Petition Against Segregation Clause in Alabama Zoning Bill
-
No requestable containers
Scope and Contents
This collection contains a typescript petition (circa 1923-1925) addressed to Governor William W. Brandon and the Alabama State Legislature by Oscar W. Adams and eight other prominent African American citizens of Birmingham, Alabama. The petition opposes the inclusion of a “segregation clause” in a proposed zoning bill that sought to formalize racial separation in residential areas.
It emphasizes the steady migration of African Americans out of Alabama, the role of civic neglect in Black neighborhoods, and the detrimental effect of institutionalized segregation on interracial goodwill. Other signers of the petition included respected community figures such as Rev. James A. Bray, Rev. Charles L. Fisher of the 16th Street Baptist Church, Dr. Ulysses Grant Mason, and Rev. R.N. Hall, each representing leadership within religious, medical, and educational spheres of Black Birmingham.
Dates
- Creation: 1925
Creator
- Adams, Oscar W. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections.
For more information about copyright policy, please visit: https://www.ua.edu/copyright/. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal implications, for which the University of Alabama assumes no responsibility.
Biographical / Historical
Oscar William Adams Sr. (1882-1946), a native of Gulf Crest, Alabama, was a pioneering African American journalist, editor, and civic leader. He founded The The Birmingham Reporter in 1917 and served as its editor and publisher until 1934.
Extent
1 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The University of Alabama Libraries acquired the Petition Against Segregation Clause in Alabama Zoning Bill from Robert Rubin Books in 2021.
Physical Description
Folio. Two page, single spaced ribbon copy typescript approximately 600 words. Paper-Clipped into a light blue legal wrapper. Very good.
Processing Information
Processed by Courtney Tutt, April 2025.
- Title
- Guide to the Petition Against Segregation Clause in Alabama Zoning Bill
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid created by Courtney Tutt, April 2025.
- Date
- April 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository