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Southern Christian Leadership Conference records > Department of Student Affairs records

Historical Note

The Department of Student Affairs was responsible for coordinating outreach efforts and promoting membership among youth. Early initiatives began in the 1970s, under the direction of Stoney Cooks. However, the department did become really active until the mid-1980s when Brenda Davenport was hired to be director. Under her leadership, the department greatly expanded its programming, specifically initiating projects to promote education, civic engagement, personal responsibility, and nonviolence. The department also worked to involve young people in SCLC's annual national convention.

The department conducted nonviolence training seminars in high schools in Georgia and Tennessee, as well as programs such as Rappin' for Our Future, Call to Manhood, and Growing into Womanhood. Many of these programs were designed to help teenagers navigate the transition into adulthood. For example, Call to Manhood was a rites of passage program organized in the 1990s to help young boys develop into responsible and educated men. It included seminars and workshops on personal hygiene, cultural heritage and nonviolence, as well as an annual conference. Similarly, Growing Into Womanhood, also organized in the 1990s, was a rites of passage program targeting young girls as they became women. Growing Into Womanhood consisted of seminars and workshops on personal hygiene and cultural heritage, but also addressed other issues such as teenage pregnancy and female health concerns.

Brenda Davenport led the department until the mid-2000s.

Scope and Content Note

The series contains the records of the Department of Student Affairs from 1963-2005, including administrative files such as correspondence, internal memoranda and meeting agendas and minutes, as well as subject files relating to the many programs geared toward student and youth development and outreach. The bulk of material is from 1983-2005 and documents Brenda Davenport as the Director of Student Affairs and primary organizer of student activities and programs. A small amount of material is present from an earlier incarnation of the program in the 1970s.

Programs of particular interest include the Stop the Killing, End the Violence campaign, Rappin' for Our Future, Student Call to Washington, Call to Manhood, Growing Into Womanhood, voter registration, and summer youth employment programs. The series also contains substantial material on student participation at SCLC's National Convention as well as a host of other activities and programs. Too, this series includes material on the Poor People's Crusade in its notes and notebooks, particularly circa 1987. It is important to note that records for Call to Manhood include no material for 1992 and that records for the summer youth employment programs (1981-1997) include a substantial gap from 1988-1990. Finally, the series documents the personal volunteer efforts of Brenda Davenport, including Children's Chapel at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Arrangement Note

Arranged in alphabetical order.