George Edmund Haynes facts for kids

George Edmund Haynes (born May 11, 1880 – died January 8, 1960) was an important American leader. He studied society and worked for the government. He helped start the National Urban League and was its first leader from 1911 to 1918. He went to Fisk University and Yale University. He was also the first African American to get a PhD in sociology from Columbia University.

Haynes was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He moved to New York City with his mother and sister during the Great Migration. He lived and worked there for most of his life. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson chose Haynes to lead a new group. This group was called the Division of Negro Economics in the Department of Labor. It aimed to get support from Black Americans for the war. At that time, many Black Americans in the South could not vote.

Haynes was one of the first people to study how Black Americans worked and earned money. He later started the Social Sciences Department at Fisk University. He taught there for many years. At the National Urban League, he also helped create Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life. This was a magazine that shared academic ideas and published African-American literature and art.

Early Life and Education

George Edmund Haynes was born in 1880 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. His parents were Louis and Mattie Haynes. He went to schools that were only for Black children. His mother worked as a house helper, and his father was a day laborer. He had a younger sister. His family moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, so their children could have better schools.

Haynes was a very focused student. His mother always supported his studies. He went to the Agriculture and Mechanical College for Negroes. This school is now called Alabama A&M University. He studied there to get ready for college.

College and Moving North

In 1899, Haynes started at Fisk University. This was a historically black college. He earned his science degree in 1903. After that, he moved to New York City with his mother and sister. This move was part of the Great Migration. During this time, over 1.5 million African Americans moved from the South to the North. Haynes was one of the first people to write about this big move.

He finished his master's degree at Yale University in 1904. In the summers of 1906 and 1907, Haynes studied at the University of Chicago. He became very interested in why Black Americans were moving from farms in the South to big cities in the North. When he lived in New York City, he worked to help his mother and sister. At the same time, he took sociology classes. He started teaching at Fisk University while he was still working on his PhD.

First African American to Earn a PhD

Haynes earned his PhD in sociology from Columbia University in 1912. He was the first African American to get a doctorate from that university. He published his PhD paper, called The Negro at Work in New York. He lived in New York for most of his life. He also taught economics and sociology at Fisk University for several years. There, he created a special center to train students in social work.

Marriage and Family Life

While traveling in the South, George Haynes met Elizabeth Ross. He was studying how people moved and how colleges worked. Elizabeth was also studying African-American women. They met and got married.

Career and Public Service

After getting his master's degree, Haynes worked for the YMCA. He was the secretary for the Colored Men's Department. During this time, he visited many historically Black colleges in the South. These colleges were started after the Civil War. He encouraged students to do well in their studies. He also helped colleges set high standards for learning.

Haynes helped create the National Urban League. This group was formed from three other organizations. Its goal was to help African Americans as they moved to cities. He was the first leader of the National Urban League from 1911 to 1918. He also helped start Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life. This was an academic magazine supported by the National Urban League. It published African-American literature and art.

Training Social Workers

Haynes also helped the New York School of Philanthropy. This school later became the School of Social Work at Columbia University. They worked together to create the first training center for Black graduate students in social work at Fisk University. It was called the Bethlehem Training Center. Students worked in real agencies, including offices of the National Urban League. Haynes led this center from 1910 to 1918.

Working for the Government

During World War I, President Woodrow Wilson wanted Black Americans to support the war. At the start of the 1900s, many Black Americans in the South could not vote. This was because white leaders in the Democratic Party passed laws to stop them. Also, President Wilson had made federal offices separate again, after they had been mixed for many years. This made many Black Americans lose trust in him.

In 1918, the National Urban League asked the government to appoint Black leaders to the Department of Labor. Haynes was chosen to lead a new group called the Division of Negro Economics. He worked there from 1918 to 1921. Haynes worked with Secretary of Labor William B. Wilson. They created a plan with three main parts:

• Bringing Black and white people together in local groups to understand each other better.
• Starting a national campaign to promote good race relations and support the war.
• Building a team of skilled Black professionals to run the Division.

Haynes worked through groups in different states and cities. He focused on the South, Northeast, and Midwest. These were the main areas where the Great Migration was happening. His teams looked into the working conditions of Black people. They also taught both Black and white people about good race relations. They helped people find jobs and worked to stop unfair treatment.

After World War I

After the war, there was a lot of tension. Soldiers returning home needed jobs. Black soldiers hoped for better treatment after fighting for their country. In 1919, there were many race riots in cities. These were called the Red Summer. Because of these problems, the government stopped funding Haynes's division. Even with this opposition, Haynes suggested a big government program to help Black workers. His ideas were ahead of his time.

In 1919, Haynes wrote a report for Congress. It was called "Why Congress Should Investigate Race Riots and Lynchings." He wrote it to help pass the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill. This bill aimed to stop lynchings, which were violent killings of Black people. The House of Representatives passed the bill, but the Senate did not.

Haynes also worked as the executive secretary for the Department of Race Relations of the Federal Council of Churches. He held this role from 1921 to 1947.

After retiring from Fisk University, Haynes taught at City College of New York from 1950 to 1959. He continued to work with the YMCA. He studied their work in South Africa in 1930, before apartheid laws were made. He also visited other African nations in 1947. Haynes was a special advisor for the YMCA in South Africa from 1942 to 1955.

George Edmund Haynes died in Brooklyn on January 8, 1960, after a short illness.

Legacy and Honors

• George Haynes and Ruth Standish Baldwin are honored with a special plaque. Ruth Baldwin helped start the National Urban League with Haynes. Their plaque is in "The Extra Mile — Points of Light Volunteer Pathway" in downtown Washington, D.C..