Dublin Core
Title
Box 7, Folder 14, Document 13
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
October 20, 1967
NATIONAL COORDINATORS WEEKLY REPORT
TASK FORCE ON LOCAL COALITIONS |
The Coalition took a major step forward this week in its program of
lending assistance to communities that want to set up local coalitions.
In response to requests from numerous cities throughout the country,
a one-day planning conference on "Mobilizing Urban Coalitions" was
held in Chicago on October 17. Two hundred and fifty representatives
of 52 cities attended. (LIST OF CITIES IS ATTAGHED)
Speaking at the Chicago meeting were Mayors Richard J. Daley of
Chicago and Arthur Naftalin of Minneapolis. Both Mayors stressed
two points: the need for acting swiftly and the importance of in-
volving all key sectors in the community.
Mayor Daley declared that "our common purpose is to improve the
quality of urban life for all citizens and we are here today to plan
a course of action to@hieve that goal."
Mayor Naftalin stressed the need to involve the various segments of
the community and to improve communication between them. He said:
"Business leaders must hear first-hand about the frustrations and
conditions of despair that are the every day experience of many of
our citizens...Government officials and voluntary agency directors
must look honestly at whether their programs are really reaching
their targets...The idea of the Coalition, as we view it in Minnea-
polis, is to make an honest effort to identify our strengths and
weaknesses, to win each other's confidence for a new attack and then
to go out and vigorously implement the program."
The planning session heard statements from His Eminence John Cardinal
Cody and the Rt. Rev. James W. Montgomery and a message from I. W.
Abel delivered by United Steelworkers' Legislative Director, Jack
Sheehan.
Also speaking at the meeting was Dr. Keeneth Wright, vice-president
and chief economist for the Life Insurance Association of America.
Wright told the Coalition audience that the nation's insurance companies,
already pledged to invest a billion dollars in inner-city housing
development, were also planning to move into job development by making
money available to finance industrial facilities in the inner city.
This, and other specific proposals, were discussed at a series of
workshop sessions. Here, representatives of business, labor,
religion, civil rights and local government thrashed out their ideas
on how to communicate with each other most effectively and what
specific measures need to be taken in their communities to meet the
compelling needs of our urban areas.
Steering Committee members participating in the Chicago meeting,
besides Mayors Daley and Naftalin, included John H. Johnson, Mayor
Joseph M. Barr and Arnold Aronson who each presided at a general
session and Milton Graham, who spoke at the lunceon session.
Workshop chairmen were John Denman, Manager of the Department of
Urban Affairs, Ford Motor Company; John Gunther, Executive Director
of the U.S. Conference of Mayors; Mrs. Frank Williams, League of
Women Voters Education Fund;and Larold Schulz, Coordinator of the
Anti-Poverty Task Force of the National Council of Churches and
Harold Fleming, President of the Potomac Institute.
The Chicago program proved to be a useful one and similar meetings,
on a regional basis, are planned for the east coast, the west coast,
and the south.
On October 19 and 20, in Minneapolis, leadership from 12 cities,
meeting under the auspices of the U. S. Conference of Mayors, discussed
the Coalition concept and how it could work in their cities. They
were joined in these discussions by the leadership of the newly formed
Minneapolis Coalition. National Coalition coordinator John Feild led
the discussion.
TASK FORCE ON PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT EXPANSION
During the Chicago session, the Staff Coordinator met with individuals
from Detroit, Atlanta and Baltimore to discuss plans for Task Force
meetings to be held in those cities within the next two months.
A meeting was held with Mr. John H. Murphy, of the National Industrial
Conference Board to discuss the role of the Board in assisting the
Task Force and a further meeting will be held in New York City on
October 24. The Task Force has been invited to send representatives
to a major community meeting on private employment under the newly
formed Gary Coalition's Employment Task Force chaired by U. S. Steel's
Gary Works Superintendent, George Gedenoff.
A number of local communities have formed, or are forming private
employment task forces, and have requested assistance from the national
staff in obtaining information and speakers.
TASK FORCE ON HOUSING, RECONSTRUCTION AND URBAN INVESTMENT
A work group meeting was held on the evening of October 16th
and all day on October 17th in Washington, D.C. at which time
the outline for the first draft of the Definition of Needs and Goals
and some program concepts for the Task Force were set forth.
