ABSTRACT: The Milwaukee CORE collection consists of a subject file, four folders of which
relate to the 1963-1964 protest against the Milwaukee public schools. These four files include
correspondence; curricula and other materials used in the Freedom Day program; reports, placards,
and petitions; and research materials which indicate how the Philadelphia and New York City
chapters of CORE handled similar problems.
The remainder of the collection lacks such a central theme, although it covers the same time span.
It includes a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws of the chapter and the rules by which
demonstrations sponsored by the chapter were to be conducted; programs, minutes of meetings, and
the Education Committee report at the National CORE convention held in July, 1964; and material
relating to the civil rights programs in Mississippi, a placard announcing a protest march against
Alabama Governor George Wallace, and the program of CORE's Wisconsin State Conference in
1964.
ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection
is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes
full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be
involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).
ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY: The Milwaukee chapter of the Congress of Racial
Equality (CORE) protested in 1963-1964 against the degenerating quality of education in
Milwaukee's Inner Core schools, at which most of the students were black. Milwaukee CORE
accused the city's Board of School Directors, who had inaugurated a program of busing students
out of the ghetto schools, of doing little to end the de facto segregation of the public school system.
This segregation, Milwaukee CORE maintained, resulted in such a deterioration of curricula in
ghetto schools that ghetto students were receiving both inadequate counselling and college
preparatory courses; these students were the victims of cultural deprivation. Richard McLeod,
Secretary of Milwaukee CORE and Chairman of its Education Committee, led the non-violent action
to end this de facto segregation in the city's public schools. The action taken included presentations
before the Board and its Special Committee on Equal Opportunity; picketings and marches; and a
Freedom Day. On Freedom Day, held on May 18, 1964, all black students were to boycott their
public school classes and to attend special Freedom Schools, whose curricula were designed to make
the civil rights movement relevant to these ghetto students.
This discussion of the history of Milwaukee CORE has necessarily focused on this one aspect of the
chapter's activities, since inadequate source material prevented a more comprehensive treatment.
COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:
Congress of Racial Equality. Milwaukee Chapter. Records, 1963-1964.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 27. Wisconsin Historical Society.
Milwaukee Area Research Center. UWM Libraries. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
RELATED COLLECTIONS:
Barbee, Lloyd A., 1925-2002. Papers, 1933-1982. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 16 and Milwaukee Micro Collection 42)
Bleidorn, Eugene. Papers, 1965-1966. (Milwaukee Small Collection 92)
Groppi, James, 1930- . Papers, 1964-1978. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection EX and Milwaukee Tape 5)
Hart, Kathleen Mary. Milwaukee public schools desegregation collection, 1975-1987. (UWM Manuscript Collection 90)
Milwaukee United School Integration Committee. Records, 1964-1966. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 5)
Radtke, Lorraine M., 1922-1987. Papers, 1947-1981. (UWM Manuscript Collection 64)
University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. Milwaukee Public Schools Oral History Project. Records, 1989-1990. (UWM Archival Collection 82)
ACQUISITION: Presented by Richard McLeod, Secretary of the Congress of Racial Equality,
Milwaukee chapter, in four installments from March 25, 1964 to July 27, 1964.
MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online
bibliographic MARC record to this collection:
- Afro-Americans--Education--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
- De facto school segregation--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
- Discrimination in education--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
- Milwaukee (Wis.)--History--Sources.
- School integration--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
- Segregation in education--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
| MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 27 |
BOX |
FOLDER |
| Constitution and Demonstration Rules, 1964
| 1
| 5 |
| CORE National Convention, 1964
| 1
| 6 |
| Miscellaneous, Mississippi, George Wallace, and Wisconsin State
Conference, 1964
| 1
| 7
|
| Segregation of Milwaukee Public Schools, Correspondence, 1963-1964
| 1
| 1 |
| Segregation of Milwaukee Public Schools, Freedom Day Materials,
1964
| 1
| 2 |
| Segregation of Milwaukee Public Schools, Freedom Day Materials,
Reports, Placards, and Petitions, 1963-1964
| 1
| 3 |
| Segregation of Milwaukee Public Schools, Freedom Day Materials,
Research Materials, 1963-1964
| 1
| 4 |