Conditions Governing Use:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation:

Virginia Council on Human Relations Records, Special Collections Research Center, W&M Libraries

Acquisition Information:

Gift: approximately 150 items, 1966.

Historical Note:

The Virginia Council on Human Relations was a private organization formed to encourage better race relations. There were chapters in various localities and its headquarters was in Richmond. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: .

Scope and Contents

The Virginia Council on Human Relations (VCHR) was a non-profit organization that attempted to find resolutions to the "race problem," i.e., school desegregation, fair employment practices, housing, inter-cultural relations, public facility desegregation, voting rights and registration in the state of Virginia. Stressing both constructive solutions and cooperative action, the VCHR worked with the Southern Regional Council and with Councils on Human Relations in other Southern states to realize its goal of acknowledging and accepting the "legitimate aspirations of all the people of Virginia," regardless of race, color, or national origin.

The VCHR collection represents an assortment of documents that chronicles the activities of the VCHR between 1960 and 1966. The collection contains leaflets, booklets, and pamphlets that outline the goals, objectives, and purposes of the VCHR. Another portion of the collection consists of official letters from key VCHR representatives to either members of local VCHR branches or to Southern citizens who supported the VCHR. Printed documents of the Southern Conference Educational Fund, Inc., or SCEF (i.e., The Southern Patriot, newspaper of the SCEF, letters of Fred Shuttleworth, president of SCEF) and the Southern Regional Council are a part of the collection. Official minutes, records, financial reports, newsletters, and memos of the VCHR are also a part of the collection. The records of the VCHR contain documents from the Norfolk, Fairfax, and other Virginian branches of the VCHR.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Correspondence
• Fliers (printed matter)
• Manuscripts (document genre)