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The Illinois Interracial Commission originally was established in 1943 at the direction of the Governor. The commission, with twenty members appointed by the Governor, received legislative approval in 1947 (L. 1947, p. 1680). The commission investigates employment conditions, cooperates with civic, religious, and educational organizations that promote "tolerance and good will," and reports to the Governor and the General Assembly every biennium. In 1951 the legislature changed the commission's name to the Commission on Human Relations (L. 1951, p. 1994).
305.001
MINUTES OF COMMISSION MEETINGS. October 1, 1943-February 20, 1963. 9 vols. No index.
Minutes of regular and special commission meetings concern racial conditions in Illinois communities, especially in schools or black neighborhoods, and discrimination experienced by non-black minority groups (i.e., Jews, Filipinos, Japanese-Americans, Mexican-Americans). Nearly all major race incidents in Illinois between 1943 and 1963 were covered by commission representatives who made reports on them at commission meetings. Other discussions in the minutes include those about the Governor's 1949 order banning racial segregation in the Illinois National Guard, investigations by the Broyles Commission, U.S. Supreme Court cases dealing with racism, urban riots, and racial problems during World War II in which the commission became involved (e.g., omission in newsreels of black soldiers, defense contractors not hiring blacks).
School issues appear prominently in commission minutes and include segregation patterns of school districts, lack of participation by Negro schools in state tournaments, implementation of a state law that authorized the teaching of Negro history in public schools, legislative amendments to strengthen laws that forbade discrimination in public schools, and state monies spent to transport children to all-white private schools.
The minutes also note commission attempts to aid Negro physicians to reestablish their practices and contain correspondence of the commission chairman with the Governor of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney General, and the President concerning lynchings and the need for a White House conference on national unity; reports of discrimination by colleges and universities (particularly at De
Kalb, Champaign/Urbana, and Carbondale) and by leased concessions in state parks; reports about groups (like the Black Mantles) charged with inciting racial trouble; and statements on housing conditions from directors of state agencies such as the chairman of the State Housing Board. Often appended to the minutes are commission pamphlets, brochures, and legislative bills prepared by commission staff.
These records are available at the Illinois State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State.
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