Public affairs, 1963-1966

File — Box: 4, Reel: 298, microdex: 4

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Documents concerning the YWCA of the U.S.A. public affairs programs regarding civil rights. Operation Opportunity is a project aimed at facilitating compliance to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with special attention to the public accommodations. The program targets specific southern communities and uses education and community action to increase racial understanding and facilitate a smooth adoption of the Civil Rights Act in communities. Memorandums, statements and planning notes discuss implementation of the project and evaluate success in addition to outlining suggested actions and implementation strategies. YWCA of the U.S.A. programs depend on community organization and input. Prior to the White House Conference "To fulfill these rights" YWCA of the U.S.A. local associations host pre-conferences to discuss the proposed topics and develop local input and understanding. The resulting report compiles the information gathered and includes a forward sent to the president. Also included are pre-conference planning documents and guidelines for communities hosting an event. Additional materials include public statements from the YWCA of the U.S.A. concerning civil rights in the United States, letters to political leaders concerning the Civil Rights Act, a timeline highlighting the work of the YWCA of the U.S.A. for civil rights and a speech by Dorothy Height given to the World Young Adult Assembly.

Dates of Materials

1963-1966

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

From the Record Group:

This collection is open for use without restriction beyond the standard terms and conditions of Smith College Special Collections.

However, by agreement with the YWCA of the U.S.A., microdexes known to contain financial records or personal health information (usually on job applications) were not digitized and/or not published in our online repository as part of the CLIR Digitizing Hidden Collections grant. These microdexes may still be accessed on the original microfilm, and digital files may be made available to individual researchers upon request.