Housing

Housing

Beal (Paula) Papers

The Paula Beal Papers consist of notebooks, subject files, reports, correspondence, flyers, and periodicals documenting her activities with housing activist and food justice groups in Oakland, California in the 2010s. Dates: 2003-2017   Collection number: MS 221   Creator: Beal, Paula   Collection Size: 2 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Paula Beal Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Bello (Savannah A. Van Dyke) Papers

Beginning in the Civil Rights Movement during the early 1960's, Bello became politically involved and was active with local school board elections and city council meetings. In 1963, together with Charlesetta Braggs-Ford, she founded the Richmond chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to address discriminatory practices in local housing and employment. As a representative of Richmond CORE, Bello participated in training institutes, educational leagues and programs for the purpose of helping the public become better informed on the problem of de facto segregation in the Richmond Unified School District. The Savannah A. Van Dyke Bello Papers consists of pamphlets, reports, flyers, strategy and progress reports, papers, action plans, correspondence, meeting minutes, newsletters and newspaper clippings related to Bello’s founding and involvement with the Richmond chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), as well as her extensive work involving desegregation in the Richmond Unified School District. Dates: 1962-2008 (bulk 1966)   Collection number: MS 203   Creator: Van Dyke Bello, Savannah A.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8xk8m98/ Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Braggs-Ford (Charlesetta) Papers

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. Dates: 1963-1984   Collection number: MS 204   Creator: Braggs-Ford, Charlesetta.   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Charlesetta Braggs-Ford Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Fay (Marion Neal) Photograph Collection

Photojournalist Marion Neal Fay (1939-2016) covered Bay Area social movements and political events while working as a staff photographer for the Sun-Reporter in the 1960's. Her photographs cover a variety of topics, such as the San Francisco State College strike, Black Panther Party rallies, the Occupation of Alcatraz, peace protests, draft resistance, Bay Area Poor People's Campaign activities, and more. Images of the desegregation of the Berkeley Unified School District and of housing and urban development in the Western Addition and Fillmore Districts are especially noteworthy. More than 300 photographic negatives that Marion Neal Fay shot while working for the Sun-Reporter are included in the Marion Neal Fay Photograph Collection. Dates: 1967-1970    Collection number: MS 229   Creator: Fay, Marion   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Henry Z. Jones real estate collection, 1888-1933

Business and legal documents from Oakland real estate broker and developer Henry Z. Jones. Jones established his real estate business in 1887, with a focus on the Brooklyn Township and Allendale Township (which later became Oakland), where he subdivided land, and bought, sold and rented houses.    (OHC COLL 2015-21) 2 cartons (2.17 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.    

Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People of California Records

The Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People of California was established on September 26, 1892 in Oakland, California and was the first institution to provide elderly care and housing for African Americans in California. The organization was created by Mary E.A. Cole, Ann S. Purnell, Elenora Amos, Areminto Stanford, Mary Goodman, Rosa H. Lockett, Mary C. Washington, Ellen Whiting, Harriet E. Smith, Mary J. Humphrey, and Anna Williams to “sustain a home for the aged and infirm who may be from any cause, incapacitated from taking care of themselves, and such others as the Board of Directors or trustees may think entitled to its benefits.” The Home for the Aged and Infirm Colored People of California Records consists of articles of incorporation, constitution and by-laws, correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, programs, and newspaper clippings documenting the history of the home from its creation in 1892 through its dissolution in 1940. View online items Dates: 1892-1940   Collection number: MS 122   Creator: Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People of California (Oakland, Calif.).   Collection Size: 1.25 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People of California Records Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Ladies' Relief Society collection, 1883-1972

(OHC COLL 2021-2) 2 boxes (1.5 linear feet) Browse a detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.   The Ladies' Relief Society of Oakland, California was incorporated in 1872 to provide relief to destitute women and children. The society organized annual festivals to raise funds and attract donors, and over the years established a home for aged women, and children's home and nursery. Renamed the Ladies' Home Society in 1956, the society disbanded in 2007. The focus of the collection is the society's children's home, and includes a logbook  documenting admissions to the children's home from 1890 to 1913. Also included in the collection is a children's home visitors register (1883-1909) and a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about the Ladies' Relief Society (1915-1932, 1955-1972).  

Leona Quarry housing development collection, 1996-2003

Letters, petitions, city documents and other material regarding the controversy to redevelop the defunct Leona Quarry in Oakland, California. Initial plans for a shopping center were abandoned in favor of a housing development. (OHC COLL 2013-21)   2 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Oakland Housing Authority photographs : construction of Peralta Villa and Campbell Village, 1940-1942

Photographs, taken 1940-1942 by M. L. Cohen Co. General Photographers of the construction of two early Oakland Housing Authority projects, Campbell Village and Peralta Villa. Photographs document all stages of construction, including the demolition of the existing housing stock of mainly single family homes.   (OHC COLL 2020-8) 29 folders in 2 boxes, .9 linear feet Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Oakland Oral History Project : oral history transcripts, 1997-1999

The Oakland Oral History Project aimed to collect the oral histories of senior Oakland residents of different ethnic backgrounds in Oakland. The project focused on race relations, with special emphasis on housing, labor, education, and cultural institutions, and inquired into the forces that shaped Oakland's racial, ethnic and cultural mosaic.   The collection includes transcripts and/or recordings for these interviewees: Mary Adams, Walter Bachemin, Elsie and Albini Giani, Walter Green, Edith K. Hill, Joseph Johnson, Gladys M. Jordan, Alvin W. Kidder, Jean Kushman, Elmer McConnelly, Issac and Hazel McGrew, Margaret Saito, Shirley Smith, Hadwick A. Thompson, Avery Wafer, and Earl Watkins.   (OHC COLL 2015-12) 1 box (0.7 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Peralta Improvement League collection, 1965-1967

Newsletters, correspondence and petitions, primarily concerning the "Battle of the Fences" fence removal controversy. The Peralta Improvement League was a tenants' organization in Peralta Villa, a public housing project in West Oakland. It played a leadership role in the "Battle of the Fences," a controversy that arose when, without warning, the Oakland Housing Authority removed fences that tenants had erected to enclose spaces behind their units. Richard L. York was a prominent leader of the league. (OHC COLL 2014-9) 3 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Pitts (Robert B.) Papers

US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) director Robert B. Pitts (1909-1985) was born in Macon, Georgia. After earning degrees from Howard University and the University of Washington, he served as the first regional director of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department from 1964-1970. The Robert B. Pitts collection includes a portrait of William and Mattalyn Pitts, proclamations in memoriam, letters of condolence, a program of the Westminster Neighborhood Center renaming ceremony, and assorted magazine articles and newspaper clippings documenting the career of HUD regional secretary Robert B. Pitts. Dates: 1895-1992   Collection number: MS 116   Collector: Pitts, Mattalyn.   Collection Size: 6.5 linear feet (11 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Robert B. Pitts Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Flatlands Newspaper Collection

The Flatlands newspaper collection consists of 34 issues of The Flatlands newspaper printed from 1966-1968. The newspaper consists of news and op-ed articles, profiles, photographs, and events calendars mostly related to poverty, education, housing, police brutality, and politics in East and West Oakland. View online items Dates: 1966-1968   Collection number: MS 197   Collector: Oakland Public Library (Calif.)   Collection Size: 2 linear feet (1 oversized box)   Guide to the The Flatlands Newspaper Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

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