Guide to the Records of National Negro Health Week
- Author:
Dana R. Chandler
- Sponsor:
Arrangement and description of this collection was made possible through a NHPRC-funded collaborative grant with The University of Alabama, "Bringing Alabama's African American History to Light."
- Publication:
Tuskegee University Archives
2009Tuskegee University Archives. All rights reserved.
- Creation:
Machine-readable finding aid derived from typescript by rekeying Finding aid encoded by Tuskegee University Archives, 03-28-09
- Language Usage:
Description is in English
Guide to the Records of National Negro Health Week August, 1957
Tuskegee University Archives 2009 Tuskegee University. All rights reserved.
- Processed by:
- Dana R. Chandler
- Date Completed:
- 03/28/09
- Encoded by:
- Dana R. Chandler.
Overview of the Collection
- Repository:
Tuskegee University Archives
- Creator
Electronic edition created by Dana R. Chandler
- Quantity:
size 3.0 Cubic feet 1 Series
Guide to the Records of National Negro Health Week
- Unit ID:
Collection Number 144
- Access Restrictions:
Access Restrictions: Collection is unrestricted
- Acquisition Information:
Acquisition Information: Tuskegee Archives, Bioethics Building, Tuskegee, Alabama
- Usage Restrictions:
Usage Restrictions: Copyright: 2009 Tuskegee University
- Preferred Citation:
Preferred Citation: Guide to the Records of the National Negro Health Week, Tuskegee University.
- Processing Information:
Processing Information: Processed by Dana R. Chandler:
Completed in 2009
Scope and Content Notes
The records consist of documents generated or received by the Planning Committee, atTuskegee (1915-30; from 1930-32 it was located at Howard University Medical School; further records from 1933-36 were located at Tuskegee) for the National Negro Health Week. The collection includes correspondence, newspaper articles, pamphlets, posters, and other general documents. The records are potentially valuable to those interested in researching health trends among African Americans during the late 1920s and 30s. The documents may also be used to determine the extent to which individuals and communities of African Americans worked toward developing viable plans for better health.
History
National Negro Health Week was established in 1915 by Booker T. Washington. This was the last nationally organized effort made by Washington. Beginning in 1909, with sessions devoted to health at the Annual Tuskegee Negro Conference, the issue of health increasingly became an important aspect of this conference. As a result, a report was developed for the 1914 meeting concerning statistics that showed a higher mortality rate among African Americans. Suggestions were made in order to bring those figures down. The issue received nationwide attention and Washington called for a Health Improvement Week for African Americans beginning the week of April 11, 1915. Working through a myriad of organizations, which included teachers, ministers, and farmers� organizations; health officials were able to disseminate health information to African Americans. By 1930, the efforts of those involved with the program contributed to a rise in the average life span for African Americans from 35 to 45 years.
National Negro Health Week was the occasion for numerous activities associated with health issues. Programs during the week included lectures by health officials at schools, churches, and civic organizations with the aim of reaching the widest number of people. Officials were particularly interested in dealing with the health problems of children. Lectures for parents and children were organized, advertisements contracted, and children registered with local clinics. Doctors took advantage of the opportunity to promote their private practices. The majority of events related to local communities and circumstances. In many places, instead of holding health clinics in one place, the doctors and staff would travel around the communities.
Leadership of National Negro Health Week went through several changes which revealed the divisions among leaders over bringing African�Americans into the mainstream of American society. After Booker T. Washington�s death in 1915, Robert R. Moton and educators from Tuskegee and other institutions were important in overseeing National Negro Health Week. By the late 1920s, African American doctors associated with the National Medical Association were instrumental in the planning and organization of the program. From 1930-32 physicians at Howard University Medical School headed the Planning Committee until Dr. Roscoe C. Brown took over. Dr. Brown, a specialist in health education, became the director of the Office of Negro Health Work with the United States Public Health Service. Brown was also the only public health official to serve on Franklin Delano Roosevelt�s "Black Cabinet." He would serve as director until the campaign was dissolved in 1950. Dr. Monroe N. Work served as secretary of the Planning Committee. Brown and Work were both employed by Tuskegee Institute at various times in their careers.
In 1930, the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), with the help of the Julius Rosenwald Fund, took over organization of National Negro Health Week and expanded the concept to a year-round effort under the title �National Negro Health Movement.� By 1938, a new call was made to expand the number of agencies involved with National Negro Health Week. The majority of these new agencies, such as the American Heart Association, were for citizens of all races.
