Tennessee, circa 1928-1950

File — Box: 3, Reel: 214, microdex: 7

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Documents concerning the program and history of the YWCA of Memphis, Tennessee and its Vance Avenue branch. Advisory correspondence with regional and national leaders seek advice and recommendations for leadership and program challenges in addition to reporting on association activities and relationships with the YMCA. Additional documents concerning the entire association include program objectives, clippings from a Life magazine article concerning the W&YWCA of Memphis and a completed finance survey. The Vance Avenue Branch of the YWCA of Memphis is the association's club for African American women and girls. Administrative records and bylaws document the branch's relationship to the central association, purpose, functions and program statistics. Visitation reports and correspondence assess and summarize the branch's program and any challenges the branch and its members may face. Among these discussions is the problem of racism and race relations in Memphis and the effect it has on the African American community in addition to the challenges created by the "Crump Machine" and city politics.

Dates of Materials

Creation: circa 1928-1950

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.