Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm2004085101
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of Leon Howard Sullivan were given to the Library of Congress in 2004 and 2007 by Leon Sullivan’s wife, Grace Banks Sullivan.
The papers of Leon Howard Sullivan were processed in 2016 by Michael Folkerts.
One VHS tape containing documentaries of notable West Virginians was transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division where it is identified as part of these papers.
Other papers of Leon Howard Sullivan are held by the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Leon Howard Sullivan is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
The papers of Leon Howard Sullivan are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Leon Howard Sullivan Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Leon Howard Sullivan (1922-2001) span the years 1940-2002 with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1988-2002. The collection consists primarily of correspondence, reports, personal files, program files, articles, and miscellaneous material from Sullivan’s role as president of the International Foundation for Education and Self Help (IFESH), with additional material regarding Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America. The papers are arranged in three series: IFESH , OIC , and Personal Miscellany .
Leon Sullivan devoted many years of his life to the Philadelphia community, serving as pastor of the Zion Baptist Church from 1950 until his retirement in 1988. In that span, Sullivan founded the Zion Non-Profit Charitable Trust in 1962, Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America in 1964, the OIC International in 1969, and served on the board of directors for General Motors beginning in the 1970s, where he developed a code of conduct for companies called the Sullivan Principles.
After his retirement, Sullivan founded the International Foundation for Education and Self Help, which would extend his principles of self-help and community empowerment to Africa. Through the use of assistance programs, IFESH helped educate and train Africans in the areas of health, business, and economic development in order to reduce poverty and unemployment. As president, Sullivan began the African-African American Summit to bring together world leaders and highlight issues facing African countries. The IFESH series contains program files, reports, summit materials, contributions, and administrative files documenting the various functions of the organization.
While serving as president of IFESH , Sullivan was kept abreast of the operations of Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America. The OIC series contains information regarding OIC International, affiliates, reports, and miscellaneous administrative records. The Personal Miscellany series contains correspondence, press and news clippings, articles written by Sullivan, and assorted material concerning General Motors, South Africa, and the Sullivan Principles.
This collection is arranged in three series:
Program files, reports, adminstrative files, subject files, and news articles relating to the International Foundation for Education and Self Help.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Program files, reports, administrative files, subject files, and news articles relating to Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America and OIC International.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Correspondence, speeches, news articles, awards, reports, and writings related to Sullivan's work outside of International Foundation for Education and Self and Opportunities Industrialization Centers.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.