fbpx
Wikipedia

Black Cabinet

November 23, 2023

The Black Cabinet, or Federal Council of Negro Affairs or Black Brain Trust, was the informal term for a group of African Americans who served as public policy advisors to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in his terms in office from 1933 to 1945. Despite its name, it was not an official organization. The term was coined in 1936 by Mary McLeod Bethune and was occasionally used in the press. By mid-1935, there were 45 African Americans working in federal executive departments and New Deal agencies.[2]

Roosevelt's black advisors in 1938[1]

History edit

Although the council was concerned with civil rights, Franklin D. Roosevelt believed there were larger problems to be addressed than racial inequality during the wartime years; he was also struggling to maintain the support of the Southern white Congressional Democrats. Roosevelt declined to support legislation making lynching a federal offense, as well as legislation banning the use of the poll tax in the South.

The Black Cabinet, with Eleanor Roosevelt's support, worked to ensure that African Americans received 10 percent of welfare funds. The Council argued that black citizens were underrepresented among recipients of aid under the New Deal, in large part because Southern Democrats had influenced the structure and implementation of programs to aid their white constituents. For instance, the Agricultural Adjustment Administration helped farmers but did not help farmworkers; farm owners were given the incentive to cut farm production, reducing the need for labor. Programs such as the Works Projects Administration (WPA), and the National Youth Administration (NYA) attempted to direct 10 percent of funds to African Americans (as their proportion of the US population). These agencies set up separate all-black units with the same pay and conditions as those in white units, to which black voters responded favorably.

Mary McLeod Bethune served as an informal organizer of the council, as well as the Director of Negro Affairs in the National Youth Administration.[3] Rayford Wittingham Logan drafted Roosevelt's executive order prohibiting the exclusion of African Americans from the military in World War II. Other leaders included William H. Hastie and Robert C. Weaver. The leaders associated with the Black Cabinet are often credited with laying part of the foundation of the Civil Rights Movement that developed in strength in the postwar years.

The Council tried to create jobs and other opportunities for unemployed African Americans; concentrated in rural areas of the South, African Americans made up about twenty percent of the poor in the Depression Era. They were often the first to be let go from industrial jobs. Most African Americans did not benefit from some of the New Deal Acts.

The WPA created agencies that employed creative people in a variety of jobs, such as writers, artists, and photographers. WPA murals were painted and WPA sculptures were commissioned for numerous federal buildings that were constructed during this period. Photographers documented families across the South and in northern cities. The Federal Writers' Project paid its workers $20 a week, and they wrote histories of every state in the Union, covering major cities in addition.[4]

Under Roscoe E. Lewis, the Virginia Writers' Project sent out an all-black unit of writers to interview formerly enslaved African Americans. Such accounts were also solicited in interviews in other states. The Slave Narrative Collection of the Federal Writers' Project stands as one of the most enduring and noteworthy achievements of the WPA.[5]

Members of the group worked officially and unofficially in their agencies to provide insight into the needs of African Americans. In the past, there had never been so many African Americans chosen at one time to work in the federal government together for the express benefit of African Americans. The 45 primarily comprised an advisory group to the administration.[6] Eleanor Roosevelt was said to encourage the formation of the Black Cabinet to help shape New Deal programs.[7]

Members edit

Most members were not politicians but rather community leaders, scholars, and activists. Prominent members included Dr. Robert C. Weaver, a young economist from Harvard University and a race relations adviser. He worked with the White House to provide more opportunities for African Americans. In 1966 he became the first African American cabinet member, appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson as Secretary of the newly created Department of Housing and Urban Development.[8] During the 1970s, Weaver served as the national director of the Municipal Assistance Corporation, which was formed during New York City's financial crisis. Another prominent member of Roosevelt's Black Cabinet was Eugene K. Jones, the Executive Secretary of the National Urban League, a major civil rights organization.

One of the most well-known members, and the only woman, was Mary McLeod Bethune. Bethune's political affinity to the Roosevelts was so strong that she changed her party allegiance.[9] Bethune was very closely tied to the community and believed she knew what African Americans really wanted. She was looked upon very highly by other members of the cabinet, and the younger men called her "Ma Bethune". Bethune was a personal friend of Eleanor Roosevelt and, uniquely among the cabinet, had access to the White House. Their friendship began during a luncheon when Eleanor Roosevelt sat Bethune to the right of the president, considered the seat of honor. Franklin Roosevelt was so impressed by one of Bethune's speeches that he appointed her to the Division of Negro Affairs in the newly created National Youth Administration.

