This record group is a valuable source of information regarding community activities in the Pontiac area during the years 1978 to 1987 and documents PAUL's continuing efforts to provide minorities with a better quality of life. The series in the record group include: Reports and Minutes; Topical Files; Publications/Newspaper Clippings; and Photographs. Most of the information regarding Pontiac Area Urban League's involvement in the community can be found in the files of newspaper clippings and scrapbooks. The photographs and slides depict youth group activities and workshops and job fairs and employees in the job placement program. Of particular interest are photographs documenting poor housing conditions in the Pontiac area.
The Pontiac Area Urban League (PAUL) was formed in 1950, replacing the Southwest Community Center, as a service agency designed to improve living conditions, health, welfare, education, employment opportunities, and housing for Blacks and other minority groups in the Pontiac area. It is an affiliate of the National Urban League.
The majority of the collection dates from 1978 to 1987, during which time PAUL had two major committees, the Education Committee and the Employment Services Committee. PAUL was committed to the belief that the future of Pontiac youth was dependent upon the education they received. Events organized by the Education Committee have included a rally in 1979 encouraging voters to support an increase in property taxes in order to improve the Pontiac school system. In 1981, the committee established the Hubbard-McNeill scholarship fund for honor students in science and technology fields in which minorities have a small representation, and, in 1982, it organized a summer tutorial program in math and reading for high school students. PAUL also sponsored numerous youth group activities and workshops for all ages designed to promote leadership qualities and encourage education.
The Employment Services Committee was devoted to job training and placement of minorities and encouraged Pontiac High School to offer courses in career planning and vocational studies. It organized annual job fairs and began a job placement program with area employers which included screening of applicants, referrals to employers and follow-up calls. Also, the president of PAUL, Hugh Jackson, hosted a weekly radio program which discussed such topics as career training and hiring of minorities.
The Health Task Force of PAUL promoted health education through such activities as a free sickle cell screening clinic in 1980 in cooperation with the NAACP of Oakland County and free dental screenings for children in 1985.
Other activities of note are the Pontiac Area Urban League's Martin Luther King, Jr. commemorations, especially the "Pontiac Area 1978 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Observances" and the Martin Luther King, Jr. week in 1987.