By World War II some national African American leaders argued for the end of annual Negro health week campaigns in favor of the integration of African Americans into all aspects of society, including the health care sector. This issue became known as the medical civil rights movement, which coincided with other civil rights issues of the 1940s. These leaders argued that all people should equally share all medical institutions and health programs. In 1950, the USPHS announced the end of the National Negro Health Movement on the grounds that the nation was moving toward integration. Some, like Louis T. Wright, a leader in the NAACP, argued that separate back programs should not be accepted even for humanitarian reasons. Although the health of many may suffer, it served the greater good to bring about integration in every aspect of life.
Sources: none
Arrangement
Arranged into 1 accession-
162-1-6.
Source(s)
Index Terms
The papers are indexed under the following headings in the Tuskegee University Libraries online catalog. Researchers seeking materials about related subjects, persons, organizations or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Names: Booker T. Washington Robert R. Moton Roscoe C. Brown. Monroe N. Work
Corporate Names: United States
National Negro Health Week Research on National Negro Health Movement Research on Negro Year Book Research on United States Public Health Service Research on Alabama, Research on Macon County, Alabama, Research on Civil Rights, Research on Tuskegee Institute Research on Howard University Research on Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Division of Vital Statistics
Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the location and box numbers shown below.
Components in Detail
Negro Health Week, 1922-1930 - Correspondence/ Agencies and Affiliates box box 1 folder folder 1
Negro Health Week, Observence Record, 1925-1930 box box 1 folder folder 2
Negro Health Week, Suggestions and Planning, 1926-1930 box box 1 folder folder 3
Health Week, 1928 box box 1 folder folder 4
Health Week, September 1928 box box 1 folder folder 5
Health Week, October 1928 box box 1 folder folder 6
Health Week, November 1928 box box 1 folder folder 7
Health Week, December 1928 box box 1 folder folder 8
Health Week, Program for Observance of B.T.Washington's Birthday, 1928 box box 1 folder folder 9
Negro Health Week, 1928 - Church Affiliates/ Miscellaneous box box 1 folder folder 10
Negro Health Week, 1929/Suggestions for 1930 box box 1 folder folder 11
Questions and Answers Concerning Health Week, 1928, 1929, Requesting Information box box 1 folder folder 12
Questions and Answers Concerning Health Week, 1928, 1929, Requesting Information box box 1 folder folder 13
Comparison of Births and Deaths, 1928-30 box box 1 folder folder 14
Health Week, January 1929 box box 2 folder folder 1
Health Week, February 1929 box box 1 folder folder 2
Health Week, March 1929 box box 2 folder folder 3
Health Week, March 1929 box box 2 folder folder 4
Health Week, March 31-April 7, 1929 box box 2 folder folder 5
Negro Health Week, 1929 - Miscelaneous (March 31-April 7) box box 2 folder folder 6
Negro Health Week, 1929 (March 31- April 7) Correspondence (April -June 1929) box box 2 folder folder 7
Negro Heath Week, 1929 (March 31 - April 7) Reports (Texas, Tennessee) box box 2 folder folder 8
Health Week, April 1929 box box 2 folder folder 9
Health Week, May 1929 box box 2 folder folder 10
Health Week, June 1929 box box 2 folder folder 11
Health Week, July 1929 box box 2 folder folder 12
Health Week, September 1929 box box 2 folder folder 13
Health Week, 1929, Financial Handling of Bulletin box box 2 folder folder 14
Health Week, Prizes -Judges, 1929 box box 2 folder folder 15
National Negro Health Week, 1929 box box 2 folder folder 16
Health Week - 1929, Reports an Class A Cities box box 2 folder folder 17
Health Week - 1930, Reports box box 2 folder folder 18
Negro Health Campaign, 1929 box box 2 folder folder 19