Members of this group in 1938 included the following:

At various times, others included:

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Front row, left to right: Dr. Ambrose Caliver, Dr. Roscoe C. Brown, Dr. Robert C. Weaver, Joseph H. Evans, Dr. Frank Horne, Mary McLeod Bethune, Lt. Lawrence A. Oxley, Dr. William J. Thompkins, Charles E. Hall, William I. Houston, Ralph E. Mizelle. Back row, left to right: Dewey R. Jones, Edgar Brown, J. Parker Prescott, Edward H. Lawson, Jr., Arthur Weisiger, Alfred Edgar Smith, Henry A. Hunt, John W. Whitten, Joseph R. Houchins. Source: Scurlock Studio, "President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Black Cabinet" taken in March 1938" online at Smithsonian Institution
  2. ^ New Deal (Roosevelt) 2014-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Civil Rights Leader | NCNW | Mary McLeod Bethune 2008-01-24 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ About the WPA Life Histories Collection
  5. ^ Slave Narratives: An Introduction to the WPA Slave Narratives
  6. ^ Google Books Invisible Politics (page 263)
  7. ^ "African American History" March 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia Encarta, accessed 31 October 2009
  8. ^ Barron, James. "Robert C. Weaver, 89, First Black Cabinet Member, Dies". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  9. ^ Nancy Joan Weiss, Farewell to the Party of Lincoln: Black politics in the age of FDR, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983, p. 142
  10. ^ Guzman, Jessie Parkhurst; Foster, Vera Chandler; Hughes, William Hardin (1947). Negro year book : a review of events affecting Negro life, 1941-1946. Prelinger Library. Tuskegee, Al. : Dept. of Records and Research, Tuskegee Institute.

Bibliography edit

  • Barron, James (19 July 1997). "Robert C. Weaver, 89, First Black Cabinet Member, Dies". New York Times. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  • Burwell, N. Yolanda (2001). "Lawrence A. Oxley: Defining state public welfare among African Americans". In Carlton-LaNey, Iris (ed.). African American leadership: An empowerment tradition in social welfare history. Washington, DC: NASW Press. pp. 99–110. ISBN 9780871013170.
  • Fleming, Thomas C. (8 September 1999). "Reflections on Black History: Part 83, The Black Cabinet". Columbus Free Press. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  • . Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  • Hughes, Langston; Meltzer, Milton; Lincoln, C. Eric (1973). A Pictorial History of the Negro in America (3rd rev ed.). New York: Crown Publishers.
  • Oxley, Lawrence A. (1927). The North Carolina Negro. s.l.: s.n. Retrieved 5 January 2022., Reprinted from the November 1927 Welfare Magazine
  • Oxley, Lawrence A. (July 1940). "Employment Security and the Negro". Employment Security Review. 7 (7): 12–15. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  • Walton, Hanes (1985). Invisible politics: Black political behavior. Albany: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0873959663.
  • Weiss, Nancy J. (1983). Farewell to the party of Lincoln: Black politics in the age of FDR. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691047030.
  • Yetman, Norman R. "An Introduction to the WPA Slave Narratives | Articles and Essays | Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 | Digital Collections | Library of Congress". Library of Congress. Retrieved 5 January 2022.

Further reading edit

  • Daniel, Walter. Ambrose Caliver: Adult Educator and Civil Servant, Syracuse, NY: Syracuse Univ Printing, 1966
  • Poole, Bernice Anderson (1994). Mary Mcleod Bethune: educator. ISBN 0-87067-783-7.
  • Wilkins, Theresa B., "Ambrose Caliver: Distinguished Civil Servant", Journal of Negro Education, 1962

