Catholic Council on Human Relations records

This collection includes a variety of materials regarding the Catholic Council on Human Relations (CCHR) and their work to desegregate New Orleans parochial schools. The collection includes correspondence by and to C. Ellic Henican, Charles Plauche, Henry Bezou, and Henry Cabirac. The collection includes the organization's foundational documents, collected publications, and financial materials.

Much of the collection consists of correspondence between CCHR staff and directors, with the bulk of letters being to and from C. Ellic Henican (president) and Henry Cabirac (executive director). There is also a folder dedicated to correspondence with Monsignor Charles Plauche, as well as correspondence with New Orleans School Superintendent Henry Bezou. A large amount of the collection also contains business documents of the CCHR, such as the organization's bylaws and constitution, statement of purpose, meeting minutes, the certificate of incorporation, and the articles of incorporation. Financial documents are also included, such as bank statements, tax forms, budgets, statement of expenses, check books, bank deposit slips, and receipts. There are also reports and report drafts from the CCHR regarding their organization and their reasoning for the desegregation of Catholic schools.

In addition to the above documents, there are also newspaper articles reporting on the desegregation of Catholic schools in New Orleans, press releases from the CCHR and other affiliated organizations, and letters and articles from anti-segregationist organizations, such as Save Our Nation, Inc. There is correspondence regarding a grants-in-aid program, transcripts of speeches and sermons advocating for desegregation, a description of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and photographs of CCHR staff and directors and desegregation protests. There are also letters, articles, meeting minutes, and reports from and about Education Unlimited and the National Catholic Council on Interracial Justice.

Items of note include a confidential report from the Southern Field Service to the National Catholic Council on Interracial Justice in 1962 and an address delivered by Henry Cabirac in Lafayette before the 42nd Annual Convention of the Knights of Peter Claver in 1962.

This collection was processed under a grant from the Keller Family Foundation.