Black Coalition.

The Black Coalition was formed in response to the growing concern among certain members of the Greater Philadelphia Movement that efforts to establish a meaningful dialogue between whites and blacks in Philadelphia were failing. The reason for this was attributed to the lack of communication with the so-called “gang element” in the city. Convinced of the necessity to deal with this element, a meeting was planned for Good Friday, April 12, 1968, one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King. A broad cross section of both the white and black communities were invited to this meeting, including a number of gang leaders. It was at this meeting that the Black coalition was formed, as a vehicle to maintain an ongoing dialogue between the white business community and the gang element, as well as other segments of the black community within the city.

Funds up to $1,000,000 were to be raised by the business community. Projects would be initiated by the coalition and funded through the Good Friday Group of white businessmen. There was no attempt to dictate funds and responsibility was placed squarely in the hands of the blacks. Initially, a main goal of the Black Coalition was finding employment for African-Americans, but secondary goals included improving housing, education, and health services conditions. The founders intended for the members of the Black Coalition to find worthy community projects which would then be funded by the Good Friday Group, an arm of the Greater Philadelphia Movement.

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