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THE URBAN COALITION 1819 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20006 (202) 293-1530 National Coordinators: John Feild Ron Linton ACTION REPORT September 24, 1967 One month after our Emergency Convocation in Washington, D. C., The Urban Coalition has established its own offices in the Federal Bar Building West in Washington, D. C. Coordinating staff is being drawn together from the various groups in the Coalition to service the seven Task Forces that are now beginning to move. Local Coalitions Forming: Dozens of communities around the country have responded to the Emergency Convocation with plans to organize representative Local Coalitions. An Emergency Task Force on Local Coalitions is being created to assist these groups and to establish liaison with the nat i onal effort. Representatives from those cities that have asked for information and assistance will be invited to an all-day national planning meeting on October 17th. As an interim goal, the Task Force will attempt to establish liaison with local coalitions in at least fifty major urban areas by November 15th. By that date local steering committees are expected to have organized local Emergency Convocations patterned after the Washington meeting. Emergency Work Program: As a step in the right direction, the Task Force on Emergency Work recommended and the Steering Committee authorized support for the Emergency Employment Act, co- sponsored by Senator Joseph Clark (Dem-Pa) and Senator Jacob Javits (Rep-NY). At the same time, the Coalition call ed upon Congress to expedite action in providing full funding for the Poverty Program, Rent Supplements, Model Cities, and the Equal Opportunity in Housing measure now pending in both houses . �Emergency Task Force on Educational Disparities: Mr. Roy Ash, Dr. Arthur Flemming and Mr. Roy Wilkins of the National Steering Committee have started planning what The Urban Coalition can do to lend its support to both new and on-going efforts that will contribute to the elimination of educational disparities. Their technical work group is being drawn from leading school personnel, civil rights groups, labor, industry and church groups. Communications and Public Education: A new Task Force has been set up in this area under the co-chairmenship of Mr. Joseph H. Allen, President of McGraw-Hill Publications, Mr. John Johnson, President of Johnson Publications, and Mr. Harold Fleming, President of Potomac Institute. They are assembling a working group drawn from the leading mass media to assist the Coalition with its efforts to emphasize the nature of the urban crisis. Convocation Participants: Proceedings of the August Convocation are now being completed and will be distributed to the convocation participants in the near future. Apologies to those who expressed a desire to help The Urban Coalition and have not yet been called upon. As the Task Force programs develop, it is expected that an increasing number of those who indicated interest will be contacted. The local coalitions that are now forming may well need assistance from all segments of those who attended. The organizational phase of The Urban Coalition and its local counterparts has reflected the emergency nature of the concern of those involved and will continue to move with this sense of urgency . Your understanding of the problems involved in coordinating the jnterests of the diverse segments of this Coalition and its national dimension can help keep the momentum of the Emergency Convocation moving forward in an orderly way. Monthly Action Reports will be sent to all of those who attended the August Convocation. �Private Employment Expansion: The Task Force on Private Employment Expansion is developing plans with which it will be able to assist local committees where Coalitions are established to accelerate specific programs for the expansion of private employment opportunities for hardcore unemployed workers. Meantime, work is proceeding on developing new ideas on recruiting, testing procedures, training, managerial assistance, employment standards, youth motivation, and private industry assistance to public projects. Expansion of private employment opportunities will be a major priority of the Coalition. Reconstruction Investment and Urban Development: Mr. David Rockefeller, Mr. Walter Reuther, and Mr. Joseph Keenan have scheduled a series of meetings to chart the program of this Emergency Task Force. They are now reviewing such matters as needed public investment, as well as incentives to encourage greater private investment in ghettos and barrios throughout urban America. They expect to work closely with the Insurance Industry Committee on Urban Problems as well as other segments of industry, organized labor, local government, civil rights and religious groups. ~qual Housing Opportunities: As indicated above, the Coalition has publicly expressed its support of federal legislation to guarantee equal housing opportunities. Beyond this, the Emergency Task Force has initiated plans to accelerate greater private effort in this field. Preliminary discussions are being held with key leaders in the housing industry, banking and insurance groups as well as with national and local fair housing groups which have been working for some time in expanding housing opportunities. Leaders in these interest groups will be asked to assist the Coalition in developing an action program in this area and a national planning session in the very near future. �