Atlanta Neighborhood Union
| Motto | Thy neighbor as thyself |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1908 |
| Extinction | 1970s |
|
Founder
|
Lugenia Burns Hope |
The Atlanta Neighborhood Union was an African-American, women-led neighborhood organization in Atlanta, Georgia, started in 1908 by Lugenia Burns Hope, and chartered in 1911. The Union, "a prototype for self-help and social service organizations," was one of the most important organizations for Atlanta's social services, and worked in part by networking with the city's progressive whites. One of the organizations influenced by it was the Women's Political Council, of Montgomery, Alabama. It was dissolved in the 1970s.
The Atlanta Neighborhood Union was founded by Lugenia Burns Hope, a social reformer and the wife of Morehouse College president John Hope. The organization got started in June 1908, when Hope convened with eight other middle-class women. At the time, Atlanta was "the most segregated city in Georgia," and black children did not have a place to play: in Atlanta, there was "not a single playground or park for black children." In the end, the women got Morehouse College to give up some of its grounds for a playground; this success encouraged the group to continue. Morehouse College, especially the president's mansion, also served as a meeting place during the organization's early years.
The Union's aim was to initiate settlement projects to aid underprivileged black families. The city's neighborhoods were divided into districts, each of which had a board of directors which investigated living conditions in its area, especially the schooling situation. It collected demographic data to identify what types of programs would assist underprivileged citizens, and quickly started classes that taught such subjects as home and personal care. It sponsored health clinics and established after-school programs, and in 1909 began its political activity when it petitioned the Atlanta city council "to rid the community of 'a house of questionable character.'" The Union started a health clinic in 1915, which examined thousands of children, enrolled parents in health classes, and had boys' and girls' clubs. It made sure the city paved streets and provided adequate lighting and sewage treatment, and it replaced dilapidated houses.
The Union was especially interested in education, and besides providing classes itself, it petitioned the Atlanta Board of Education already in 1913 to build two new schools. Organizers at the district level investigated every single school, and reported that they were too small, improperly ventilated and dark, and generally overcrowded. These reports and lobbying efforts led to teachers' salaries being raised and a makeshift school being built in South Atlanta.
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