PROJECT EQUALITY, INC. RECORDS
Historical Note/Scope and Content

IMPORTANT: As of June 5, 2024 this collection is off premises for digitization. It will be gone for several months and cannot be consulted for research.

Historical Note

Founded in 1965 as a service of the National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice, and separately incorporated in 1971, Project Equality, Inc. sought to leverage the purchasing power of religious denominations, non-profit organizations, and corporations to promote equal employment opportunities for African Americans and other minorities. It ended operations  in 2007. The last president, Kirk Perruca, subsequently trademarked the name "Project Equality" for his annual "Diversity and Inclusion Summit" in Kansas City, MO.  

The collection contains board meeting minutes, publications, reports, and video recordings of sessions of the 30th anniversary conference.

Gift of Project Equality, Inc., 1976.

Scope and Content

Series 1, Meetings Files, 1971-2006, documents meetings of PE's board of directors and committees and conferences it sponsored. Records include minutes, reports, and related correspondence, arranged alphabetically by type of meeting and chronologically thereunder.

Series 2, Administrative Subject Files, 1971-2007, contains information on PE's early relations with church bodies, along with general administrative records. The records are arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.

Series 3, Affiliate Files, 1971-2001, contains information on state and regional PE groups, including correspondence with the national office, newspaper clippings, publications, and reports.

Series 4, Equal Employment Opportunity Audit Files, documents reviews conducted of hiring and personnel practices of airlines, hotels, universities, and other institutions. Records include correspondence and reports, arranged by name or type of business.

Series 5, Publications, 1971-2006, consists of issues of the Buyer's Guide, newsletters, and other publications of PE, arranged by title or type of publication.

Series 6, Video Recordings, 1995, documents sessions of the 30th anniversary conference. including the keynote address by Richard Thieme.