Joyce A. Hughes papers, 1968-1983, bulk 1979-1983

This collection is open for research use.

All rights owned by the donor, including copyright, were deeded to Chicago Historical Society. Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Gift of Dr. Joyce A. Hughes (accession #: 1991.0341).

Joyce A. Hughes papers (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

Correspondence, meeting minutes and agendas, reports, legal and financial records, newspaper clippings, and other papers of Joyce A. Hughes, a Northwestern University law professor who served on the Chicago Board of Education (1980-1982). Materials chiefly pertain to school desegregation and related financial issues. Includes records of the Chicago Board of Education (CBE) Desegregation Committee, Audit and Finance Committee, and Real Estate Committee, as well as the Chicago School Finance Authority (SFA). Also present are case files and reports related to United States v. Board of Education of the City of Chicago proceedings, and reports on education issues by the Chicago Urban League, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

Joyce A. Hughes became a professor at the Northwestern University School of Law in 1975. In 1971, as a faculty member of the University of Minnesota Law School, Hughes became the first African American female tenure track professor at a majority white institution in the United States. Hughes served on the Chicago Board of Education from 1980 to 1982 and was involved in school desegregation policy.

Processed with funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

• Names
  • Hughes, Joyce A., b. 1940--Archives
  • Midway Airport
  • Chicago (Ill.). Board of Education
  • Chicago Public Schools
  • Chicago School Finance Authority
  • Chicago Urban League
  • Illinois State Board of Education (1973- )
  • United States. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Subject
  • African American women--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Discrimination in education--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Education--Finance--Illinois--Chicago
  • Lawyers--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Public schools--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • School boards--African American membership--Illinois--Chicago
  • School boards--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • School integration--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
• Geographic CoverageChicago (Ill.)--Politics and government--20th century

The collection is arranged in seven series.

Series 1. United States v. Board of Education, 1980-1983 (box 1-3)

Series 1 consists of legal documents pertaining to the proceedings of United States v. Board of Education of the City of Chicago, the federal case that led to the court-ordered desegregation of Chicago public schools. Also present are materials related to Lorraine Allen et al. v. Joseph L. Mahran (1981).

Series 2. CBE Real Estate Committee, 1980-1982 (box 3)

Series 2 contains correspondence, meeting minutes, and other records related to the CBE Real Estate Committee. A majority of materials relate to ownership and leasing of Midway Airport, including sale of the property by the Chicago Board of Education to the City of Chicago in 1982.

Series 3. Chicago School Finance Authority, 1980-1983 (box 4)

Series 3 consists of correspondence, reports, budgets, regulations, directives, and newspaper clippings related to the SFA, a government entity created in 1980 to oversee the finances of the CBE. Topics include the issuing of bonds, financial aspects of desegregation, and audits.

Series 4. CBE Audit and Finance Committee, 1980-1983 (box 5-7)

Series 4 contains correspondence, reports, meeting minutes and agendas, and other records related to the CBE Audit and Finance Committee. Topics include financial plans, budget cuts and variances, audits, employee benefits, and personnel management. Also present are materials pertaining to the management structure of the Chicago Public Schools system.

Series 5. CBE budget materials, 1979-1981 (box 7-10)

Series 5 contains correspondence, reports, financial records, and newspaper clippings relative to the CBE budget. Topics include budget hearings and investigations into the 1979 financial crisis. Also present are reports to the Illinois General Assembly and a 1982-1984 financial plan.

Series 6. CBE general files, 1968-1981 (box 10-11)

Series 6 contains correspondence, reports, articles, and newspaper clippings pertaining to the CBE general operations. Topics include rules and regulations, relations between the school board and the superintendent, and education policies. Also present are documents related to CBE personnel, including Joseph Mahran, chief financial officer, and Ruth Love, superintendent.

Series 7. CPS desegregation materials, 1978-1983 (box 12-16)

Series 7 contains correspondence, meeting minutes and agendas, reports, policy statements, and newspaper clippings about the court-ordered desegregation of Chicago public schools. Present are materials related to CBE desegregation plans, including records of the CBE Desegregation Committee, as well as responses from the community. Also includes materials on education issues, including reports by the Chicago Urban League, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.