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Guide to the Northern California Black Chamber of Commerce Records
MS 158  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • 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.)
    Oakland, CA 94612
    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.