Southern Regional Council
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| Founded | 1944 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Howard W. Odum |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Focus | Racial integration, Race relations, and Desegregation |
| Location | |
| Origins | Commission on Interracial Cooperation |
|
Area served
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Southern United States |
| Method | Philanthropy and Communications |
|
Key people
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Lillian Smith |
| Slogan | Igniting a Passion for Justice |
| Website | www |
The Southern Regional Council (SRC) is a reform-oriented organization created to avoid racial violence and promote racial equality in the Southern United States. Voter registration and political-awareness campaigns are used toward this end. The SRC evolved from the Commission on Interracial Cooperation in 1944. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Commission on Interracial Cooperation (CIC) was formed in 1919. The CIC formed in response to the increased tensions between white Americans and black soldiers returning home from fighting in Europe after World War I. The unequal treatment, and an expectation that the black soldiers would return to their "proper place" as second class citizens, lead to violent race riots in several cities.
During World War II, members of the CIC realized that the same problem could recur. In 1943, a series of conferences were held in Durham, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia, and Atlanta, Georgia by leaders from the CIC, including sociologist Howard W. Odum. As a result of these conferences, the Southern Regional Council was formed, with Odum as its leader. The CIC was disbanded, essentially being merged with the new SRC. The SRC was formed "to attain through research and action the ideals and practices of equal opportunity for all peoples of the region."
The SRC urged white people, particularly those with more liberal political leanings, to help black people obtain equal rights. Like the CIC before it, the SRC was a coalition of lawyers, ministers, and newspaper editors from thirteen southern states. Although the group included men, women, blacks, and whites, the majority of its members were white.
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Wikipedia