Greene County Interracial Council Papers

Collection — Carton: MSS Box 91

Identifier: MSS 2019.0009

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Collection comprises a selection of correspondence and papers from the Catskill Interracial Discussion Group, Catskill Interracial Council, Society for Negro Art and Culture of Catskill, and the Greene County Interacial Council [GCIR]. Of particular note is a selection of letters mailed by candidates for local offices in 1968 in which the candidates give their opinions in writing on the role and ability of local government and citizens to improve opportunities for African-American community members. Also of note is the intact minutes book of the GCIR which contains descriptive accounts of meetings along with member and officer lists, meeting attendance, and actions of the execultive committee. The minutes include notes on local happenings, including notice of a bar fight in Leeds between several Black youth and members of a biker gang on September 30, 1972.

Dates

Majority of material found in 1968-1980

Biographical / Historical

The Greene County Interracial Council was an organization formed following the merger of the Catskill Inter-Racial Council [formerly the Catskill Inter-racial Discussion Group] and the Society for Negro Art and Culture of Catskill [SNACC] in the early 1970s. The aim of both organizations was to build awareness concerning the history and contributions of local minorities, with a particular focus on the Black/African-American community in the Town and Village of Catskill, while also dealing with contemporary issues related to employment, housing, and general social inequality which these groups identified as being prevalent in Catskill in the late 1960s. The organization was never large, and their efforts never seem to have extended beyond the confines of the County Seat, although they made particular efforts to correspond with the County Legislature on issues related to employment. The organization disbanded in May of 1979 due to lack of attendance by members and officers.