Descriptive Summary
Access
Access Restrictions
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Processing Information
Biography / Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce records
Dates: 1979-1998
Collection number: MS 158
Creator:
Coffey, Oscar J. Jr.
Creator:
Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce
Collection Size:
1.5 linear feet
(3 boxes + 1 oversized box)
Repository:
African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
Abstract: The Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce (NCBCC) was established in Oakland, California in 1978 by the members of
the United Men of Action, Inc. to promote and support black businesses and black tourism in Northern California. The Northern
California Black Chamber of Commerce records consist of constitution and bylaws, meeting minutes, brochures, newsletters,
and photographs of the organization and assorted conference programs and flyers related to black business.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.
Access Restrictions
Materials are for use in-library only, non-circulating.
Publication Rights
Permission to publish from the Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce Records must be obtained from the African American
Museum & Library at Oakland.
Preferred Citation
Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce records, MS 158, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public
Library. Oakland, California.
Acquisition Information
Donated to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland by Oscar J. Coffey Jr. in 2005.
Processing Information
Processed by Sean Heyliger, October 4, 2017.
Biography / Administrative History
The Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce (NCBCC) was established in Oakland, California in 1978 by members of the
United Men of Action, Inc. to promote and support black businesses and black tourism in Northern California. The Northern
California Black Chamber of Commerce’s operations were managed by its President Oscar J. Coffey Jr. along with five staff
members, and the chamber’s administration was directed by an elected board of directors and ten officers that chaired the
chamber’s economic development, finance/membership, public affairs, community development, and human resources committees.
Staff offices were located at 7700 Edgewater Drive in Oakland, California and were often host to many chamber events and social
gatherings.
The Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce received the bulk of its funding through the City of Oakland to promote
black tourism to Oakland and the Oakland Convention Center. The organization also received a Federal Historic Preservation
Tax Credit in 1982 to promote urban development projects including the Preservation Park development project, which relocated
11 historic homes on 13th St. in downtown Oakland to their current location in Preservation Park. As part of a larger investigation
into the misappropriation of funds by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Samuel Pierce, Oakland city manager Henry Gardner
requested an audit of the Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce’s finances in 1988. Two years later the organization
was renamed the Oakland/ Alameda Black Chamber of Commerce before losing all funding from the City of Oakland in 1991.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce records consist of constitution and bylaws, meeting minutes, brochures,
newsletters, and photographs of the organization and assorted conference programs and flyers related to black business. The
records are organized into three series: I. Administrative files II. Photographs III. Assorted printed materials. The administrative
files document the establishment and day-to-day activities of the organization and planning and funding for the Preservation
Park development project. Also included are remarks presented by Housing and Urban Development secretary Samuel Pierce at
the groundbreaking ceremony for the project in 1984. The bulk of the photographs in the collection document the chamber's
meetings, portraits of NCBCC’s officers and board of directors, and garden parties held at its offices at 7700 Edgewater Drive
in Oakland, California. Also included are photographs of ceremonies honoring baseball players Frank Robinson and Willie Stargell.
Arrangement
Series I. Administrative files
Series II. Photographs
Series III. Assorted printed material
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Coffey, Oscar J. Jr.
Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce
African American business enterprises
Preservation Park (Oakland, Calif.)
African American businesspeople--History--Sources
Oakland (Calif.)--History.