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DRAFT
STATEMENT OF ATLANTA URBAN COALITION STEERING COMMITTEE
DURING THE LAST TWO DECADES ACCELERATED MIGRATION
FROM THE FARMS, VASTLY INCREASED LIVING STANDARDS, THE
AUTOMOBILE, AND OTHER SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS HAVE
CHANGED OUR NATION FROM RURAL TO URBAN,
THREE-FOURTHSOF AMERICA'S 190 MILLION CITIZENS NOW LIVE
IN CITIES,
THIS RAPID URBANIZATION IS UNPARRELLED IN ANY NATION IN
WORLD HISTORY. AND THE PROBLEMS FORCED UPON COMMUNITIES
UNPREPARED FOR THIS DRAMATIC CHANGE IS LIKEWISE UNMATCHED
IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL POPULATIONS,
FOR TEN YEARS OR MORE ECONOMISTS, SOCIOLOGISTS, POLITICAL
SCIENTISTS, AND OTHERS HAVE URGED ACTION BY LOCAL, STATE AND
FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS TO PLAN AND IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS TO
MEET THIS CHANGING ENVIRONMENT,
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS - URBAN CITIES - POSSESSED NEITHER
THE FISCAL NOR HUMAN RESOURGES IN SUFFICIENT QUANITY AND
QUALITY TO DO MORE THAN BRACE THE DIKE AGAINST THE ON-RUSHING.
TIDE,
PAGE TWO ®
STATE GOVERNMENT TURNED A DEAF EAR,
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EXPRESSED CONCERN, ESTABLISHED
SOME PROMISING PROGRAMS AND FORMED A NEW DEPARTMENT OF
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT TO DEAL WITH CITY PROBLEMS,
BUT THE CONGRESS FAILED TO REGISTER THE SENSE OF URGENCY OF
THE URBAN CRISES, AND OBLIVIOUS TO THE IMPENDING DOOM ALLOCATED
THE NATIONAL DOLLAR TO THE RACE FOR SPACE, AGRICULTURAL
SUPPORTS AND DEFENSE,
THE RESULT IS NOW A TRAGIC CHAPTER IN AMERICAN HISTORY,
RIOTS, RACIAL DISTURBANCES, CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IN CITY AFTER
CITY THROUGHOUT ALL PARTS OF THE COUNTRY HAVE CAST A LASTING
IMPRINT OF INACTION AND INDIFFERENCE,
AND IN EACH TROUBLED AREA THE STORY IS THE SAME: POOR
PEOPLE, LACK OF JOB SKILLS, UNEMPLOYMENT, UNSOUND HOUSING,
INADEQUATE PARKS, SCHOOLS, ABSENCE OF REALISTIC MUNICIPAL
SERVICES, LACK OF MOTIVATION, LOSS OF FAITH AND OF HOPE,
‘
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
NOTHING SHORT OF A TOTAL COMMITMENT OF ALL COMMUNITY
RESOURCES AND A REASSESSMENT OF PRIORITIES BY OUR NATIONAL
PAGE THREE
GOVERNMENT CAN PRODUCE RESULTS ON A SCALE LARGE ENOUGH TO
SUFFICIENTLY CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF OUR CITIES,
IT ISN'T ENOUGH THAT WE HAVE A CITY GOVERNMENT OF
CONCERN AND COMPASSION FOR THE PROBLEMS OF THE POOR AND
“DISADVANTAGED, THIS SAME CONCERN AND COMPASSION MUST BE FELT
BY BUSINESS AND BY LABOR, BY EDUCATION AND BY OUR RELIGIOUS
INSTITUTIONS AND OUR CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERSHIP,
.THE NECESSITY FOR COOPERATION AND COORDINATION OF
RESOURCES HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED BY LEADERS OF THESE SECTORS OF
OUR ENVIRONMENT AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, AS A RESULT AN
URBAN COALITION HAS BEEN FORMED TO SEEK WAYS TO MOBILIZE
THE UNUSED RESOURCES THROUGHOUT THE URBAN CITIES AND TO DO
BATTLE WITH URBAN BLIGHT.
THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL URBAN COALITION
HAS CALLED UPON OUR BUSINESSMEN, OUR CHURCHMEN, OUR EDUCATORS
AND OUR LABOR UNIONS TO JOIN WITH OUR MAYORS AND PUBLIC
OFFICIALS TO: DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS WHICH WILL PROVIDE
JOBS, DECENT HOUSING, EDUCATION AND A BETTER LIFE FOR THOSE
TRAPPED IN THE CURRENT OF THE URBAN CRISES,
PAGE FOUR
THE COALITION MET IN AN EMERGENCY CONVOCATION AND
ADOPTED A STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES OF GREAT PROMISE, IT
CALLED UPON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS, LABOR, RELIGION
AND CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS TO CREATE COUNTERPART LOCAL COALITIONS
TOSUPPORT AND SUPPLEMENT THIS DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES,
WE BELIEVE THE VERY ESSENCE OF SUCCESS OF THE NATIONAL
URBAN COALITION LIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG LOCAL
COALITIONS,
PAST AND PRESENT EFFORTS IN ATLANTA TO BUILD A GREAT
CITY AND TO MEET THE NEEDS OF URBAN GROWTH HAVE RESULTED
DIRECTLY FROM AN UNSTRUCTURED COALITION OF LEADERSHIP IN
ALL AREAS OF COMMUNITY LIFE,
WE BELIEVE OUR CHANCES FOR CONTINUED AND EXPANDED
SUCCESSES CAN BE MADE POSSIBLE ONLY THROUGH MOBILIZATION
AND FULL UTILIZATION OF ALL RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO US,
WE, THEREFORE, PLEDGE OURSELVES TO WORK TOGETHER
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IN AN ATLANTA URBAN COALITION FOR THE BETTERMENT OF GIR
COMMUNITY, AND URGE ALL GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO JOIN
US IN OUR EFFORTS,
PAGE FIVE .
WE FURTHER ENDORSE THE DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES
OF THE NATIONAL COALITION AND PLEDGE TO LEND OUR TALENTS
AND OUR LABORS TO THEIR FULFILLMENT,
IVAN ALLEN, JR.
MAYOR OF ATLANTA
AUGUSTUS H, STERNE, PRESIDENT
ATLANTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
SAMUEL WILLIAMS
CO-CHAIRMAN
SUMMIT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
ROBERT J. BUTLER
PRESIDENT
ATLANTA LABOR COUNCIL
REV. BEVEL JONES, PRESIDENT
CHRISTIAN COUNCIL OF METROPOLITAN ATLANTA, INC,
DR, JOHN W, LETSON
SUPERINTENDENT
ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
ERWIN STEVENS, PRESIDENT
CITIZENS CENTRAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ATLANTA, INC,
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