National Council of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States of America. Colored Work Dept.

African American service to the YMCA dates back to 1853, when Anthony Bowen established the first "colored" association in Washington D.C.. To facilitate work in the black community, a national Colored Work Department was created under the leadership of William Hunton in 1890. With incentives from philanthropists such as Julius Rosenwald the movement grew and by the 1930s, the YMCA reported nearly 100 black associations in its annual yearbook. After the return of African American soldiers from service in World War I, momentum began to build for an end to discrimination against blacks within the YMCA movement. It was not until after World War II, however, that segregation of YMCAs as a national policy ended. With this 1946 resolution, the Colored Work Department was dissolved. Work towards the promotion of interracial policies within the YMCA and efforts to provide support and services to the African American communite continued under the auspices of various commissions and committees.

From the description of Colored Work Department records, 1871-1946. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62691923