Social Services

Photographs depicting the activities of the Oakland Chapter of the American Red Cross in the 1940s-1950s; mainly scenes of Red Cross workers and volunteers on the home front and overseas during World War II, and scenes of Oakland Chapter volunteer recognition ceremonies in the 1950s. The collection also includes photos depicting Red Cross disaster responses to a 1990 wharf fire in Richmond, Calif., and to a 1990 fraternity fire at the University of California, Berkeley. (OHC COLL 2016-7) 1 binder and 2 packets in box (0.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Pamphlets, flyers, correspondence, and reports relating to the Community Chest of Oakland, Piedmont, San Leandro, and Emeryville. Most materials are requests for donations or training materials for soliciting donations.   (OHC COLL 2025-2)   20 folders in 1 box (.5 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

Established in Oakland, California on November 20, 1918 by the Northern Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, the Fannie Wall Children’s Home and Day Nursery, Inc. was created to “care for homeless, dependent, neglected children from broken homes, and to provide day care for children of working parents.” The Fannie Wall Children’s Home and Day Nursery, Inc. Records consist of correspondence, reports, meeting and fundraising programs, and newspaper clippings that document the management of the children’s home. View online items Dates: 1933-1983   Collection number: MS 162   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box) Guide to the Fannie Wall Children’s Home and Day Nursery, Inc. 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.

(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).  

Dates: 1965-1968   Collection number: MS 198   Creator: Oakland Economic Development Council (Calif.)   Collection Size: 2 linear feet (1 oversized box)   Guide to the Oakland Economic Development Council Newsletter Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) View online items The Oakland Economic Development Council was a local agency established in 1965 to implement programs associated with the Office of Economic Opportunity and the ‘War on Poverty’ in Oakland, California. The council’s programs were funded through Office of Economic Opportunity and Ford Foundation grants and were administered at Neighborhood Service Centers in North Oakland, West Oakland, East Oakland, and Fruitvale. Programs included family planning clinics, preventative health programs, legal aid services, job training, remedial instruction, small business development, dental and eye services, head start and day care, youth employment, and emergency aid and housing for women and children. 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 Oakland chapter of the Junior Chamber of Commerce (also called the Oakland Jaycees) was founded in 1929. Members were men between the ages of 21 and 35. Chapter presidents, elected annually, planned and oversaw meetings, events and programs for the year. Events and programs were evaluated by judges at the California statewide level. Assorted records dealing with events and programs are the core of the collection. Coverage begins in 1935 and ends in 1978; records for 1936-1939 and 1975-1976 are lacking.   The events and programs described in the collection reflect the social and cultural currents of the times, and range widely between recurring events (e.g., the Oakland Miss America pageant and the Oakland Mother of the Year contest) and individual programs on an array of topics including juvenile delinquency, urban renewal and building investment portfolios. A notable 1953 event coordinated with National Guard Day included U.S. army troops in mock battles at Lake Merritt.   (OHC COLL 2021-1)   31 boxes (17 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Maps, building plan, and interior/exterior color photographs documenting the 2010-12 conversion of the St Joseph's Home for the Aged into low income senior housing. St. Joseph's Home for the Aged, located at 2647 International Blvd., Oakland, Calif., was constructed in 1912 by the Little Sisters of the Poor. It was later converted into an office complex called the St. Joseph's Professional Center, and in 1984 given Oakland landmark status. In 2010-12 BRIDGE Housing Corp. converted the complex into a low income senior housing facility called St. Joseph’s Senior Apartments. (OHC COLL 2013-8) 18 pieces in 1 box (.1 linear feet) Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

(OHC COLL 2020-7)  7 boxes (3.57 linear feet) Browse a detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.   The West Oakland Home for Foundlings and Needy Children was founded by Rebecca McWade in the 1880s. She and a circle of women, initially known as the Little Workers of East and West Oakland, established the home on Campbell Street in West Oakland. Unlike similar facilities of the time, the home was nonsectarian and open to all races. In 1930 the home moved to a new location on Lincoln Boulevard and was renamed the Lincoln Child Center. The records in this collection are mainly logbooks of child admissions listing name, age, nationality, religion, orphan status, dates entered and discharged, and brief remarks for each child. The collection also includes Board minutes (1903-1924), an annual report (1912) and children's case letters (1899?-1905).