The collection contains a variety of information relating to Ray A. Alexander's role as the executive director of the Afro Urban Institute and the small businesses that the Afro Urban Institute supported during the 1970s and the late 1980s. The collection contains annual Afro Urban Institute board meeting minutes and reports, including the executive director's report and news clippings; Business Insight newsletters (1976-1977) published by the Afro Urban Institute; correspondence; various donation solicitations; an evaluation of the Career Opportunities Preparation program; executive committee meeting minutes; National Black Economic Development conference workshop supplements; quarterly narrative reports, which include news video transcripts, articles, and correspondence; a booklet summarizing the Afro Urban Institute's 1974 activities; the Tal-N-Art Consortium, Inc. Times newsletter and other published materials, which highlight Afro Urban Institute initiatives and also touch on a variety of businesses and programs that the Afro Urban Institute supported to increase positive economic development within Milwaukee's north side community. Aside from information regarding the Afro Urban Institute's assistance to various north side Milwaukee Businesses, some documents pertain to Ray A. Alexander's role in the Senate Small Business Administration Committee investigation and hearings (folder 10). This investigation took place during 1975 and 1976 when Congress learned that the Madison and Milwaukee SBA branches made improper loans after the Peoples Brewing Company folded. The Peoples Brewing Company was one of the many businesses that the Afro Urban Institute supported. (Alexander was also on this company's board of directors.) After the October 14, 1975 testimony of Alexander and others, the Senate Committee looked into improprieties in the operations of the SBA as well as a small number of government agencies with which the Peoples Brewing Company transacted business.
