Urban League of Springfield Collection

Background on Urban League of Springfield

A community development and service agency founded in 1914, the Urban League of Springfield works to secure equal opportunity for minority groups in such fields as employment, education, housing, health, and personal welfare. Advocating for the African American community in the Greater Springfield region, the League's efforts in promoting academic development, economic self-sufficiency, and racial inclusion are directed toward obtaining full access.

The Urban League was a prominent voice during the tense months that followed Judge Arthur Garrity's 1974 order to desegregate of the state's public schools. The focus in Springfield fell largely on the elementary schools, unlike Boston, and resolved into a plan drafted by the Massachusetts Commission on Civil Rights to group the city's schools into six districts that would preserve a sense of neighborhood integrity, busing children locally to remediate racial imbalance and provide better educational opportunities.