CHURCH STREET
STATION

Sue Brendon
do Y.P.A.
Hunters College
695 Park Ave
nyc.

TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE SOCIETY
OF HUNTER COLLEGE

695 PARK AVENUE
NEW YORK 21, N. Y.

February 1, 1957

Mr. L. Hughes
c/o Franklin Watts Inc.
699 Madison Avenue
New York 21, New York

Dear Mr. Hughes:

The Toussaint L'Ouverture Society of Hunter College is having special programs in honor of Negro History Week and Brotherhood Week on February 11 and 18 at 1:00-2:00 p.m. respectively. We realize that you have a very busy schedule and hope that you might be able to speak at one of these programs.

The purpose of the Toussaint L'Ouverture Society is to enlighten the Hunter College student body and community concerning Negro history and culture through cultural, educational, and social affairs. We do hope that one date is convenient for you.

Thank you for your kind attention.

February 5, 1957

Toussaint L'Ouverture Society,
Hunter College,
695 Park Avenue,
New York 21, N. Y.

Dear Miss Hixon,

My speaking calendar for the Negro History
Week & Brotherhood period has been booked
completely for several weeks past, so I
regret I cannot come to the program of the
Toussaint L'Ouverture Society at Hunter
College on either date you propose this
month. As you know, no doubt, February is
a pretty busy month for most colored speakers,
so I suggest you write prospective guests
well ahead should you be planning such a
program next year, since so many groups are
having celebrations at the same time.

It might perhaps be that my collaborator on
THE PICTORIAL HISTORY OF THE NEGRO might be
able to speak for you. His address:

Mr. Milton Meltzer,
Hoag Road,
Ossining, New York.

With all good wishes,

HUNTER COLLEGE
OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

Department of Education

January 4, 1962

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 E. 127th Street
New York, N.Y.

Dear Mr. Hughes:

I am writing to you at the suggestion of Mr. Hugh Smythe and Mr. Willard Rhodes concerning a conference on Africa which is to be held on March 24 at Queens College. The conference is planned particularly for teachers in the metropolitan area and surrounding communities. It is the ninth annual conference of this kind. Teachers come from elementary and secondary schools as well as from the colleges and universities. We plan for an attendance of over 500 and with good publicity which we expect to have, we can take care of a 1000.

"Wind of Change in Africa: Concepts and Dynamics" is the name of the conference. We would like teachers in each discussion group to catch something of what is taking place in Africans, what the dynamic changes are in them and their changing society. We suggest the following questions to chairman as guidelines:

1. What have been African patterns of thought or concepts in the past in the particular aspect of their society under consideration?

2. What forces now out of equilibrium in their society are producing changes?

3. As a result, what changes are taking place in this aspect of African Life and society?

We invite you to take part as chairman of the group called: "Cultural Expression: Art, Literature and Drama". Mr. Rhodes will be chairman of the other cultural discussion on music and the dance. He spoke so highly of your knowledge and qualification to chair the panel on art, literature and drama in Africa. Chairman of the 16 discussion groups are free to select three other persons whom they would like to have on the panel. We hope one of these may be an African. The chairman as well as the members of the panel will make presentations to the group and then allow for questions and discussion. We will have one and a half hours for the panel.

The morning program begins with a keynote address at 10 o'clock. Following this the discussion groups will meet and after lunch a second group of panels will lead discussions. The program will close with a musical presentation of African music and dance.

The group who plans and carries out this conference never has financial backing from any source, and so many generous and able

persons volunteer their time and talent because it is a program for
teachers. We always have to explain this when we ask people to take
part. In cases where it is necessary we will manage to pay transpor-
tation costs. Chairman and panelists are guests for lunch.

We hope you will find it possible to help the conference by or-
ganizing and leading this panel. We make a few suggestions for art
in case you would like to contact these persons. They have been re-
commended to me by Mr. Smythe who has been very helpful to me in
finding the key people for the program.
Dr. Hale Woodruff, Dep't. of Art Education at New York University is
one of these. Louise Jefferson is another. She is great for trying to
preserve art that is truly African and has been in Africa on a Ford
Foundation grant. She lives at 501 W. 123 St. NYC. Her telephone is
Un 4-4800. Lawrence Smith from the Commercial Museum City of Phila-
delphia is another person Mr. Smythe spoke to me about. Please feel
free to make your own selections, and know these names are only
suggestions.

We want to get the programs printed and given wide distribution
early in February and are, therefore, asking chairman to let us know
who their panelists will be by the end of this month.

I will be glad to discuss any aspects of the program with you,
and a telephone call to TR 9-2100 Ext. 246 will reach me at Hunter
College.

I look forward to hearing from you and assure you that we count
it a real honor to include you name on our program of "Winds of Change
in Africa: Concepts and Dynamics." Your recent book on Africa assures
us of the valuable contributions you can make.

We are most grateful to you.

January 15, 1962

Miss E. Alice Beard
Department of Education
Hunter College
New York 21, New York

Dear Miss Beard:

Mr. Langston Hughes is presently in Lagos,
Nigeria, collecting material for a juvenile
book, THE FIRST BOOK OF NIGERIA, and is not
scheduled to return until late January.