NATIONAL COORDINATORS WEEKLY REPORT
TASK FORCE ON LOCAL COALITIONS |
The Coalition took a major step forward this week in its program of
lending assistance to communities that want to set up local coalitions.
In response to requests from numerous cities throughout the country,
a one-day planning conference on "Mobilizing Urban Coalitions" was
held in Chicago on October 17. Two hundred and fifty representatives
of 52 cities attended. (LIST OF CITIES IS ATTAGHED)
Speaking at the Chicago meeting were Mayors Richard J. Daley of
Chicago and Arthur Naftalin of Minneapolis. Both Mayors stressed
two points: the need for acting swiftly and the importance of in-
volving all key sectors in the community.
Mayor Daley declared that "our common purpose is to improve the
quality of urban life for all citizens and we are here today to plan
a course of action to@hieve that goal."
Mayor Naftalin stressed the need to involve the various segments of
the community and to improve communication between them. He said:
"Business leaders must hear first-hand about the frustrations and
conditions of despair that are the every day experience of many of
our citizens...Government officials and voluntary agency directors
must look honestly at whether their programs are really reaching
their targets...The idea of the Coalition, as we view it in Minnea-
polis, is to make an honest effort to identify our strengths and
weaknesses, to win each other's confidence for a new attack and then
to go out and vigorously implement the program."
The planning session heard statements from His Eminence John Cardinal
Cody and the Rt. Rev. James W. Montgomery and a message from I. W.
Abel delivered by United Steelworkers' Legislative Director, Jack
Sheehan.
Also speaking at the meeting was Dr. Keeneth Wright, vice-president
and chief economist for the Life Insurance Association of America.
Wright told the Coalition audience that the nation's insurance companies,
already pledged to invest a billion dollars in inner-city housing
development, were also planning to move into job development by making
money available to finance industrial facilities in the inner city.
This, and other specific proposals, were discussed at a series of
workshop sessions. Here, representatives of business, labor,
religion, civil rights and local government thrashed out their ideas
on how to communicate with each other most effectively and what
specific measures need to be taken in their communities to meet the
compelling needs of our urban areas.
Steering Committee members participating in the Chicago meeting,
besides Mayors Daley and Naftalin, included John H. Johnson, Mayor
Joseph M. Barr and Arnold Aronson who each presided at a general
session and Milton Graham, who spoke at the lunceon session.
Workshop chairmen were John Denman, Manager of the Department of
Urban Affairs, Ford Motor Company; John Gunther, Executive Director
of the U.S. Conference of Mayors; Mrs. Frank Williams, League of
Women Voters Education Fund;and Larold Schulz, Coordinator of the
Anti-Poverty Task Force of the National Council of Churches and
Harold Fleming, President of the Potomac Institute.
The Chicago program proved to be a useful one and similar meetings,
on a regional basis, are planned for the east coast, the west coast,
and the south.
On October 19 and 20, in Minneapolis, leadership from 12 cities,
meeting under the auspices of the U. S. Conference of Mayors, discussed
the Coalition concept and how it could work in their cities. They
were joined in these discussions by the leadership of the newly formed
Minneapolis Coalition. National Coalition coordinator John Feild led
the discussion.
TASK FORCE ON PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT EXPANSION
During the Chicago session, the Staff Coordinator met with individuals
from Detroit, Atlanta and Baltimore to discuss plans for Task Force
meetings to be held in those cities within the next two months.
A meeting was held with Mr. John H. Murphy, of the National Industrial
Conference Board to discuss the role of the Board in assisting the
Task Force and a further meeting will be held in New York City on
October 24. The Task Force has been invited to send representatives
to a major community meeting on private employment under the newly
formed Gary Coalition's Employment Task Force chaired by U. S. Steel's
Gary Works Superintendent, George Gedenoff.
A number of local communities have formed, or are forming private
employment task forces, and have requested assistance from the national
staff in obtaining information and speakers.
TASK FORCE ON HOUSING, RECONSTRUCTION AND URBAN INVESTMENT
A work group meeting was held on the evening of October 16th
and all day on October 17th in Washington, D.C. at which time
the outline for the first draft of the Definition of Needs and Goals
and some program concepts for the Task Force were set forth.
Comments