Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter Records, 1959-1985

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Summary

Title:
Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter records
Dates:
1959-1985
Abstract:
The Men of Tomorrow, Inc. was a male African American civic and professional organization started in Oakland, California in 1954. Founded by Jefferson Beaver, Richard A.G. Foster, Aramis Fouche, Theodore R. Hardeman, H. Solomon Hill, L. Sylvester Odom, Kenneth F. Smith, and George R. Vaughns, the group eventually grew to include over 300 members including many notable judges and politicians, including Evelio Grillo, Lionel Wilson, and Allen Broussard, and would eventually establish additional chapters in San Francisco, Richmond, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. The Men of Tomorrow, Inc Oakland Chapter records document meetings, conferences, and the administration of the organization between 1959-1985.
Extent:
1.25 linear feet (3 boxes)
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English
Preferred citation:

Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter records , MS 3, African American Museum and Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The Men of Tomorrow, Inc Oakland Chapter records document meetings, conferences, and the administration of the organization between 1959-1985. The bulk of the collection consists of the Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter’s constitution and by-laws, meeting minutes, agendas, newsletters, membership directories, and four scrapbooks assembled by the organization’s publicity chairman, Edward Douglas Jr. The scrapbooks include photographs of weekly meetings, newspaper clippings, conference programs, and luncheon invitations. The records are organized into three series: administrative files (.25 ft), scrapbooks (1 ft.), and artifacts (4 items).

Biographical / historical:

The Men of Tomorrow, Inc. was a male African American civic and professional organization started in Oakland, California in 1954. Founded by Jefferson Beaver, Richard A.G. Foster, Aramis Fouche, Theodore R. Hardeman, H. Solomon Hill, L. Sylvester Odom, Kenneth F. Smith, and George R. Vaughns, the group eventually grew to include over 300 members including many notable judges and politicians, including Evelio Grillo, Lionel Wilson, and Allen Broussard, and would eventually establish additional chapters in San Francisco, Richmond, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. The organization’s membership consisted chiefly of lawyers, judges, politicians, doctors, pastors, educators, and businessmen from Oakland and was dedicated to “foster the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations and the dignifying by each member of his occupation or profession as an opportunity to serve society through fellowship.” The Men of Tomorrow, Inc. was governed by a moderator, Board of Directors, and a Chairman of the Board and was organized into seven standing committees: membership, program, finance and budget, charter and extension, community relations, youth services, and publicity. The group held weekly business meetings at Jack London Inn, where they would often invite notable speakers to give lectures on politics, education, civil rights, religion, sports, international relations, labor relations, and economics. Beginning in 1959, the group also held a biennial conference on social and economic issues related to the African American community.

Arrangement:

Series I. Administrative files, 1959-1985 Series II. Scrapbooks, 1959-1973 Series III. Artifact, undated

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard
Bibliography:
Sources:"Civic service club backs blighted housing program", Oakland Tribune 3 April 1955: 7. Allen E. Broussard, A California Supreme Court Justice Looks at Law and Society, 1964-1996, an interview conducted in 1991, 1992, 1995, and 1996 by Gabrielle Morris, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 1997.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Sean Heyliger
Date Prepared:
© 2013
Date Encoded:
Machine-readable finding aid created by Sean Heyliger. Machine-readable finding aid derived from MS Word. Date of source: March 7, 2013.

Access and use

Restrictions:

No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.

Materials are for use in-library only, non-circulating.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish from the Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter Records must be obtained from the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.

Preferred citation:

Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter records , MS 3, African American Museum and Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.

Location of this collection:
659 14th Street
Oakland, CA 94612, US
Contact:
(510) 637-0198
aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org
Website