The lecture demands of the past five years
kept Mr. Hughes away from his typewriter
so much that several book contracts have
become overdue. Mr. Hughes has, therefore,
of necessity, designated the 1961-63 lecture
seasons for creative production ONLY. In
order to avoid late penalties on books
contracted, he must complete the books within
the mentioned period. Mr. Hughes must there-
fore decline all invites for participation
in any event to which he is not already
committed. I am certain that Mr. Hughes
will appreciate your kindness in thinking
of him and would like that I send you his
best wishes for success.

HUNTER COLLEGE
OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

695 Park Avenue
New York 21, N. Y.

May 22, 1964

Teacher Education Program
Project English
TR 9-0075

Doubleday & Company Inc.
575 Madison Avenue
New York, New York

Gentlemen:

Gateway English is a U. S. Office of Education sponsored project located at Hunter College. Its purpose is to develop instructional materials in the language arts for children in grades 7 - 9 in depressed area urban schools.

For the past two years a staff of experienced high school and college teachers has been developing thematic-resource units containing carefully selected reading and enrichment materials that will interest and motivate the under-privileged adolescent to learn and thereby increase his determination to remain in school.

Finding materials that deal with problems that are likely to interest these students and that utilize the environment familiar to these children has been difficult. Our search to date has yielded sufficient material for four units which we plan to test in selected New York City special service schools beginning in September of 1964.

The materials printed on the following sheet are published by your company and have been selected for use in at least one of the units. We are requesting your permission to reprint this material in sufficient quantity to meet our experimental needs. The materials are to be used only for experimentation and are not to be sold or used by any other teachers, pupils or schools except those in the experimental program. If you cannot grant this permission, will you indicate to whom we may write to secure permission?

Following the experimentation, the units will be forwarded to the U. S. Office of Education where they will be made available to interested publishers. However, publishers of the materials used in the experimental program may secure information concerning the use of their particular materials as soon as data is available.

For your convenience the items are listed on the attached form. Two copies are included: one to be retained by your company and the duplicate to be returned to the Project Director. Since we are attempting to meet a very early deadline, we will appreciate whatever you can do to expedite the return of the attached form. We invite you to call or write to the Project Director for additional information should this be necessary.

We want to take this occasion also to thank you for your previous support of the project.

MBS:epp

Department of Education

October 15, 1965

Mr. Langston Hughes
c/o Authors League of America, Inc.
6 East 39th Street
New York, New York

Dear Mr. Hughes:

I am applying for an NDEA Institute for teachers of disadvantaged youth to be given during the summer of 1966 at Hunter College. If the application is ultimately approved, I would like to invite you to make a presentation in the Institute. My chief concern at this time is to determine whether or not you would be available sometime between July 5 and August 12 and whether you would be interested in making a presentation to our Institute.

If our application is approved and you are interested, I would contact you at a later date concerning details.

Please let me know as soon as possible if you are quite sure you will not be available during the summer of 1966 for a day's presentation to our proposed Institute.

RES:ie

October 21, 1965

Dear Mr. Shafer:

In April, 1966, I expect to attend
the Dakar Festival of Negro Arts in
Senegal, and if plans work out well, to
remain abroad for the entire summer, so
I would be unable to participate in a
presentation of the NDEA Institute as
you invite me to do. But I am most
grateful to you for thinking of me.

November 17th 1965

Miss Sandra Johnson
Toussaint L'Overture
Student Self-Government Association
Hunter College
693 Park Avenue
New York 21, New York

Dear Miss Johnson:

I am very sorry that, due to heavy writing commitments (including theatre and television work which will take him to California), Mr. Hughes cannot accept any engagements for speaking this season at all. I know that he will greatly appreciate your kind invitation.

October 15th 1965

Miss Erline Dorsey
35 West 110 Street
New York 26, N. Y.

Dear Miss Dorsey:

It was very kind of you to invite Mr. Hughes to address your club in your letter of Oct. 14th. Because of his heavy writing commitments and especially theatre and television work which takes him to California, he cannot accept engagements this season at all. I know that he will greatly appreciate your invitation when he finds your note on his desk upon his return.

March 7, 1966

Mr. Langston Hughes
20 East 127 Street
New York, N.Y.

Gentlemen:

A staff of experienced high school and college teachers has been developing thematic-resource units containing carefully selected reading and enrichment materials that will interest and motivate the underprivileged adolescent to learn and thereby increase his determination to remain in school.

Finding materials that deal with problems that are likely to interest these students and that utilize the environment familiar to these children has been difficult. The materials printed on the following sheet have been selected for use in one of our units. May we have your permission to reprint this material in sufficient quantity to meet our experimental needs. The materials are to be used only for experimentation and are not to be sold or used by any other teachers, pupils or schools except those in the non profit experimental program.

For your convenience the items are listed on the attached form. Two copies are included: one to be retained by your company, and the duplicate to be returned to the Project Director. Since we are attempting to meet early deadlines, we will appreciate whatever you can do to expedite the return of the attached form.

We want to take this occasion also to thank you for your support of the project.

MBS:evk
Enclosure

10 March 1966

Miss Marjorie B. Smiley
Director of Gateway English
Hunter College
695 Park Avenue
New York, N. Y. 10021

Dear Miss Smiley:

Miss Walker's home address is:

Miss Margaret Walker Alexander
Jackson College
Jackson, Mississippi

She will be able to inform you of
where to obtain permission for her poem
FOR MY PEOPLE.