]> PUBLIC "-//The New York Public Library//TEXT (US::NN::Sc MG 54::Layle Lane Papers, 1933-1951)//ENG" "scmglane.xml" Inventory of the Layle Lane Papers, 1933-1951 Processed by Verna Hodge; machine-readable finding aid created by Apex Data Services; revised by Terry Catapano.

© 2000 The New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. All rights reserved.

 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, April 1999. Revised by Terry Catapano April 2000 Description is in English October 16, 2006 EAD v1.0 finding aid converted to EAD 2002 using UC Berkeley's eadv1to2002.pl perl script. Inventory of the Layle Lane Papers, 1933-1951 Sc MG 54 Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture The New York Public Library New York, New York Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. New York Public Library. 515 Malcolm X Boulevard New York, NY 10037-1801 (212) 491-2224 scmarbref@nypl.org http://nypl.org/research/sc/scm/marb.html Verna Hodge November 1980 Apex Data Services; Terry Catapano

©2000 The New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. All rights reserved.
Preface

This inventory in one of several prepared as a part of the archival preservation program at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research division of The New York Public Library.

The Schomburg archival preservation program involves the organization and preservation of primary source material held by the Center and of significance to the study of the Black Experience. It furthermore includes the preparation of detailed inventories of these records, making the information contained therein accessible as well as available to scholars.

The necessary staff and supplies for this program were made available through a combination of Library, National Endowment for the Humanities grant, and State of New York grant funds.

 Descriptive Summary Layle Lane Papers, 1933-1951 Sc MG 54 Lane, Layle 1/2 box (2 1/2 linear inches). The New York Public Library Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture English Administrative Information Source

SCM77-42, SCM78-48

 Biography

Layle Lane was born in Georgia in 1893 and raised in New Jersey. Her father was a Congregational minister and her mother, a school teacher. Ms Lane attended Hunter College, graduated from Howard University in 1916 and received her Master's degree from Columbia University.

A teacher for over thirty years, Ms. Lane taught social studies at James Monroe High School (Bronx) during the 1930s and at Benjamin Franklin High School (Harlem) in the 1940s. She served as vice president of the American Federation of Teachers and chaired the Human Rights Committee. She also wrote a column for the “American Teacher,” a professional newsletter, and established a summer camp on family property in New Britain Township, Pennsylvania.

After participating in a teacher exchange program in Puerto Rico, Ms. Lane retired from teaching in the 1950s and relocated to Cuernavaca, Mexico, where she died February 2, 1976. Ms. Lane never married.

An educator by profession, Ms. Lane was perhaps best known in the Harlem community for her civil rights activities and political activities as a member and candidate of the Socialist Party. She ran unsuccessfully on the Socialist Party ticket for several offices, including the Congressional seat in the 19th Congressional District in New York City, Congressman-at-large, New York City Comptroller and State Senator of the 23rd District, New York City. Among her political supporters for these offices were Richard Parrish, W. E. B. DuBois and Joel A. Rogers.

Although Ms. Lane did not hold political office, she perhaps made her greatest contributions through her involvement in civil rights activities. She was a principal planner in the organization of the 1941 March on Washington, and was involved in the campaign for a permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission. She also raised her voice against segregation and discrimination in the Armed Forces during World War II in an editorial column she wrote for the “New York Age.” Using her contacts with former pupils and the column itself, Ms. Lane solicited letters from minority group soldiers in which they recounted personal experiences with discrimination. Ms. Lane in turn used these letters to protest the unjust treatment of these soldiers and the racial philosophy of the Armed Forces.

Organizations with which Ms. Lane was involved included the Workers Defense League, the National Committee for Rural Schools and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

 Scope and Content

The Layle Lane Papers, 1933-1951, document two aspects of Ms. Lane's life and activities: her opposition to racial discrimination and war, and her political career as a Socialist Party member and candidate. The collection has been arranged in three series; CORRESPONDENCE, POLITICAL CAMPAIGN FILES and PRINTED MATERIAL.

 Container List 1 Correspondence

The files are divided into three sections; Soldiers (World War II), Fourteenth Ammendment, and Miscellaneous.

 1 1 Soldiers, 1942-1946, n.d.

The file consists of letters from former students and other correspondents relating specific occurrences of discriminatory acts practiced by the military. Of particular interest are the letters from the noted attorney, Conrad Lynn. Lynn's letters deal with his experiences with discrimination in the Army and the trial of his brother, Winifred, for draft resistance.

 1 2 Fourteenth Ammendment, 1935, 1945-1947, 1951, n.d.

The file has letters to Ms. Lane concerning the proper application of the Fourteenth Ammendment. A letter from Conrad Lynn, a practicing attorney by this time, is noteworthy in terms of the information he gives on this subject.

 1 3 Miscellaneous, 1932, 1942, 1946

The file contains letters dealing with a variety of subjects, including Ms. Lane's affiliation with the National Committee for Rural Schools.

 Political Campaigns

The series documents Ms. Lane's participation in six elections on the Socialist Party ticket and includes correspondence and campaign literature from these campaigns. Most of the letters are requests for her positions on specific issues and personal appearances for panel discussions and debates, expressions of support for her candidacy, and financial contributions to the campaign funds.

 1 4 1933-1934, 1936-1937 1 5 1942-1943 1 6 1945, 1947 Printed Material, 1942-1944, N.D.

The series contains newspaper clippings dealing with World War II and an article by Ms. Lane, “The Negro and War Activities.”

 Separation Record

The following items were removed from the:

Layle Lane Papers SCM77-42, SCM78-48

The item(s) listed below have been sent to the division indicated, either to be retained or disposed of there. Any items that should receive special disposition are clearly marked.

Schomburg Library: Winston, Henry. Negro Rights and the Anti-Hitler War: the Negro People in the Fight for Freedom Art & Artifacts Division Schomburg Photographs and Print Division: Six (6) photos of World War II service men.