This collection contains the records of the Streetside Boosters community organization, documenting its philosophy and goals; administration and financial affairs; and civic, cultural, and educational activities. Topics include Springfield’s Eastside neighborhood, juvenile delinquency, blues and African music, minority youth in Springfield, youth education and recreation programs, and community organizing.

The collection is divided into four series: Administrative Records, Projects and Activities, Photographic Materials, and Audiovisual Materials.

Series I: Administrative Records, 1975-1986, documents the philosophy, management, and finances of the organization. It is divided into two subseries: General Papers and Grants.

Series I, Sub-series A: General Papers, 1975-1986, contains meeting minutes, bank statements, legal documents, correspondence, job descriptions, flyers, newspaper clippings, and related materials documenting the overall mission of the Boosters and the management of the organization. Also included are materials documenting Sangamon State University students’ involvement with the Boosters. Arranged alphabetically.

Series I, Sub-series B: Grants, 1975-1985, contains grant applications, correspondence, financial records, and similar materials relating to financial grants, which constituted a significant part of the Streetside Booster’s funding. Granting institutions included the City of Springfield, the Illinois Arts Council, the Illinois Commission on Delinquency Prevention, and other state and civic organizations. Arranged chronologically.

Series II: Projects and Activities, 1908-1991, documents the civic, educational, recreational, and research projects carried out by the Streetside Boosters. It is divided into seven sub-series: Blues and African Music, the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act [CETA], John Hay Homes Art Projects, Juvenile Delinquency, Madison Street Highway, The People’s Press and the Social Justice Reporter, and Other Projects.

Series II, Sub-series A: Blues and African Music, 1975-1991 contains materials relating to two major projects supported by the Streetside Boosters: Blues in the Schools and the Blacks, Whites, and Blues Festival. Blues in the Schools was an Illinois Humanities Council-sponsored Artists-in-Residence program that brought blues and African musicians to Springfield to conduct workshops in the city’s primary and secondary schools. The Blacks, Whites, and Blues Festivals were an annual event held in the city’s Eastside neighborhood, featuring music, talent competitions, and other events. Materials include promotional material, correspondence, grant applications and financial records, personal notes and planning papers, newspaper clippings, and student thank-you letters sent to Foday Musa Suso for his participation in the Blues in the Schools program. Arranged alphabetically. Photographs and audiovisual materials relating to this sub-series may be found in Series III and Series IV, and in the Archives’ Tape Collection.

Series II, Sub-series B: Comprehensive Employment and Training Act [CETA], 1977-1980, concerns the training and employment of Springfield youth by the Streetside Boosters and a Summer Youth Program in which CETA youth worked at Sangamon State University. Program evaluations document CETA employment programs sponsored by a variety of organizations in Illinois, not only the Streetside Boosters. Arranged chronologically.

Series II, Sub-series C: John Hay Homes Art Projects, 1982-2004, contains correspondence, drawings, photographs, news articles, and other materials relating to three art projects developed by the Streetside Boosters and funded by the Illinois Arts Council. The mural ‘Corporate State, 1984’ was painted in 1982, followed by ‘Our Time Has Come,’ in 1984. A sculpture titled ‘Circle of Dreams’ was erected in 1985. Later materials document the removal of the ‘Corporate State, 1984,’ mural in the early 2000s and Michael Townsend’s opposition to its removal. Photographs of these projects can be found in Series III.

Series II, Sub-series D: Juvenile Delinquency, 1975-1976 contains records relating to a study carried out by Sangamon State University students which compiled statistical studies of juvenile involvement in the Springfield police and court systems and provided a profile by census tract of Springfield ‘Youth in Trouble,’ for the years 1974-1975. Materials include correspondence, census data, crime data, reference material, and the syllabus for a related course being taught at Sangamon State University. Arranged alphabetically.

Series II, Sub-series E: Madison Street Highway, 1976-1985, includes correspondence, reports, newspaper articles, posters, flyers, meeting recordings, and reference material documenting the Streetside Booster’s opposition to the construction of an eastside section of the Madison Street Highway, which would pass through the John Hay Homes area. A related audio recording can be found in Series IV.

Series II, Sub-series F: The People’s Press and the Eastside Social Justice Reporter, 1908-1984 contains article drafts, correspondence, news releases, research material, photographs, and notes and planning material relating to the development of the community paper The People’s Press, later titled the Eastside Social Justice Reporter. Also included are originals of The People’s Press (1976-1979) and the Eastside Social Justice Reporter (1983-1984) and reproductions of articles concerning the Springfield Race Riot of 1908. Arranged alphabetically.

Series II, Sub-series G: Other Projects, 1976-1985, contains correspondence, planning documents, financial records, photographs, flyers, posters, newspaper articles, and court records relating to other civic and recreational projects carried out by the Boosters, including athletic programs, haunted houses, and camping trips; the Booster’s opposition campaigns to the closure of the East Branch Library and Palmer School, and Black History celebrations. Arranged alphabetically. Related photographs may be found in Series III.

Series III: Photographic Materials, 1976-1985, contains photographs, slides, and negatives documenting the activities of the Streetside Boosters. It is divided into two series: Photographs and Negatives.

Series III, Sub-series A: Photographs, 1976-1985, contains positive photographs, contact sheets, slides, and a small number of negatives documenting the activities of the Streetside Boosters, particularly the Blues in the Schools Program, and annual Blacks, Whites, and Blues, and the John Jay Homes art projects. Subjects also include athletic events, camping trips and trips to Chicago, CETA employment, a local art show, and the Booster’s haunted houses. Arranged alphabetically.

Series III, Sub-series B: Negatives, undated, contains three hundred and forty eight sleeves of negatives. ID numbers may correspond to photographs in Series III, Sub-series A.

Series IV: Audiovisual Materials, 1979-1985 contains audio cassettes, VHS, U-matic and U-maticS, and one 16mm film. The majority of materials feature the Blacks, Whites, and Blues Festival between 1983 and 1985. Also included is video footage of the installation and dedication of the Circle of Dreams sculpture and an audio recording of a Department of Transportation meeting regarding the Madison Street Highway.