The Voter Education Project (VEP) began in 1962 as part of the Southern Regional Council. Initially VEP granted funds to civil rights organizations to support voter education, voter registration drives, and voting-related research. In 1964, Vernon Jordan, the second executive director of the VEP, expanded the programs goals to include citizenship training, voter education, and leadership training in the southern United States, while continuing to provide funds to independent voter and civil rights groups, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the League of Women Voters. The VEP’s work with the League of Women Voters is highlighted in the materials below. In 1971, VEP under the leadership of John Lewis, became an independent organization and functioned as a research center and became known as an authoritative source for statistics on southern elections and voter registration in general. Lewis also forged the VEP into an activist organization, launching Voter Mobilization Tours with Georgia state legislator and civil rights advocate Julian Bond. At the AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library we are always striving to improve our digital collections. We welcome additional information about people, places, or events depicted in any of the works in this collection. To submit information, please contact us at DSD@auctr.edu.
Sep 4, 2020

Voter Education Project Organizational Records

The Voter Education Project (VEP) began in 1962 as part of the Southern Regional Council. Initially VEP granted funds to civil rights organizations to support voter education, voter registration drives, and voting-related research. In 1964, Vernon Jordan, the second executive director of the VEP, expanded the programs goals to include citizenship training, voter education, and leadership training in the southern United States, while continuing to provide funds to independent voter and civil rights groups, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the League of Women Voters. The VEP’s work with the League of Women Voters is highlighted in the materials below. In 1971, VEP under the leadership of John Lewis, became an independent organization and functioned as a research center and became known as an authoritative source for statistics on southern elections and voter registration in general. Lewis also forged the VEP into an activist organization, launching Voter Mobilization Tours with Georgia state legislator and civil rights advocate Julian Bond.

