochures were produced and/or distributed by the Council and its committees. They served as publicity for planned events.

The last series is the Clippings File. The articles are arranged by year and month where possible. They date from 1963-1970 and were clipped primarily from Columbia papers. While some of the clippings deal directly with the Council and planned programs, others concern the broader issues of discrimination which the Council targeted for work. These files emphasize issues, attitudes and active individuals. They are an effective supplement to the incomplete minutes and correspondence of the Council.

FOLDER LIST

Council Minutes, Correspondence, Reports

f. 1Organization meeting, 1963
f. 2Housing Committee Minutes, 1964
f. 3Housing Committee Correspondence, 1964
f. 4-7Residence Survey, 1964
f. 8Council Minutes, 1965
f. 9Housing Committee, 1965
f. 10-11Committee Reports, 1965
f. 12 -13Council Minutes and Correspondence, 1966
f. 14Conference Materials, 1966
f. 15University of Missouri Housing Policy statements, 1964-1966
f. 16Workshop on Prejudice, 1967
f. 17Human Development Corporation, 1967
f. 18Council Minutes, 1967-1968
f. 19Council Minutes, 1969-1970

Membership and Publicity

f. 20Fair housing pamphlets and brochures
f. 21-22Mailing lists and membership information

Clipping Files

f. 23Clipping Files, n.d., 1963
f. 24Clipping Files, 1964
f. 25Clipping Files, 1965
f. 26Clipping Files, 1966
f. 27Clipping Files, 1967
f. 28Clipping Files, 1968
f. 29Clipping Files, 1970

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.