Ethnic Minorities Section Update

Yolanda T. Mitchell, Ph.D., Ethnic Minorities Section Chair-Elect
Fall 2017 NCFR Report

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In an effort to continue to document the contributions of ethnic minorities to NCFR, the Ethnic Minorities Section has convened an Oral History Committee. The committee, which comprises the Ethnic Minorities Section chair-elect and four section members, will continue to document the section’s rich history and member contributions, as well as facilitate the Oral History Session at the NCFR Annual Conference. What follows is a brief overview of our section’s history.

The NCFR Board granted section status to the Ethnic Minorities Section in 1979. Harriette McAdoo was the first full-fledged chair of the section, which held its first session at the 1980 NCFR Annual Conference. An Ethnic Minorities Award was established, and the Ethnic Minority Oral History Project was inaugurated and presented by Leanor Johnson.

In 1980-81 the Ethnic Minorities Section began the process of collecting oral histories of the involvement of ethnic minority members in NCFR. Joseph Himes presented the session at the 1981 NCFR Annual Conference and reflected on the founding of NCFR. In 1982 Marie F. Peters was interviewed for the Ethnic Minorities Section’s Oral History Project. The year 1985 brought an oral history focus, with “Multi-Ethnic Experiences in Professional Organizations” presented by a panel including Fariyal Ross-Sheriff, William Liu, Estella Martinez, Parvez Wakil, and Gladys Hildreth.

At the 1994 conference, Harriette McAdoo gave her presidential address “American Families: Moving Toward a Multicultural Society.” Harriette’s husband, John McAdoo, had recently passed away; a memorial service in John’s memory was held, and the Ethnic Minorities Oral History period was devoted to a memorial testimonial session in his honor.

Today we continue the tradition of recognizing the antiquity of the Ethnic Minorities Section during the Oral History Session, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 16, noon-1:30 p.m. We invite all NCFR members to join us as we continue to celebrate the history of the Ethnic Minorities Section.