At the AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library we are always striving to improve our digital collections. We welcome additional information about people, places, or events depicted in any of the works in this collection. To submit information, please contact us at DSD@auctr.edu.
13 Objects displayed
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  • Document Type = text
  • Subjects = African Americans--Social conditions
Wyche Fowler presents a draft of the Minority Farmers Rights legislation, developed with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, to address the decline of Black farming in America, and to provide technical assistance to enable Black and other limited resource farmers to retain and develop their land. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Minority Farmers Rights Act of 1989 Discussion Draft, October 1989
Date Created
1989-10
Description
Wyche Fowler presents a draft of the Minority Farmers Rights legislation, developed with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, to address the decline of Black farming in America, and to provide technical assistance to enable Black and other limited resource farmers to retain and develop their land. 2 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Civil rights, African Americans--Social conditions, African Americans--Economic conditions
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Renita Jimmar, a 23-year-old supervisor for American Telephone and Telegraph, became Leighton's first Black mayor-elect after winning the July 10 election with 230 votes, defeating the incumbent Eugene Boatwright, and plans to work on improving the town's recreational facilities for young people and obtaining federal funds for housing, water, and sewer improvements. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"She Has to Bone Up as New Head of Leighton", 1984
Date Created
1984
Description
Renita Jimmar, a 23-year-old supervisor for American Telephone and Telegraph, became Leighton's first Black mayor-elect after winning the July 10 election with 230 votes, defeating the incumbent Eugene Boatwright, and plans to work on improving the town's recreational facilities for young people and obtaining federal funds for housing, water, and sewer improvements. 1 page.
Subject
African American mayors, African Americans--Social conditions, Voting, African Americans--Civil rights
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
State Rep. Hosea Williams, whose 1981 conviction on charges of leaving the scene of an auto accident was overturned, is establishing a legal defense organization to represent poor, young people wrongfully convicted, and the proceeds from his book "The Cure Is The Ill" will go to this organization. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Hosea Williams Announces Legal Fund", circa 1985
Date Created
1982/1987
Description
State Rep. Hosea Williams, whose 1981 conviction on charges of leaving the scene of an auto accident was overturned, is establishing a legal defense organization to represent poor, young people wrongfully convicted, and the proceeds from his book "The Cure Is The Ill" will go to this organization. 1 page.
Subject
African American civic leaders, African American civil rights worker, African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta, African Americans--Social conditions, Crime, African American teenagers
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
The number of majority Black counties in the 11 southern states has been decreasing at a rate of 2.4 per year since 1900, with only 48 majority Black counties remaining in 1980; the greatest loss was seen in Georgia, which lost 47 counties, while North Carolina was the only state to have gained Black majority counties between 1970-1980. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Research Says Black Majority Counties Decline", circa 1980
Date Created
1977/1983
Description
The number of majority Black counties in the 11 southern states has been decreasing at a rate of 2.4 per year since 1900, with only 48 majority Black counties remaining in 1980; the greatest loss was seen in Georgia, which lost 47 counties, while North Carolina was the only state to have gained Black majority counties between 1970-1980. 1 page.
Subject
African Americans--Civil rights, African Americans--Social conditions, African Americans--Economic conditions
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Report by the Southern Regional Council on selected characteristics of Southern change from 1957 to 1977, including characteristics regarding population change, poverty, income, and agriculture. The report found that the population experienced sustained growth overall as the tide of Black movement and migration out of the South began to stabilize, while Southern cities became increasinglyBblack. These population changes were detailed in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 5 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Report on Selected Characteristics of Southern Change, 1957 to 1977
Date Created
1977
Description
Report by the Southern Regional Council on selected characteristics of Southern change from 1957 to 1977, including characteristics regarding population change, poverty, income, and agriculture. The report found that the population experienced sustained growth overall as the tide of Black movement and migration out of the South began to stabilize, while Southern cities became increasinglyBblack. These population changes were detailed in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 5 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Civil rights, Demographic surveys, African Americans--Social conditions
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Black laborers and domestic workers in the Deep South saw Jimmy Carter as their only hope for change, citing his promises for social programs and job opportunities reminiscent of previous Democratic administrations, and ultimately giving him over 95% of their vote. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Blacks Grin Over How We Got a President", November 7, 1976
Date Created
1976-11-07
Description
Black laborers and domestic workers in the Deep South saw Jimmy Carter as their only hope for change, citing his promises for social programs and job opportunities reminiscent of previous Democratic administrations, and ultimately giving him over 95% of their vote. 1 page.
Subject
Voter registration, Voting, Political participation, African Americans--Social conditions
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
In the deep South, workers share stories of how they deceived their white employers and voted for President Carter, reflecting a historic and influential turnout of the Black vote that was seen as a chance for change and job opportunities in heavily Black, rural communities along the Mississippi-Alabama borders. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Southern Black Vote for Carter Ascribed To Hope for Employment", November 7, 1976
Date Created
1976-11-07
Description
In the deep South, workers share stories of how they deceived their white employers and voted for President Carter, reflecting a historic and influential turnout of the Black vote that was seen as a chance for change and job opportunities in heavily Black, rural communities along the Mississippi-Alabama borders. 1 page.
Subject
Labor, Political participation, African Americans--Social conditions
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Article concerning that with the election of Jimmy Carter to the presidency, with strong support from Black voters in the South due to the civil rights movement and federal laws, signaled a new era of regional pride and equality, as well as a shift towards blue-collar and lower-income voters. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Carter Presidency From Deep South", November 6, 1976
Date Created
1976-11-06
Description
Article concerning that with the election of Jimmy Carter to the presidency, with strong support from Black voters in the South due to the civil rights movement and federal laws, signaled a new era of regional pride and equality, as well as a shift towards blue-collar and lower-income voters. 1 page.
Subject
Political participation, African Americans--Civil rights, African Americans--Social conditions
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
List of Georgia counties with majority Black populations in 1970, including additional information regarding population, median income, and percentage of families in poverty, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Report on Georgia Counties with Majority Black Populations, 1970
Date Created
1970
Description
List of Georgia counties with majority Black populations in 1970, including additional information regarding population, median income, and percentage of families in poverty, which was included in the VEP's "Election Notebook." 1 page.
Subject
African Americans--Social conditions, African Americans--Civil rights, African American neighborhoods
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
A copy of a newspaper clipping describing bars in Vietnam frequented by Black soldiers. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Negro GI's 'Find' Own Street", March 5, 1967
Date Created
1967-03-05
Description
A copy of a newspaper clipping describing bars in Vietnam frequented by Black soldiers. 2 pages.
Subject
African American soldiers, Armed Forces, Vietnam War (1961-1975), African Americans--Social conditions
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Speech praising Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and referencing his famous speech.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Speech About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., circa 1970
Date Created
1965/1975
Description
Speech praising Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and referencing his famous speech.
Subject
Speeches, African American civic leaders, African Americans--Civil rights, African Americans--Social conditions
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
Informational flyer on the Central City Neighborhood Development Center, listing the variety of services offered, like job and youth counseling, and banking. 2 pages.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Central City Neighborhood Development Center", circa 1967
Date Created
1965/1970
Description
Informational flyer on the Central City Neighborhood Development Center, listing the variety of services offered, like job and youth counseling, and banking. 2 pages.
Subject
African Americans--Civil rights, African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta, African Americans--Social conditions
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
A flyer to rally community action to change city council boundaries to improve conditions for Black families in the College Park area of Atlanta. 1 page.
Voter Education Project Organizational Records
"Join the Movement to Improve Living Conditions for Black People in College Park", circa 1967
Date Created
1965/1970
Description
A flyer to rally community action to change city council boundaries to improve conditions for Black families in the College Park area of Atlanta. 1 page.
Subject
African Americans--Civil rights, African Americans--Georgia--Atlanta, African Americans--Social conditions
Collection
Voter Education Project Organizational Records