National Negro Congress

The National Negro Congress (NNC) had its beginnings at the conference Economic Crisis and the Negro, which was held in Washington, D.C., in May of 1935. The conference was sponsored by the Joint Committee on National Recovery and Howard University's Department of Political Economy. The conference produced evidence that depression and recovery trends were forcing African Americans into an even lower economic and social position than they had previously occupied. It decided to create a national congress to educate African Americans in the techniques of group action and in developing an action plan.

The organizing committee convened for the first time in November of 1935 in Washington, D.C. The meeting included all types of African American organizations and had as its goal developing a platform to unite them in a program addressing African Americans' economic, social, and civil security needs. The National Negro Congress was structured to be a federation of organizations, to include people of [Page 364]different political parties and philosophies as well as those of different races, and to assume the responsibility of coordinating a national plan of action, which was to be developed the following year at the Chicago convention.

At that first organizational meeting in 1935, temporary national officers and organizers were elected and appointed. After the Chicago convention in February of 1936, the temporary officers became permanent. The elected officers were A. Philip Randolph, president; John P. Davis, executive secretary; Marion Cuthbert, treasurer; and Joseph Evans, assistant treasurer. The overall purpose of the NNC was to develop an organized protest against Jim Crow laws and traditions. Its agenda included ways to bring about social, political, and economic advancement for African Americans.

The participants at the Howard University conference agreed that African Americans were experiencing an economic crisis whose root was racism. American industry and unions made it a practice to exclude African Americans, thereby creating the crisis. It was believed that African Americans needed options to the NAACP, and that the NNC could provide a viable alternative. Members of the NNC intended to prove to their fellow Americans that African Americans are a valuable segment of the American economy, are an important resource in times of national emergency, and are only seeking what is rightfully theirs under the U.S. Constitution.

At the outset, the organization identified several immediate concerns. They were (1) to see that African Americans exercised their right to seek and find meaningful employment that provided a living wage; (2) to open the doors of trade unions to African American membership; (3) to provide assistance to African American farmers who were in dire straits and losing their farms; (4) to stop vigilante violence, lynching, and police brutality; (5) to help African Americans to be able to use their voting rights and serve on juries; (6) to secure rights for African American women and youth; (7) to oppose colonialism, fascism, and war.

During the first few years of its existence, the personal philosophy of the NNC's first president, A. Philip Randolph, guided the organization. He believed that it was only through constant struggle that African Americans could hope to get justice and freedom. In 1945, the NNC instituted a basic change in its policy. A view promoted by board member Benjamin J. Davis argued that new times called for a new approach. In his view, problem solving could occur through statesmanship, politics, and appealing to the legislatures, and he saw no reason to continue the NNC practice of developing additional local units. This argument was opposed by Edward E. Strong, former national executive secretary, who believed it to be a communist plot to weaken NNC influence and increase the sway of the Communist Party. He remained adamant in his refusal to change the ideology of the NNC to one that supported educational forum over developing affiliated groups.

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