Commission on Interracial Cooperation facts for kids

The Commission on Interracial Cooperation (CIC) was an important group in the United States. It was started in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 18, 1918. Its main goal was to improve relationships between white and Black people. Will W. Alexander, a white church leader, was in charge. The CIC was formed after some serious violent conflicts happened in 1917. In 1944, it joined with another group called the Southern Regional Council.

Working for Fairness: The CIC's Story

Why the Commission Started

Even though it was called "interracial," this group was mostly started by white people from the Southern U.S. They formed it because Black Americans were feeling more and more upset after World War I. The CIC believed that the war had changed how different races got along. They felt that Black people were now determined to get "things they hadn't hoped for before."

The group saw three types of Black Southerners. Some leaders were "openly rebellious." Others were "thoughtful, educated Negro leaders." And then there was the "great mass of uneducated Negroes." The CIC wanted to help the "thoughtful" leaders. These leaders believed in being patient. The CIC hoped to make things better by reducing the worst parts of unfair treatment based on race.

What the Commission Did

The organization worked to stop lynching (mob killings), mob violence, and peonage (forced labor). They also wanted to teach white Southerners about the worst parts of racial abuse. Some key leaders included Tuskegee Institute president Robert R. Moton. Others were banker George Foster Peabody and Virginia governor Harry F. Byrd. Wake Forest College president William Louis Poteat and Georgia businessman John J. Eagan also helped.

Belle Harris Bennett, a leader in a women's missionary group, started the CIC's Woman's Work Department. The main office was in Atlanta. But the CIC had committees all over the South. By the 1920s, about 800 local groups were connected to the commission. The CIC did important work. It helped prevent violent conflicts between races. It also helped provide schools for the African American population in the South. However, the commission did not directly try to end segregation. Segregation meant keeping people of different races separate.

Making a Difference: Results and Later Years

How Things Changed

Before the Commission started, there were 83 lynchings in one year. Ten years later, in 1929, this number dropped to ten. Through the CIC's work, Black and white people began to meet. They talked about problems faced by African Americans. More and more people on both sides started to understand each other's goals and feelings.

Challenges and New Beginnings

In 1930, the Great Depression caused money problems for the commission. Its leaders decided to change their programs. They stopped much of their work in local areas. Instead, they focused more on research. In 1944, several meetings led to the creation of the Southern Regional Council. Many leaders in the movement for racial equality agreed. They felt that the Commission on Interracial Cooperation's programs were old-fashioned. So, they supported the commission joining with the Southern Regional Council. The Commission on Interracial Cooperation had helped prepare the South. It helped the region move into a new time for racial justice in the United States.