University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives Department.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Milwaukee Branch.

Records, 1917-1989.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection EP

7.4 cubic ft. (18 archives boxes, and 1 small archives box)



ABSTRACT: Records of the Milwaukee branch reflecting particularly the work of Wilbur and Ardie A. Clark Halyard, prominent African American community and business leaders. Founded in 1919, the Milwaukee branch was inactive between 1930 and 1949, but revived during the 1950s and 1960s. Much of the branch activity was directed towards fund raising and annual membership campaigns. Although the collection includes national, regional, and state records of the NAACP, the most extensive records document the Milwaukee branch's administration.

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).

SCOPE AND CONTENT: The collection is arranged in four record series: national, regional, state, and local branch. The local branch records are further divided into four sub-series: administrative, correspondence and related material, discrimination files, and subject files.

The national records consist mainly of material from national conferences, including programs, notes, resolutions, minutes, and addresses. Regional records contain conference material exclusively. The state records include correspondence of Lloyd Barbee and E. Gordon Young, former presidents of the Wisconsin Conference of Branches. Within this series, the general records are comprised of correspondence, minutes of the board of directors of the state conference, and finance committee material.

The most extensive records in the collection are those of the Milwaukee branch. The administrative records include executive board and board of directors meeting minutes, and various committee records. A substantial part of the finance committee records regard fund raising events, such as picnics, concerts, and candy sales. Included in these records is a letter from Medgar Evers, Mississippi NAACP field secretary, dated 22 May 1958 (box 2, folder 19), as well as material pertaining to his memorial fund, established in 1963. The general records of the committee contain budgets, treasurer's reports, correspondence, and acknowledgments. Membership committee records consist of membership lists, receipts for dues, minutes of meetings, and correspondence. The political action and discrimination cases contain material of national scope, such as the 1949-1952 Groveland, Florida assault case which reached the Supreme Court; the 1951 murder of Harry T. Moore, state coordinator of the NAACP Florida branches, and his wife; and the 1955 murder of  Emmett Till in Mississippi. The Milwaukee cases mainly concern local job discrimination complaints.

The correspondence and related material dates from 1917 to 1988. Letters dated 1917 and 1929 protest state legislation prohibiting interracial marriages. Other early material documents Wilbur Halyard's initial involvement with the NAACP, beginning in 1924, and his 1929 term as president of the Milwaukee branch. This series also includes correspondence exchanged between the NAACP national office and the Milwaukee branch. The correspondence dated 1977-1988 is principally that of Christine Belnavis, then  Milwaukee branch president. It should be noted that there are overlaps in the correspondence series and in the correspondence of specific committees.

The discrimination files include cases formally filed with the Milwaukee Branch, as well as other Milwaukee cases--some of which did not involve the NAACP. These cases fall into four general categories: those that have exhausted all legal avenues; inmate complaints; those that lack substance, and those for which the NAACP felt it could provide assistance. The formal complaints are each filed by year and alphabetically there under. 

The subject files illuminate numerous issues which faced the Milwaukee branch, such as its effort to ban the Amos n' Andy television program,  because of its offensive stereotyped black roles. Under the leadership of Ardie A. Halyard, the branch succeeded in having the show dropped by WTMJ-TV after 4 October 1951. Material from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which consists of only four items, deals in part with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which planned to challenge the seating of that state's delegation at the 1964 Democratic National convention. The United Negro College Fund, one of Ardie A. Halyard's community interests, is also represented in this series. Other topics covered in this series include affirmative action, school desegregation, voter registration, and fair housing.

ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY NOTE: The Milwaukee Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was organized with 80 members in 1919, eight years after the establishment of the national office in New York. By the end of that year, local membership had increased to 265. From 1930 to 1949 the organization was inactive, but was then revived by a group of young people discouraged by difficulties encountered in gaining job promotions. The membership grew from 31 in 1951 to 1200 in 1952, and to 3257 in 1961. The NAACP is still an active organization, although in recent years leaders have been discouraged by the lack of response to their annual membership campaigns.

