The MEJ records, 1972-1980, provide evidence not only of its own activities, but they also document the wide spectrum of social action organizing activity and issues addressed during the period. The latter materials are found both in the MEJ collection itself and in the separations to the Social Action Vertical File. The collection consist of the following eight series: BACKGROUND MATERIALS, DIRECTORS' FILES, CORRESPONDENCE, FUNDING RECORDS, CONFERENCES, PROJECTS, ISSUE FILES, and MEJ PUBLICATIONS.
The BACKGROUND MATERIALS consists of information about MEJ, the MEJ Organizing Center (MEJOC), and the MEJ Education and Training Center (MEJETC). MEJOC and MEJETC were allied non-profit corporations established in 1974 to channel funds and administer grants and loans to MEJ, functions previously handled by the Poverty Rights Action Center and the Misseduc Foundation. MEJETC, directed by Dale MacLeod, handled the funds for federal income tax-exempt activities.
Mainly comprising proposals, prospectuses, reports, and correspondence, the background materials also include mass mailings and news releases issued. Since the collection does not include detailed financial records, these background files, along with the funding records, provide the only information on MEJ's financial status. Much of the correspondence in this series concerns the legal and financial relationships between MEJ, MEJOC, and MEJETC and their predecessors, whose relationships are not always clear. The MEJ background materials also include videotapes of George Wiley announcing the formation of MEJ as well as his funeral and memorial services.
The DIRECTORS' FILES document the activities of George Wiley and Bert De Leeuw. Besides files of MEJ itself, this series contains materials about several non-profit organizations and coalitions on whose boards Wiley and/or De Leeuw were active--the Coalition for Human Needs and Budget Priorities, George Wiley Memorial Fund, Misseduc Foundation, and Public Interest Economic Center and Foundation.
The Directors' Files are arranged alphabetically by organization. Within the MEJ files, the meeting minutes and staff memoranda are the most complete and include discussions of administrative organization, policy and procedures, strategic planning, and relations with other organizers and groups.
The CORRESPONDENCE series consists mainly of the correspondence of Wiley, De Leeuw, and Adamson. Because of its broad constituency and range of concerns, the small MEJ staff was in contact with a wide range of social action groups, discussing strategies, policies, research, legislation, and local situations. Mainly incoming, the correspondence is arranged alphabetically by person or organization, but includes several subject files.
The FUNDING RECORDS are divided into two sections--funds received by MEJ and funds distributed and administered by MEJ, MEJOC, and MEJETC. Each section is arranged alphabetically by organization. MEJ received funds from a number of nonprofit agencies. The reports by MEJ to Misseduc Foundation provide details of MEJ's projects and finances. Although MEJ did directly fund a few projects, most of the funds it handled came from other agencies. The files consist mainly of correspondence, proposals, agreements, and progress reports.
The CONFERENCES series contains files on local, regional, and national conferences, panels, forums, symposia, workshops, seminars, assemblies, and conventions. Some of these events were sponsored or co-sponsored by MEJ. Others included participation by one or more of the MEJ staff. For still others, the relationship to MEJ is unclear. This series includes agendas, memos, correspondence, background materials, and other handouts, arranged chronologically.
The PROJECTS series contains materials on actual projects, as well as proposals that apparently were never funded. The files are arranged alphabetically by project title. The largest files are those for TJP and NCTJ. Mainly Julia Mark's files, they retain their original order (as far as can be determined). The records include extensive background files of largely unpublished materials, as well as correspondence, mass mailings, and small publications by MEJ, and information from other national and local organizations.
The ISSUE FILES were maintained by Madeleine Adamson, Director of Research and Publications. Some files pertain to MEJ projects--revenue sharing, tax reform, utilities, and redlining. Others--such as health care, training, unemployment, land reform, and general energy issues--were never full-fledged MEJ programs, but were used by Adamson to provide advice and assistance to local groups. They mainly consist of research reports, mass mailings, newsletters, clippings, and correspondence. The files are arranged alphabetically by issue.
Adamson also maintained extensive files for national, regional, and local organizations. An important part of the collection, these files document the great number of social action groups which existed during that period. These include groups both large and small, local and national, short-lived and relatively permanent. Many of them are likely not documented elsewhere. Those files with information on activities but with no direct correspondence with MEJ have been separated to the Historical Society's Social Action Vertical File.
The PUBLICATIONS include copies of MEJ's newsletter Just Economics, as well as publications for organizers on the subjects of property tax, home foreclosures, utilities, and redlining. Other publications and mass mailings involving special projects, issues, or conferences can be found in the CONFERENCES, PROJECTS, and ISSUES FILES series. This series also includes buttons distributed by both MEJ and other social action groups and projects.