Negro Health Week - 1929, Class B- Cities Under 100,000, Reports Waco, TX; Lynchburg, VA; West Palm Beach, TX; Florence, SC, Teague, TX; Tallahassee, FL; Beaumont, TX box box 2 folder folder 20
Orgaizing and Advertising for National Health Week, 1929 box box 2 folder folder 21
Reports on Health Week, 1929 box box 2 folder folder 22
State Mortality Statistics, 1929-30 box box 2 folder folder 23
Diseases, 1929 box box 2 folder folder 24
Health for the Farmer, 1929 box box 2 folder folder 25
Correspondence, Newspaper Articles,Programs, 1930 box box 3 folder folder 1
Correspondence, 1930 box box 3 folder folder 2
Health Week, 1930 Class A Eliminated box box 3 folder folder 3
Health Week, 1930 Financial Handling of Bulletins box box 3 folder folder 4
Health Hazards, 1930 box box 3 folder folder 5
Health News, 1930 box box 3 folder folder 6
Hospitals, 1930 Prizes, Judges, etc. box box 3 folder folder 7
Health Week, 1930 Class A Reports box box 3 folder folder 8
Health Week, 1930 Class C Reports box box 3 folder folder 9
Health Week, 1930 Reports Submitted to Judges box box 3 folder folder 10
Health Week, 1930 Reports Summarized box box 3 folder folder 11
Nurses, 1930 box box 3 folder folder 12
Head Nurse Killed, Robert Moton's Sister-in-law, Newspaper Clipping, 1930 box box 2 folder folder 13
Negro Health Week, 1930 box box 4 folder folder 1
Health Week, 1930 box box 4 folder folder 2
Health Week, 1930 box box 4 folder folder 3
Health Week, 1930 box box 4 folder folder 4
Health Week, 1930 box box 4 folder folder 5
Health Week, 1930 box box 4 folder folder 6
Health Week, 1930 box box 4 folder folder 7
Health Week, 1930 box box 4 folder folder 8
Health Week, 1930 -Suggest for 1931 box box 4 folder folder 9
Health Week, 1930, -Suggest for 1931 box box 4 folder folder 10
Books and Periodicals Bought, 1931 Requisitions box box 5 folder folder 1
Health Week, 1931 Correspondence box box 5 folder folder 2
Health Week, 1931 History of-- National Negro Health Week box box 5 folder folder 3
Hospitals, 1931 box box 5 folder folder 4
Newspaper Clippings, 1931-43 box box 5 folder folder 5
National Negro Health Week, 1931 Program for the Natl' Negro Health Movement box box 5 folder folder 6
Health Week, 1931 Reports on ( Certificates of Entry) box box 5 folder folder 7
Report Negro Health Week, 1931 San Antonio, Texas box box 5 folder folder 8
National Negro Health Week, 1931 - Special Announcement box box 5 folder folder 9
National Negro Health Week, 1931 - Special Notice box box 5 folder folder 10
National Negro Health Week, 1931- Suggested Sermons box box 5 folder folder 11
National Negro Health Week, General Correspondence- 1931 box box 5 folder folder 12
General Correspondence, Reports and Agendas, 1931 box box 5 folder folder 13
National Negro Health Week, Photographs,1931 box box 5 folder folder 14
Health Week, 1932 box box 6 folder folder 1
National Negro Health Week, 1932 box box 6 folder folder 2
Health Week, 1932 box box 6 folder folder 3
Hospitals, 1932 box box 6 folder folder 4
Mental Ability, 1932 box box 6 folder folder 5
National Negro Health Movement, 1932 Health Week Certificate of Merit box box 6 folder folder 6
Nurses, 1932 Publc Health Work box box 6 folder folder 7
Provisional Figures for Live Births, Infant Mortality, and Stillbirths in the Birth Registration Area in Continental U.S., 1932 box box 6 folder folder 8
Statistical Bullentins and Weekly Health Index, 1932 box box 6 folder folder 9
Weekly Health Index, 1932 box box 6 folder folder 10
Health, 1933 box box 7 folder folder 1
Health Week, 1933 box box 7 folder folder 2
Hospitals, 1933 box box 7 folder folder 3
Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Dvision of Vital Statistics, Weekly Health Index, 1933 box box 7 folder folder 4
Weekly Health Index, 1933 box box 7 folder folder 5
Health Week, 1936 box box 8 folder folder 1
Miscellaneous Pamphlets and Articles, 1936 box box 8 folder folder 2
Statistical Bullentins, 1936 box box 8 folder folder 3
Weekly Health Index, 1936 box box 8 folder folder 4
Newspaper Clippings and Photos, National Negro Health Week, 1929-43 (original copies) box box 9 folder folder 1