Black Cabinet
The "Black Cabinet" refers to an informal group of African American advisers who were appointed to federal positions during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration in the 1930s. Initially formed by more than a dozen individuals, this group, officially known as the Federal Council on Negro Affairs after 1935, included prominent figures such as Mary McLeod Bethune, Robert C. Weaver, and William Henry Hastie. They met regularly, often at Bethune's or Weaver's homes, to discuss issues affecting African Americans and to influence policies within New Deal agencies. While the Black Cabinet did not hold formal power and its impact on government policy was limited, it played a significant role in raising awareness of racial injustices and advocating for African American concerns. The presence of these advisers also marked a shift in political dynamics, as some African Americans began to transition from Republican to Democratic allegiance. Despite facing the challenges of a segregated society, the Black Cabinet contributed to a gradual responsiveness among white New Dealers to issues facing the African American community.
Black cabinet
The black cabinet was formed by more than a dozen African American men and women who had been appointed to federal positions by President Franklin D. Roosevelt by the year 1935. Known as the Federal Council on Negro Affairs after 1935, it was an informal gathering of African American advisers from various New Deal agencies led unofficially by Mary McLeod Bethune, the director of the National Youth Administration’s Division of Negro Affairs. Its members included Robert C. Weaver, the Negro Affairs adviser in the Public Works Administration, and William Henry Hastie, assistant solicitor in the Department of the Interior. Several other cabinet members later became nationally prominent. They usually met at the home of Bethune or Weaver and informally had some impact on New Deal agencies. Eleanor Roosevelt often provided the impetus behind certain changes after meeting with Bethune.
The appointment of blacks to federal positions symbolized the attempt by some New Dealers to eradicate racial injustice in the United States and influenced some blacks to convert from the Republican to the Democratic Party. President Roosevelt, however, ultimately did not challenge the more intransigent elements of a still segregated society. Still, although the black cabinet did not dramatically alter federal government policies toward African Americans because the appointments were not at the highest levels and its membership was fluctuating, it made white New Dealers more responsive to African American problems.
Bibliography
Finkelman, Paul. Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: From the Age of Segregation to the Twenty-First Century. New York: Oxford UP, 2009. Print.
Palmer, Colin A. Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. Detroit: Macmillan, 2006. Print.
Pritchett, Wendell E. Robert Clifton Weaver and the American City: The Life and Times of an Urban Reformer. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2008. Digital file.
Remembering the First Black Cabinet Member.” Constitution Daily. National Constitution Center, 13 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.
Trotter, Joe William, Robin D. G. Kelley, and Earl Lewis. From a Raw Deal to a New Deal? African Americans 1929–1945. New York: Oxford UP, 1996. Print.