Guide to the Records of the Metropolitan Los Angeles Conference on Employment Problems of the Negro MS.R.129
Processed by Cyndi Shein; machine-readable finding aid created by Cyndi Shein
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
© 2008
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
Title: Metropolitan Los Angeles Conference on Employment Problems of the Negro records
Identifier/Call Number: MS.R.129
Physical Description:
0.1 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1940-1941
Abstract: The collection comprises records from the Metropolitan Los Angeles Conference on Employment Problems of the Negro held in
Los Angeles, California in 1940. The bulk of the material was produced by the conference's Findings Committee, including a
conference event program, annotated conference transcripts, committee meeting notes, findings, recommendations, and an unpublished
report.
Language of Material:
English
.
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and
their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Preferred Citation
Metropolitan Los Angeles Conference on Employment Problems of the Negro Records. MS-R129. Special Collections and Archives,
The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Acquisition Information
Unknown.
Processing History
Processed by Cyndi Shein, 2008.
Historical Background
The Metropolitan Los Angeles Conference on Employment Problems of the Negro was sponsored by the California Department of
Employment and cooperating agencies. It met on December 2, 1940 at the University of Southern California under the direction
of Lieutenant Lawrence A. Oxley. It was one of at least fifteen conferences held around the nation with the goal of improving
the welfare and employment opportunities of African Americans. Conference participants included representatives from the Social
Security Board and the California Department of Employment.
The Findings Committee was formed to voice the hopes and plans of conference attendees and communicate the potential of the
African American labor force to prospective employers. The committee was composed of representatives of labor, industry, and
the government, including Emerson Spear, vice president, Pacific Wire Rope Company; Dr. Emory S. Bogardus, head of the Department
of Sociology, USC; Gordon S. Watkins, dean of the College of Letters and Sciences, UCLA; G.L. Huff, employment officer, Merchants
and Manufacturers Association, Los Angeles; Floyd C. Covington, executive director, the Urban League of Los Angeles; Thomas
L Griffith Jr., president of the Los Angeles NAACP (1932-1948); Paul R. Williams, architect; Arthur E. Wood, manager, Los
Angeles office, California Department of Employment; H. D. Huxley, assistant regional representative, Social Security Board;
H. B. MacAfee, Public Relations Department, California Department of Employment. Findings Committee meetings took place in
the office of Arthur E. Wood.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The collection comprises records from the Metropolitan Los Angeles Conference on Employment Problems of the Negro, which was
held in Los Angeles, California in 1940. The bulk of the material was produced by the conference's Findings Committee, including
a conference event program, annotated conference transcripts, committee meeting notes, findings, and recommendations. It also
includes a conference report, written by the Findings Committee in 1941, accompanied by instructions to a printer. The report
was never published.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged in alphabetical order by type of record.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
African Americans -- Employment -- California -- Congresses -- Archives
African Americans -- Economic conditions -- California -- 20th century
box 1, folder 2
Conference program invoice for printing
1941
box 1, folder 3
Final draft and notes
1941
Scope and Contents note
Report includes the Findings Committee's recommendations and an annotated "Final Copy" of the conference transcript.
Conference transcript, annotated drafts
box 1, folder 5
Copy belonging to committee member Emerson Spear
1940
box 1, folder 6
Copy belonging to committee member Thomas L. Griffith Jr.
1940
box 1, folder 7
Meeting notes and lists of attendees
1941
box 1, folder 8
Recommendations, findings, and list of committee members
1941
box 1, folder 9
Michigan State Conference, Negro Employment Problems: postcard, form letter, and quotes from sponsors
1940
box 1, folder 10
Summary of Employment Security Activities, report by the U.S. Federal Security Agency, Social Security Board
1941
