Guide to the Charlesetta Braggs-Ford Papers
Sean Dickerson
African American Museum & Library at Oakland
659 14th Street
Oakland, California 94612
Phone: (510) 637-0198
Fax: (510) 637-0204
Email: aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org
URL: http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/locations/african-american-museum-library-oakland
© 2013
African American Museum & Library at Oakland. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Charlesetta Braggs-Ford Papers
Collection number: MS 204
African American Museum & Library at Oakland
Oakland, California
- Processed by:
- Sean Dickerson
- Date Completed:
- February 3, 2017
- Encoded by:
- Sean Dickerson
© 2013 African American Museum & Library at Oakland. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Charlesetta Braggs-Ford papers
Dates: 1963-1984
Collection number: MS 204
Creator:
Braggs-Ford, Charlesetta.
Collection Size:
.5 linear feet (1 box)
Repository:
African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
Abstract: In 1963 Braggs-Ford, together with Savannah A. Bello, founded the Richmond chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
to address discriminatory practices in local housing and employment.The Charlesetta Braggs-Ford Papers consists of reports,
bulletins, correspondence, flyers, conference programs, papers, brochures, pamphlets, newsletters, and newspaper clippings
that document the activities of the Richmond chapter of CORE. The collection also includes material related to regional CORE
chapters and the national CORE organization.
Physical location: African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
Oakland, CA 94612
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 Charlesetta Braggs-Ford Papers must be obtained from the African American Museum & Library
at Oakland.
Preferred Citation
Charlesetta Braggs-Ford papers, MS 204, African American Museum & Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.
Acquisition Information
Donated to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland by Charlesetta Braggs-Ford on September 1, 2016.
Processing Information
Processed by Sean Dickerson, February 1, 2017.
Biography / Administrative History
Civil rights activist Charlesetta Braggs-Ford was born on June 22nd, 1935 in Oklahoma to Booker and Viola Braggs. After a
degree in nursing she served as a supervisor at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland. In 1963 Braggs-Ford, together with Savannah A.
Bello, founded the Richmond chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to address discriminatory practices in local
housing and employment. The first members of Richmond CORE were Maxine Easton, Reverend Guthrie Williams, Barbara Thollaug,
Samuel Burns, Frank Throtter, Ernest Fridia (first chairperson), Florence Fridia, Giddis Toland, Thelma Hill, and Stalfana
Bello. Future members included Gus Wagle, Scott Cole, Stephen Vincent, James Van, Amous Blackmore, Katherine Himes, Helen
Talbot, Anthony Scott, John Ogenberger, Elaine Featherson, Carolyn Himes, Randy Thollaug, Robert Chrisman, Brenda Hawkins,
Saline Steward, Bob Carleton, Cynthia Hawkins, and John Greene. Richmond CORE focused on issues related to fair employment
and housing, schooling, accurate newspaper coverage, and police brutality towards African Americans and other minorities.
Committees of the chapter included those on Education, Storm Drainage, and Public Housing. Activities involved working on
California Fair Housing initiatives and picketing and negotiation projects with the Bank of America, Safeway, and local department
stores. As members began participating with Black Power movement groups in community organizing, Richmond CORE was officially
disaffiliated from the national organization at a meeting of officers and delegates to CORE’s Western Regional Conference
on August 30, 1968.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Charlesetta Braggs-Ford Papers consists of reports, bulletins, correspondence, flyers, conference programs, papers, brochures,
pamphlets, newsletters, and newspaper clippings that document the activities of the Richmond chapter of the Congress of Racial
Equality (CORE). The collection also includes material related to regional CORE chapters and the national CORE organization.
The collection documents general activities of regional CORE groups in sit-ins, picketing demonstrations and other civil rights
actions around fair employment, housing and police brutality towards African Americans and other minorities. The papers are
organized in three series: Richmond CORE activities, CORE general activities, and assorted print materials.
Arrangement
Series I. Richmond CORE activities Series II. CORE general activities Series III. Assorted print materials
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
African Americans--California--Richmond--Social conditions--20th century.
African Americans -- Civil rights.
African Americans--Civil rights--California--Oakland Region--History--20th century.
Congress of Racial Equality.
Congress of Racial Equality -- Periodicals.
Related Material
Savannah A. Van Dyke Bello Papers, African American Museum & Library at Oakland.
Congress of Racial Equality records, Wisconsin Historical Society.
Congress of Racial Equality, Santa Clara Chapter records, 1965-1967, University of California, Davis.
