Archival Collections

The Maynard Jackson mayoral administrative records are extensive and consist of materials spanning the years 1968 to 1994. Within this digital collection are photographs, general correspondence, Mayoral campaign materials, and printed and published materials and correspondence related to the Atlanta Child Murders. The Atlanta Child Murders subseries in the Maynard Jackson Mayoral Administrative Records chronicles the time period between 1979-1981 when multiple young black children and adults were murdered in the city of Atlanta. The murders garnered national news coverage and caused panic across the country. The records in this digital collection reflect the response to the tragedy that were both created, collected and sent to the Atlanta Mayor's office during Maynard Jackson's second mayoral term.

The Hoyt William Fuller Collection documents his career from 1943-1981. Mr. Fuller's association with Johnson Publishing Company from the 1950's until 1976 is represented during his years as the associate editor of Ebony and as editor of Negro Digest/Black World, 1961-1976. In his capacity as editor of the leading Black literary publication in the nation, Mr. Fuller was mentor, critic, consultant and publisher to many of today's writers. He was a founder of the Organization of Black American Culture (O.B.A.C.). The famous Wall of Respect in Chicago, created by the artist workshop of O.B.A.C. in May of 1976, gave impetus to the wall mural movement of the 1960's. The papers and the correspondence, photographs and posters that document his travels in Africa, Europe and the Americas leave a collection of great clarity and great beauty. This collection will prove to be a vital link in the history of African Americans and a most important part of the development of responsible journalism in the United States.

The Clark Atlanta University School of Library and Information Studies Vertical Files consist of newsletters, brochures, and booklets surrounding the program.

John H. Wheeler [b. 1908, d.1978] began his academic career at Morehouse College in 1925. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1929. In 1947, Wheeler graduated from the law school at the North Carolina College at Durham (now North Carolina Central University). Beginning as a teller at the Mechanics and Farmers Bank in 1929, he rose to become president of the bank in 1952. Mechanics and Farmers Bank was a black-owned financial institution in a city that boasted several thriving black enterprises, including the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company (N.C. Mutual). Wheeler was heavily involved in politics and education through various positions within the federal government and on various boards of trustees for institutions like Morehouse College, Atlanta University, Lincoln Hospital, and the National Scholarship Service for Negro Students. While serving two presidents, Wheeler devoted his time to the development of low-income housing, focused on race relations, and the elimination of poverty.

The records of the Neighborhood Union Collection include correspondence, speeches, financial reports, minutes, committee reports, news clippings, programs, photographs, scrapbooks and additional memorabilia preserving a rich legacy and history of one of the earliest private social welfare organizations founded by African American women in Atlanta. The Union received its charter in 1911. The Neighborhood Union's plan of organization was based on a division of neighborhoods into districts with members conducting surveys in their districts and reporting conditions which needed aid and improvement. Some aid focused on improving domestic skills, handicrafts and home nursing arts of African American women. They were also taught facts about tuberculosis and other prevalent diseases and provided supervised recreation for children.