External links edit

  • "Mary Jane McLeod Bethune", American National Biography Online

November 23, 2023
black, cabinet, federal, council, negro, affairs, black, brain, trust, informal, term, group, african, americans, served, public, policy, advisors, president, franklin, roosevelt, first, lady, eleanor, roosevelt, terms, office, from, 1933, 1945, despite, name,. The Black Cabinet or Federal Council of Negro Affairs or Black Brain Trust was the informal term for a group of African Americans who served as public policy advisors to President Franklin D Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in his terms in office from 1933 to 1945 Despite its name it was not an official organization The term was coined in 1936 by Mary McLeod Bethune and was occasionally used in the press By mid 1935 there were 45 African Americans working in federal executive departments and New Deal agencies 2 Roosevelt s black advisors in 1938 1 Contents 1 History 2 Members 3 See also 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 Further reading 7 External linksHistory editAlthough the council was concerned with civil rights Franklin D Roosevelt believed there were larger problems to be addressed than racial inequality during the wartime years he was also struggling to maintain the support of the Southern white Congressional Democrats Roosevelt declined to support legislation making lynching a federal offense as well as legislation banning the use of the poll tax in the South The Black Cabinet with Eleanor Roosevelt s support worked to ensure that African Americans received 10 percent of welfare funds The Council argued that black citizens were underrepresented among recipients of aid under the New Deal in large part because Southern Democrats had influenced the structure and implementation of programs to aid their white constituents For instance the Agricultural Adjustment Administration helped farmers but did not help farmworkers farm owners were given the incentive to cut farm production reducing the need for labor Programs such as the Works Projects Administration WPA and the National Youth Administration NYA attempted to direct 10 percent of funds to African Americans as their proportion of the US population These agencies set up separate all black units with the same pay and conditions as those in white units to which black voters responded favorably Mary McLeod Bethune served as an informal organizer of the council as well as the Director of Negro Affairs in the National Youth Administration 3 Rayford Wittingham Logan drafted Roosevelt s executive order prohibiting the exclusion of African Americans from the military in World War II Other leaders included William H Hastie and Robert C Weaver The leaders associated with the Black Cabinet are often credited with laying part of the foundation of the Civil Rights Movement that developed in strength in the postwar years The Council tried to create jobs and other opportunities for unemployed African Americans concentrated in rural areas of the South African Americans made up about twenty percent of the poor in the Depression Era They were often the first to be let go from industrial jobs Most African Americans did not benefit from some of the New Deal Acts The WPA created agencies that employed creative people in a variety of jobs such as writers artists and photographers WPA murals were painted and WPA sculptures were commissioned for numerous federal buildings that were constructed during this period Photographers documented families across the South and in northern cities The Federal Writers Project paid its workers 20 a week and they wrote histories of every state in the Union covering major cities in addition 4 Under Roscoe E Lewis the Virginia Writers Project sent out an all black unit of writers to interview formerly enslaved African Americans Such accounts were also solicited in interviews in other states The Slave Narrative Collection of the Federal Writers Project stands as one of the most enduring and noteworthy achievements of the WPA 5 Members of the group worked officially and unofficially in their agencies to provide insight into the needs of African Americans In the past there had never been so many African Americans chosen at one time to work in the federal government together for the express benefit of African Americans The 45 primarily comprised an advisory group to the administration 6 Eleanor Roosevelt was said to encourage the formation of the Black Cabinet to help shape New Deal programs 7 Members editMost members were not politicians but rather community leaders scholars and activists Prominent members included Dr Robert C Weaver a young economist from Harvard University and a race relations adviser He worked with the White House to provide more opportunities for African Americans In 1966 he became the first African American cabinet member appointed by Lyndon B Johnson as Secretary of the newly created Department of Housing and Urban Development 8 During the 1970s Weaver served as the national director of the Municipal Assistance Corporation which was formed during New York City s financial crisis Another prominent member of Roosevelt s Black Cabinet was Eugene K Jones the Executive Secretary of the National Urban League a major civil rights organization One of the most well known members and the only woman was Mary McLeod Bethune Bethune s political affinity to the Roosevelts was so strong that she