The State Council Meetings include meeting minutes, cassette recordings of some State Council meetings, memoranda, agendas, correspondence, bylaws, newsletters, and State Convention and State Executive Committee minutes. The State Council Meetings document the structure, function, and activities of the state and local chapters, issues of concern to NOW-NYS on subjects ranging from abortion to education, and provide insight into the running of this state-wide women's network.
Series 1 contains subject files covering a wide assortment of topics including conservation, education, various New York counties, and labor. Correspondence and news clippings are kept within the subject files. Miscellaneous files contain a small number of documents grouped together alphabetically by Senator Bush that were not extensive enough to have their own file.
Of particular interest in the Subject Files are the records of the Legal Redress Committee and the Education Committee. The Legal Redress Committee files are a valuable resource for researchers investigating African Americans and criminal justice in Albany in the 1970s and 1980s. These files contain considerable correspondence from prisoners in correctional facilities throughout New York State, and letters from individuals who felt they had received unfair treatment at the hands of the justice system or at their work because of their race. Researchers will also find documentation of incidents of discrimination in Albany schools and businesses. Also in these files are newspaper clippings from the Times Union and the Knickerbocker News documenting press coverage of incidents and legal cases involving African Americans. The files also include fundraising records for the branch's Legal Fund, established in 1967 to help individuals who could not afford to post bail, and records of the Legal Redress Committee's outreach efforts to educate community members about the arrest process and citizens' legal rights when arrested. Related to the Legal Redress Committee Files are the following folders: Arrest Pamphlet (1979-1985), Bail Bill (1974-1977), and Bail Workshop (1980-1981). The Education Committee files document key events in the history of Albany's public school system in the 1960s and 1970s, along with the NAACP's involvement in these events. There are newspaper clippings, meeting minutes and agenda, and related materials, along with Harry Hamilton's notes, on these happenings, which include the creation of Arbor Hill Elementary School and the new Albany High School (at 700 Washington Avenue), and the transition from three to two Albany middle schools. The Executive Board Committee files (1977-1987) contain extensive information about the activities of the NAACP; they consist of meeting minutes and agenda, newspaper clippings, NAACP newsletters, correspondence, administrative records, and Harry Hamilton's notes on all of the above. Those interested in the Branch's history may wish to consult the History file (1976-1985). While not extensive, it contains material related to Harry Hamilton's research on the history of the Branch that he did while writing the brief history of the organization that was included in the 1985 Freedom Fund program. It includes several letters from past presidents of the Albany branch reflecting upon their tenures as President.
Blinken maintained a small group of files related to specific SUNY schools. The files are arranged alphabetically by the name of the school. The files in Box 5 were accessioned later and processed separately from Box 1, 2, 3, and 4. The files in Box 5 are also arranged alphabetically by the name of the school. Materials within the files are arranged chronologically. They include reports, correspondence, and news clippings regarding a variety of topics.
Contains recorded broadcasts of The Legislative Gazette, a WAMC-produced weekly radio show hosted by David Guistina and regularly featuring Alan Chartock. The program features an in-depth look at New York State politics and government.
