Series II: State and District Records, 1925-2003, inclusive

This subseries documents the activities of districts and states outside of New York. The bulk of these records derive from the 1960s and 1970s though there are a few materials from the first half of the 20th century. These records are not nearly as comprehensive as those of New York, presumably because each district did not systematically send records to the national office. The California and Illinois districts have the largest representation here, focusing mostly on Chicago and San Francisco. District convention materials and member correspondence files are noteworthy resources. The series includes select recordings of meetings from regional conventions and committees regarding official party policies and agendas.

A set of files from the Illinois state district were added to this subseries in 2018. They include committee reports, meeting minutes, budgets, election petitions, and publication from the 1980s. Meeting minutes and committee reports make up the bulk of these files, but other materials include ballot petitions and issues of campaign newsletters.

This subseries contains administrative records from the New York State District. The New York State District office occupies the same space as the national office headquarters; as a result, these records are significantly more extensive than those of other states or districts. These records are a rich resource for understanding how the Party galvanized members at the local club level by creating a sense of community and shared purpose. They provide ample evidence of how members applied Party theory to organizing around contemporary issues such as civil rights, ethnic communities, housing, racism, transportation, and the working class, particularly during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Meeting minutes, correspondence, district convention materials, membership applications, reports, resolutions, speeches, and recorded meetings can be found in this subseries, as well as the records of some staff members such as Lucia Faithfull-Stevenson, Esther Moroze, and Carol Pittman. Audio recordings in this subseries document New York State conventions and committee meetings, as well as a few select membership meetings.

Jarvis Tyner has held a variety of leadership positions during his many years as a Party member; he is currently the Executive Vice-Chair of the Communist Party, USA. This subseries contains records that derive from his time as Chair of the New York State District and reflect Tyner's involvement in a variety of initiatives at all levels of the Party. Included here are materials pertaining to African American equality, civil rights, and civic concerns such as housing and unemployment with an emphasis on New York City during the 1970s and 1980s. Tyner's notes, reports, and correspondence also provide a portrait of his participation in the work of several national bodies such as the Political Bureau and the National Conventions.