Branches, such as that in Milwaukee, may include youth councils and college chapters. Youth council membership is available to those between the ages of 16 and 25, while junior youth councils accept members ranging in age from 12 to 15. The branches within a state comprise a state conference, which, in turn, is associated with a regional office. The national office, located in New York, coordinates the activities of its many components, and receives a pro rata share of all membership fees from the branches. A Washington Bureau lobbies for and against legislation in Congress. The annual convention is the highest authority within the NAACP, empowered by the Association's constitution to formulate binding policies and programs of action.

Within this administrative structure, the local branches operate with a great deal of autonomy. Committees, both standing and special, perform most of the important work of the organization. An executive committee, composed of the branch officers, standing committee chairpersons, presidents of the youth councils and college chapters, and senior branch advisors of the junior youth council and youth council, exercises general control over each branch. This committee, which meets at least monthly, decides all matters of branch policy, subject to endorsement by the membership, and in accordance with national policy. Its members draft the yearly budget for the branch, create special committees, and review the recommendations of all committees. Special committees, such as the personnel committee, are sometimes formed for a brief period to meet the specific needs of a branch.

For many years, Wilbur and Ardie A. (Clark) Halyard, prominent Milwaukee business and community leaders, directed the work of the Milwaukee branch of the NAACP. Born in South Carolina, Wilbur Halyard co-founded the Columbia Savings and Loan Association in 1925--Milwaukee's only black-owned bank. In addition to serving as the bank's secretary-treasurer and managing officer, Halyard became president of the Milwaukee NAACP in 1929. He also acted as Wisconsin State Conference treasurer from 1958 to 1959 and was a member of that organization's board of directors. He was active in NAACP work until his death in 1963. After graduating from Atlanta University, Ardie A. Clark married Wilbur Halyard in 1920. The couple moved to Wisconsin later that same year. She was co-founder and assistant secretary of the Columbia Savings and Loan Association. In 1951 she was elected president of the Milwaukee branch-- the first woman to serve in that capacity. Ms. Halyard was also instrumental in organizing the Wisconsin State Conference of the NAACP. She served as the Conference's first president as well as treasurer. As an active leader of many community groups, she has fought tirelessly against racial discrimination.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Milwaukee Branch. Records, 1917-1989. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection EP. 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)

Duncan Group, Inc. Through One City's Eyes interview transcripts, 1998-1999. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 202)

Groppi, James E., 1930-1985. Papers, 1964-1978. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection EX and Milwaukee Tape 5)

Halyard, Ardie Clark, 1900- . Speech, 1980. (Milwaukee Small Collection 111)

Holmes, Elizabeth, 1900- . Papers, 1852-1976. (Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 118)

Milwaukee (Wis.). Mayor. Records of the Henry W. Maier administration, 1960-1988. (Milwaukee Series 44)

Olson, David J. Meeting interview, 1967. (UCM92-258)

ACQUISITION:  Presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People--Milwaukee Branch via Ardie A. Halyard and Ernestine Griffin, Milwaukee, Wis., 1974-1975 (M74-525 and M75-592); Alan J. Dale, Beloit, Wis., 1978 (M78-638); and Christine Louise Belnavis, Glendale, Wis., 2001 (M2002-128).