Richmond CORE activities
Physical Description: 1 folder
Series Scope and Content Summary
Includes correspondence, flyers, conference programs, volunteer forms, and newspaper clippings related to the activities of
the Richmond chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Box 1:1
Letter from Fredricka Teer to Maxine Eason re: meeting of those interested in forming a CORE group in Richmond
1963-04-02
Box 1:1
Richmond CORE – we’ve come to collect! flyer
1964
Box 1:1
Program outline for CORE conference on anti-poverty
1965-03-13
Box 1:1
Richmond CORE presents a conference on quality education flyer
1966-05-14
Box 1:1
March for jobs: justice on Bay Area Rapid Transit flyer
1966-06-05
Box 1:1
Letter from Clyde E. DeBerry to Samuel Burns re: cancellation of Richmond CORE's membership in National CORE
1968-09-04
Box 1:1
Newspaper clipping, "20-year CORE reunion no sit-in," from
West County Times
1984-10-09
Box 1:1
Richmond CORE [empty envelope]
circa 1960s
Box 1:1
We Shall Overcome CORE holiday greeting card from the Thollaugs
circa 1960s
Box 1:1
Richmond Congress of Racial Equality questionnaire
circa 1960s
Box 1:1
It's time to have a fun(d) raising party flyer
circa 1960s
Box 1:1
What does he think about civil rights? picket flyer
circa 1960s
Box 1:1
Picket volunteer form [two copies]
circa 1960s
Box 1:1
Richmond chapter of CORE presents the Fourth of July flyer
circa 1960s
Box 1:1
Where do we go from here? flyer
circa 1960s
CORE general activities
Physical Description: 9 folders
Series Scope and Content Summary
Includes reports, bulletins, newsletters, correspondence, flyers, and conference programs documenting other CORE chapters
and activities of the national CORE organization. Topics covered in the newsletters include civil rights in the United States,
the rise of Black Power movement, the Delano Grape Boycott, Cesar Chavez, and the United Farm Workers.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by organization.
Berkeley Campus CORE
1964-1968
Box 1:2
Constitution of the Berkeley campus chapter of CORE [two copies]
circa 1960s
Box 1:2
The Campus CORElator
1964-01
Box 1:2
The Campus CORElator
1965-01
Box 1:2
The Campus CORElator
1968-01
Berkeley CORE
circa 1960s
Box 1:3
Don’t shop here – this store discriminates boycott flyer
circa 1960s
Box 1:3
Don't shop at Hink's, 57 years without a negro sales clerk boycott flyer
circa 1960s
Box 1:3
CORE rules for picket line action
circa 1960s
Box 1:4
National CORE republican convention project public relations and press coordination report
1964
Box 1:4
Congress of Racial Equality minutes of 23rd annual convention
1965-06-05
Box 1:4
CORE in the field community relations bulletin
1965-08-31
Box 1:4
National annual convention report by New York-Harlem CORE July 1966-June 1967
1967
Box 1:4
Letter from Wilfred T. Ussery to CORE chapters re: 1967 Congress of Racial Equality’s national convention schedule
1967
Box 1:4
Invitation to national conference reception with Rupiah Banda and Chief Michael Lukumbuzya
1967
Box 1:4
1967 CORE national convention “Black power: Blueprint for survival” (Muhammad Ali in person) June 30-July 4, 1967 held in
Oakland, CA, workshop sessions held at McClymonds High School, flyer
1967
Box 1:4
Letter from Walter S. Brooks to CORE delegates re: presentation of position paper
1967
Box 1:4
Workshop: Controlling black education in black communities (National CORE Convention) by Dr. Clyde E. DeBerry
circa 1960s
Box 1:5
Edited version of Louisiana CORE’s WATS (Wide Area Telephone Service) report, June 28-July 4, 1965
1965
Box 1:5
Louisiana CORE newsletter
1965
New York (Harlem) CORE
1965
Box 1:7
Ebony : the journal of “The Three P’s
1967
Santa Clara Valley CORE
1966-1967
Box 1:9
CORElator
1967-07–1967-08
Box 1:9
CORElator
1968-01–1967-02
Western Regional CORE
1964
Box 1:10
Conference structure committee report
1964-01-17
Box 1:10
Hotel agreement to affirm the equal opportunity policy of the member hotels of the Hotel Employers Association of San Francisco
1964-03-07
Box 1:10
Demands – Bank of America
1964-03-16
Box 1:10
CORE regional conference agenda
1964-04-19
Box 1:10
Letter from Western Regional field office to all congress CORE chapters re: proposals for statewide CORE demands to the Bank
of America
1964-06-10
Box 1:10
Resolutions from regional housing conference held at Oakland
1964-06-14
Box 1:10
Letter from Western Regional Office Congress of Racial Equality to members of the local chapters’ executive board re: minutes
of the Western Regional Convention in Los Angeles
1964-12-02
Assorted print materials
Physical Description: 1 folder
Series Scope and Content Summary
Includes papers, brochures, pamphlets, and newspaper clippings related to political action, civil rights and other issues
of importance to Braggs-Ford’s work with Richmond CORE.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Box 1:11
Statement by United States Senator Thomas H. Kuchel on civil rights
1963
Box 1:11
The Method: Building problem-centered groups pamphlet
1965-08-14
Box 1:11
The Flatlandsvol. 1 no. 8
1966-06-07
Box 1:11
“Society” paper by George Bell
1969-03-18
Box 1:11
“Brainwashing of black men’s minds,” paper by Nathan Hare
1969-03-18
Box 1:11
Newspaper clipping, "Nation is Rocked by Violent Aftermath of Dr. King's Death," from
The Independent
1968-04-06
Box 1:11
Richmond Metro Reporter, vol. 1 no. 3
1972-10-21
Box 1:11
Political strength – How to get it: A guide to effective action in your community pamphlet
circa 1960s
Box 1:11
The Greenville crisis: The report of Mrs. Victoria Gray, Washington office of the MFDP
circa 1960s
Box 1:11
This is CORE brochure
circa 1960s
