Frank Albert Young papers

Collection

Identifier: AMN 1136

Staff Only

Collection Overview

The collection is divided into six series:

Series 1. Biographical Documents contains photocopied newspaper articles focusing on Frank Albert Young with brief photographs, manuscripts and poems written by Young. A sub-series contains correspondence, mostly letters (business and personal) sent to Young, along with greeting and postcards. Letters from authors include poet, SDiane (Adamz-) Bogus and historian, William Loren Katz.

Series 2. Organizational Affiliations holds various correspondence, organizational publications, newsletters, newspaper and magazine clippings and circulars pertaining to the associations Young established, co-founded or was a member. Many of the organizations are of a social justice, civil rights, grassroots and/or political nature. Several organizations such as the Third World Press and Pan-African Press (established in Charleston, South Carolina) document Young's involvement as a journalist/media representative. The series also contains Young's research on the Ku Klux Klan (which is also represented in Series 3) in Pennsylvania and nationally. In addition, the series includes newsletters and releases regarding the Free South Africa Movement and the Anti-Apartheid Act of 1985; the murder of Eula Mae Love (1979) by a Los Angeles police officer, represented by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression; materials regarding the formation of the National Black United Front, a grassroots organization originated in Brooklyn, New York, who also led a campaign for the missing children in Atlanta, Georgia (1981). Young's interest also included environmental protection which include organizations dedicated to the preservation of coastal and barrier resources (Barrier Island Coalition, Folly Beach (South Carolina) Erosion Committee) and documents pertaining to Daufuskie Island and the Coastal Barrier Resources Act. A sub-series includes newsletters, news releases and circulars from grassroots and national organizations pertaining to workers rights and issues and civil rights.

Series 3. Instructional and Research Materials comprises materials collected by Young for his teaching and writings on African American, African and Native American history and heritage. Included are biographical sketches (newspaper clippings and Young's handwritten notes) with both notable and unacknowledged African Americans and people of African descent. Also included are booklets, journal essays, newspaper and magazine clippings, and educational material catalogs pertaining to African-American history. Included are Young's research on the Underground Railroad, focusing on the Pennsylvania to Canada connection. The sub-series on Native Americans includes materials from the Lenni Lenape Historical Society (Allentown, Pennsylvania), along with journal essays and magazine pictorials of various tribes in the United States. African history holds essays, maps and a sub-group with periodicals, journal essays, news releases and circulars pertaining to apartheid and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. The series also includes various conference papers and reports from national organizations including the KUUMBA Foundation, (part of the Congress of African Peoples). The sub-series Literary Productions contains poems collected by Young and a partial draft of an untitled screenplay which would become the movie Daughters of the Dust by Julie Dash.

Series 4. Subject Files incorporates various printed documents, newspaper and magazine clippings, relating to the political, professional and personal interest of Frank Albert Young. Includes an large section on the topic of race relations and racism.

Series 5. Various Materials holds various notes, mostly of business and media mailing addresses and labels used by Young. Also, contains various brochures from government and non-profit agencies. Includes a folder of ephemera with a "Passenger's Check" issued by the Charleston (South Carolina) Consolidated Railway and Lighting Company (circa 1910).

Series 6. Oversize Materials contains newspapers, mostly from grassroots organizations and oversize posters collected by Young. Of note, is The Black Panther Intercommunal News Service, a newspaper edited by Huey P. Newton, and published by the Black Panther Party: Ministry of Information, (Volume XIX No. 9).

Dates

Creation: 1910-1989, undated
Creation: Majority of material found within 1970-1988

Creator

Young, Frank Albert, 1905-1990 (Person)

Access Restrictions

This collection has no restrictions.

Copyright Notice

The nature of the Avery Research Center's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Avery Research Center claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Biographical Note

Frank Albert Young, (1905-1990) was born in Chicago, Illinois to Adaline Harrison Young and Frank "Fay" Albert Young Sr. His father was considered the "Dean of Black sportswriters," and was the managing editor for the Chicago Defender newspaper. Nicknamed "Ghost Green Eyes," Young (Jr.) identified himself as "part Amish, part American Indian and part black." His Native American heritage is attributed to the Lenni Lenape tribe (Delaware Indians).

Young would become a printer's devil (otherwise known as apprentice) at the Defender and eventually followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a sports editor. He held numerous positions during his life, including being the assistant secretary of the Negro National League, and as a social worker in Los Angeles, California. Young wrote for a number of newspapers and participated in labor organizations internationally. He established the Third World Press News Service, Third World-American Education Association and the Pan-African Communication Committee. A strong advocate and promoter for having African American history taught in high schools and colleges, Young was a frequent lecturer at secondary and academic institutions across the country.

Young was married to Esther Adams.

Work Cited:

Gemperlein, Joyce. "Bringing History to Life." The Philadelphia Inquirer 17 June 1987: 1-B, 2-B. Print.

Extent

5.0 linear feet (8 archival boxes, 1 oversize box and 1 oversize folder)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Frank Albert Young (1905-1990), worked as a journalist, historian, lecturer, and activist. Young, frequently referred to as "Mzee" (respected wise elder) and "Mwalimu" (dedicated teacher) was one of the last living members of "The Harlem Round Table." He was the founding member of the Third World Press News Service, Third World-American Education Association and Pan-African Communications Committee and was a member of numerous social justice, and grassroots organizations.

The majority of this collection includes correspondence (both business and personal), as well as newsletters, pamphlets, magazine and newspaper clippings from social justice, civil rights, grassroots and political organizations, some which Young founded or co-founded. Several organizations document Young's involvement as a journalist/media representative. The collection also includes documents used in Young's instruction to youth, with research materials on African American, African and South African histories, with periodicals and newsletters on the anti-apartheid movement; and documents pertaining to Young's Native American heritage (the Lenni Lenape tribe). Young also conducted extensive research on a variety of topics, including the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania and the Ku Klux Klan which is reflected in the periodicals, newspaper and magazine clippings. The remainder of the collection holds brief photographs of Young, his various notes on businesses he contacted and newsletters and periodicals, mostly from African American grassroots organizations.

Collection Arrangement

Series 1. Biographical Documents

Series 2. Organizational Affiliations

Series 3. Research and Instructional Materials

Series 4. Subject Files

Series 5: Various Materials

Series 6: Oversize Materials