changed her party allegiance 9 Bethune was very closely tied to the community and believed she knew what African Americans really wanted She was looked upon very highly by other members of the cabinet and the younger men called her Ma Bethune Bethune was a personal friend of Eleanor Roosevelt and uniquely among the cabinet had access to the White House Their friendship began during a luncheon when Eleanor Roosevelt sat Bethune to the right of the president considered the seat of honor Franklin Roosevelt was so impressed by one of Bethune s speeches that he appointed her to the Division of Negro Affairs in the newly created National Youth Administration Members of this group in 1938 included the following Alfred Edgar Smith Works Projects Administration Dr Ambrose Caliver Department of the Interior Arthur Weiseger Department of Labor Charles E Hall Department of Commerce Constance E H Daniel Department of Agriculture Dewey R Jones Department of the Interior Edgar G Brown Civilian Conservation Corps Edward H Lawson Jr Works Projects Administration Henry A Hunt Farm Credit Administration J Parker Prescott Housing Authority John W Whitten Works Projects Administration Joseph H Evans Farm Security Administration Joseph R Houchins Department of Commerce Lawrence A Oxley Department of Labor Mary McLeod Bethune National Youth Administration Ralph E Mizelle US Postal Service Dr Robert C Weaver Federal Housing Administration Dr Roscoe C Brown Public Health Service William I Houston Department of Justice Dr William J Thomkins Recorder of DeedsAt various times others included Dr Charles L Franklin 10 Social Security Board Eugene Kinckle Jones Department of Commerce Frank Smith Horne optometrist college administrator and lyricist William J Trent Federal Works Agency William H Hastie attorney Department of the InteriorSee also editCivil rights movement 1896 1954 List of African American United States Cabinet members United States CabinetReferences edit Front row left to right Dr Ambrose Caliver Dr Roscoe C Brown Dr Robert C Weaver Joseph H Evans Dr Frank Horne Mary McLeod Bethune Lt Lawrence A Oxley Dr William J Thompkins Charles E Hall William I Houston Ralph E Mizelle Back row left to right Dewey R Jones Edgar Brown J Parker Prescott Edward H Lawson Jr Arthur Weisiger Alfred Edgar Smith Henry A Hunt John W Whitten Joseph R Houchins Source Scurlock Studio President Franklin D Roosevelt s Black Cabinet taken in March 1938 online at Smithsonian Institution New Deal Roosevelt Archived 2014 06 06 at the Wayback Machine Civil Rights Leader NCNW Mary McLeod Bethune Archived 2008 01 24 at the Wayback Machine About the WPA Life Histories Collection Slave Narratives An Introduction to the WPA Slave Narratives Google Books Invisible Politics page 263 African American History Archived March 28 2008 at the Wayback Machine Encyclopedia Encarta accessed 31 October 2009 Barron James Robert C Weaver 89 First Black Cabinet Member Dies The New York Times The New York Times Retrieved 22 March 2015 Nancy Joan Weiss Farewell to the Party of Lincoln Black politics in the age of FDR Princeton NJ Princeton University Press 1983 p 142 Guzman Jessie Parkhurst Foster Vera Chandler Hughes William Hardin 1947 Negro year book a review of events affecting Negro life 1941 1946 Prelinger Library Tuskegee Al Dept of Records and Research Tuskegee Institute Bibliography editBarron James 19 July 1997 Robert C Weaver 89 First Black Cabinet Member Dies New York Times Retrieved 5 January 2022 Burwell N Yolanda 2001 Lawrence A Oxley Defining state public welfare among African Americans In Carlton LaNey Iris ed African American leadership An empowerment tradition in social welfare history Washington DC NASW Press pp 99 110 ISBN 9780871013170 Fleming Thomas C 8 September 1999 Reflections on Black History Part 83 The Black Cabinet Columbus Free Press Retrieved 5 January 2022 African American History Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia Microsoft Archived from the original on 28 October 2009 Retrieved 5 January 2022 Hughes Langston Meltzer Milton Lincoln C Eric 1973 A Pictorial History of the Negro in America 3rd rev ed New York Crown Publishers Oxley Lawrence A 1927 The North Carolina Negro s l s n Retrieved 5 January 2022 Reprinted from the November 1927 Welfare Magazine Oxley Lawrence A July 1940 Employment Security and the Negro Employment Security Review 7 7 12 15 Retrieved 5 January 2022 Walton Hanes 1985 Invisible politics Black political behavior Albany State University of New York Press ISBN 0873959663 Weiss Nancy J 1983 Farewell to the party of Lincoln Black politics in the age of FDR Princeton NJ Princeton University Press ISBN 0691047030 Yetman Norman R An Introduction to the WPA Slave Narratives Articles and Essays Born in Slavery Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers Project 1936 1938 Digital Collections Library of Congress Library of Congress Retrieved 5 January 2022 Further reading editDaniel Walter Ambrose Caliver Adult Educator and Civil Servant Syracuse NY Syracuse Univ Printing 1966 Poole Bernice Anderson 1994 Mary Mcleod Bethune educator ISBN 0 87067 783 7 Wilkins Theresa B Ambrose Caliver Distinguished Civil Servant Journal of Negro Education 1962External links edit Mary Jane McLeod Bethune American National Biography Online Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Black Cabinet amp oldid 1164152277, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.