PROCESSING: L. Aber and M. Behrnd processed the collection in 1979. Myrna Williamson processed the 2002 additions.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION EP.
Local Branch Records. 		BOX FOLDER
Administrative Records, Annual Dinner/Meeting, 1950-1953, 1958, 1960 2 5-9
Administrative Records, Annual Reports, President's and General, 1949, 1952, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1961 2 10
Administrative Records, Auditing Committee Report, 1958 2 11
Administrative Records, Board of Directors, Meeting Minutes, 1979 10 5
Administrative Records, Board of Directors, Meeting Minutes, 1980 10 6
Administrative Records, Board of Directors, Meeting Minutes, 1981 10 7
Administrative Records, Board of Directors, Meeting Minutes, 1982 10 8
Administrative Records, Board of Directors, Meeting Minutes, 1983 10 9
Administrative Records, Board of Directors, Meeting Minutes, 1984 10 10
Administrative Records, Board of Directors, Meeting Minutes, 1985 10 11
Administrative Records, Board of Directors, Meeting Minutes, 1986 10 12
Administrative Records, Board of Directors, Meeting Minutes, 1987, undated. 10 13
Administrative Records, Branch Coordinator's and Monthly Meeting Reports, 1980-1982 12 14
Administrative Records, Brown Sugar Baby Contest, 1980 11 17
Administrative Records, By-laws Committee, 1979-1987 10 18
Administrative Records, Certificates of Appreciation, 1980 11 18
Administrative Records, Church Work Committee, 1951-1952, 1961, undated 2 12
Administrative Records, Committees, Miscellaneous, 1980-1986 11 9
Administrative Records, Community Coordination Committee, 1951-1953, undated 2 13
Administrative Records, Contracts, 1985 11 19
Administrative Records, Donations, 1986-1987 11 20
Administrative Records, Education Committee, 1949, 1960, 1963-1964, 1966-1967, undated 2 14
Administrative Records, Elections, 1980-1986 12 17-21
Administrative Records, Executive Board, Meeting Minutes, 1977-1978 10 1
Administrative Records, Executive Board, Meeting Minutes, 1979 10 2
Administrative Records, Executive Board, Meeting Minutes, 1980-1984 10 3
Administrative Records, Executive Board, Meeting Minutes, 1984-1988 10 4
Administrative Records, Executive Committee, 1947-1954, 1956-1968, 1970, undated 2 15-16
Administrative Records, Finance Committee, Fund Raising, Christmas Seals, 1948, 1951-1954, 1961 2 17
Administrative Records, Finance Committee, Fund Raising, Freedom Fund, 1953-1956, 1958-1959, 1961-1962, 1970, 1974 2 19
Administrative Records, Finance Committee, Fund Raising, General, 1950-1955, 1959-1962, 1964 3 1
Administrative Records, Finance Committee, Fund Raising, Medgar Evers Memorial, 1963-1964 2 18
Administrative Records, Finance Committee, General Records, 1948-1968 3 2-10
Administrative Records, Freedom Fund Dinner Committee, 1980-1986 10 19
Administrative Records, Friends of Milwaukee Branch, 1981-1982 11 21
Administrative Records, General Membership, Meeting Minutes, 1976-1983 10 14
Administrative Records, General Membership, Meeting Minutes, 1984 10 15
Administrative Records, General Membership, Meeting Minutes, 1985 10 16
Administrative Records, General Membership, Meeting Minutes, 1986-1988 10 17
Administrative Records, Housing Committee, 1953, 1955, 1961, 1964, 1968, undated 3 11
Administrative Records, Labor and Industry Committee, 1949, 1951-1953, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1967, undated 3 12
Administrative Records, Lease, 1977 11 22
Administrative Records, Legal Redress Committee,1977-1980 11 1
Administrative Records, Legislation, 1951, 1960 3 13
Administrative Records, Mailing Lists, undated. 12 1
Administrative Records, Media File, 1982-1983 12 2
Administrative Records, Meeting Reports, 1980-1984 12 16
Administrative Records, Membership, General, 1981-1983 12 22-25
Administrative Records, Membership, General, 1984-1987 13 1-4
Administrative Records, Membership, Life Members, undated 13 5
Administrative Records, Membership, Miscellaneous, undated  13 6
Administrative Records, Membership Committee, 1948-1952 3 14-17
Administrative Records, Membership Committee, 1953, 1957-1965 4 1-8
Administrative Records, Membership Committee, 1966-1970 5 1
Administrative Records, Membership Committee, 1976 11 2
Administrative Records, Memoranda and Announcements, 1947, 1951-1952, 1954-1955, 1957, 1961-1963, 1968, undated 5 2
Administrative Records, Memoranda and Announcements, 1979-1980 11 10
Administrative Records, Memoranda and Announcements, 1981-1984, undated 11 11
Administrative Records, National Convention Reports, 1984-1987 12 15
Administrative Records, Nominating Committee, 1953, 1957 5 4
Administrative Records, Office Relocation, undated. 12 3
Administrative Records, Personnel, Abdullah Muhammad, undated  11 15
Administrative Records, Personnel, Job Descriptions, undated. 11 14
Administrative Records, Personnel, Policy, 1980 11 13
Administrative Records, Personnel Committee, 1958-1959 5 5
Administrative Records, Personnel Committee, 1979, 1987   11 3
Administrative Records, Police/Community Relations Committee, 1978-1982 11 4
Administrative Records, Political Action and Discrimination Cases, Milwaukee, 1948, 1951-1955, 1961-1964, 1968-1969 5 9
Administrative Records, Political Action and Discrimination Cases, National, 1951-1952, 1955 5 6-8
Administrative Records, Political Action Committee, 1952 5 10
Administrative Records, Political Action Committee, 1980, 1983-1985 11 5
Administrative Records, President's Report, 1979-1986 12 5-12
Administrative Records, Press and Publicity, 1980-1985 11 12
