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The Washtenaw County Black Economic Development League (WCBEDL) Files series is the heart of this collection. Charles Thomas devoted the last 25 years of his life to WCBEDL, which provided financial support for the educational goals of the area's black youth, as well as serving as a training center in the areas of communication, electronics, and construction. Local churches provided most of the funding for WCBEDL, but their support was hard won. The folders in the "Church Relations" sub-series contain a copy of the "Black Manifesto", describe area congregations' reactions to Thomas' reading of it, the subsequent sit-ins, and the formation of the Inter-Faith Coalition of Congregations (IFCC). Researchers should also check the "Funding Sources" folders for other sources of funding. An overview of classes offered at WCBEDL is in the "Classes" files, including folders on the after-school and summer youth programs. Recipients of scholarships and their progress reports are in the "Community High School" and "Washtenaw Community College" sub-series. Multimedia classes offered to Community High students are in the "Community Resources Program" folders within the "Community High School" file. WCBEDL was also interested in the construction of energy-efficient family living spaces, as documented in the "Community Development Center" and "Construction Projects" files. The "Board of Directors" files, which contain correspondence and meeting minutes, are an excellent way to document the activities of WCBEDL, although there are no records from the 1980s and 1990s.