Administrative Records, Prison Service Committee, 1980-1988 11 6
Administrative Records, Program Committee, 1949-1951, 1959, 1963, undated 5 11
Administrative Records, Public Relations, 1984-1985 12 4
Administrative Records, Publicity Committee, 1951-1952, undated 5 12
Administrative Records, Regular Meeting Minutes, 1947-1950 5 3
Administrative Records, Religious Affairs Committee, 1980 11 7
Administrative Records, Special Events Committee, 1986 11 8
Administrative Records, Treasurer's Report, 1984-1985 12 13
Administrative Records, Veterans Committee, 1951-1952 5 13
Administrative Records, Voting and Registration Committee, 1952, 1958, 1960-1962, 1964, 1968 5 14
Administrative Records, Youth Council, 1948-1957, 1964, undated 5 15
Correspondence and Related Material, 1917, 1924, 1929, 1931, 1935, 1938-1939, 1943, 1947-1964 6 1-10
Correspondence and Related Material, 1965-1970, undated 7 1-3
Correspondence and Related Material, 1977-1988 13 7-16
Discrimination Files, Administrative and General, 1979-1982 16 5
Discrimination Files, Discrimination Lawyers, undated  16 6
Discrimination Files, Formal Complaints, 1977-1984 16 8-14
Discrimination Files, Formal Complaints, 1985-1986 17 1-10
Discrimination Files, Formal Complaints, 1987-1989 18 1-9
Discrimination Files, Insurance Discrimination, 1987-1988 16 7
Discrimination Files, Other Complaints and Cases, Bell, Daniel, 1982-1983 19 1
Discrimination Files, Other Complaints and Cases, General, 1978-1988, undated 19 6-8
Discrimination Files, Other Complaints and Cases, Lacy, Ernest, 1981 19 2
Discrimination Files, Other Complaints and Cases, Milwaukee Police Department, 1978-1981 19 3
Discrimination Files, Other Complaints and Cases, Pabst Brewery, 1980-1981 19 4
Discrimination Files, Other Complaints and Cases, United Wrestling Association, 1981 19 5
Subject File, Affirmative Action, 1983-1984 14 1
Subject File, Amos 'n Andy, 1951 7 4
Subject File, Armed Services and Veterans Affairs, 1981-1983 14 2
Subject File, Black Dollar Day, 1983-1985 14 3
Subject File, Bradley Center, 1985-1988 14 4
Subject File, Cable Information, 1980-1981 14 5
Subject File, CETA, 1979 14 6
Subject File, Church Directory, undated. 14 7
Subject File, Civil Rights Bill, 1964 7 5
Subject File, Community Affairs, 1977-1981 14 8
Subject File, Community Affairs, 1982-1986 14 9
Subject File, Community Legal Defense Fund, 1982 14 10
Subject File, Community Relations, 1985 14 11
Subject File, Editorials, 1985-1986 14 12
Subject File, Education, 1977, 1983-1984 14 13
Subject File, Education, 1985-1986 14 14
Subject File, Freedom Week, 1951 7 6
Subject File, Governor's Commission on Human Rights, Governor's Commission on Civil Rights, Governor's Committee on Children and Youth, 1953, 1959-1951, 1963, 1966-1967 7 7
Subject File, Governor's Office on Ethnic Minority Initiatives, 1980-1982 14 15
Subject File, Halyard, Ardie A. and Wilbur, Biographical Material 1952, 1963 7 8
Subject File, Hate Letters and Crank Mail, 1952-1953, 1964, 1966 7 9
Subject File, Health Fair Information, 1984 14 16
Subject File, Health-Related Issues, undated 14 17
Subject File, Housing, 1979-1987 14 18
Subject File, Isaac Coggs Health Center, undated.  14 19
Subject File, Jobs With Peace Campaign, 1983  15 1
Subject File, King, Martin Luther, Jr., 15th Anniversary Commemoration, 1983  15 2
Subject File, King, Martin Luther, Jr., Memorial, 1968 7 10
Subject File, Legal Redress, 1985 15 3
Subject File, Low Income Energy Task Force, 1985 15 4
Subject File, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963 7 11
Subject File, Mayor's Commission on Human Rights, 1953-1955 7 12
Subject File, Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, 1980 15 5
Subject File, Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, 1981-1984 15 6
Subject File, Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage Commission, 1980-1983  15 7
Subject File, Milwaukee Block Grant Coalition, 1981-1982 15 8-9
Subject File, Milwaukee Commission on Community Relations, 1983-1986 15 10
Subject File, Milwaukee County, 1983 15 11
Subject File, Milwaukee Development Association, 1984 15 12
Subject File, Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, 1980-1983 15 13
Subject File, Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, Incident, 1986 15 14
Subject File, Milwaukee Metropolitan Crime Commission, 1952, 1956 7 13
Subject File, Milwaukee Minority Chamber of Commerce, 1981 15 15
Subject File, Milwaukee Police Affairs, 1981-1983 15 20
Subject File, Milwaukee Police Practice Survey Forms, 1982  15 16
Subject File, Milwaukee Public Schools, 1980-1985 15 17
Subject File, Milwaukee Public Schools, 1986 15 18
Subject File, Milwaukee Public Schools, 1987 15 19
Subject File, Miscellaneous, 1959, 1961, undated 8 2
Subject File, Newspaper Clippings, 1951-1952, 1954-1955, 1958, 1960, 1962-1969, undated 7 14
Subject File, Picketing Information, 1963 7 15
Subject File, School Desegregation 7 16
Subject File, Sexual Assault Treatment Center, 1976-1977 15 21
Subject File, Sports Committee, 1987-1988 16 1
Subject File, State Government, 1980 16 2
Subject File, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), 1963-1964 7 17
Subject File, United Negro College Fund, 1952-1955 7 18-19
Subject File, Universities, 1983 16 3
Subject File, Voter Registration, 1979-1982 16 4
Subject File, White, Walter, Memorial, 1955 7 20-21
Subject File, Wisconsin Industrial Commission--Fair Employment Practices Division, 1951, 1953-1954, undated 8 1

MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION EP.
State Records.

 BOX FOLDER
State Records, 1976 9 9
State Records, 1983 9 10
State Records, 1984 9 11
State Records, 1985 9 12-13
State Records, 1986 9 14
State Records, 1987 9 15
State Records, Conferences, 1953, 1955-1961, 1963-1964 1 10-14
State Records, Constitution, undated 2 1
State Records, Correspondence and Related Material, Barbee, Lloyd, 1961-1962, 1964 2 2
State Records, Correspondence and Related Material, Young, E. Gordon, 1963-1964 2 4
State Records, Operation Fair Share Committee, 1984-1985  9 16

MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION EP.
Regional Records.

 BOX FOLDER
Regional Records, 1972, 1977-1980 9 2
Regional Records, 1982 9 3
Regional Records, 1983 9 4
Regional Records, 1985  9 5-6
Regional Records, 1986 9 7
Regional Records, 1987 9 8
Regional Records, Conferences, 1950, 1952-1955, 1963, 1968 1 9

MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION EP.
National Records.

 BOX FOLDER
Annual Conferences, 1948, 1950-1953, 1955, 1957-1958, 1960, 1962 1 1-5
Annual Youth Conference, 1948 1 6
Correspondence, 1977-1984, 1988 9 1
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, 1952 1 7
List of Branches, 1964 1 8

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