Education

Elementary class in child care, undated

Mary Ann Brook's Class, circa 1910

Sewing Class, undated 

Early Female Class, undated

Atlanta School of Social Work, Graduating Class, undated

Group activity at a Neighorhood House, undated

As an organization, the Neighborhood Union valued educating the residents of these undeserved Atlanta neighborhoods. In the Neighborhood Union's constitution, it delineates the mandate to “encourage habits of industry by establishing clubs for cooking, sewing, millinery, manual training, and general home making." They established lecture courses on a variety of topics including instruction for mothers on the proper care for themselves and their infants. The Neighborhood Union bought a piece of property on Lee Street where members conducted health classes, clinics, home economic classes, boys' and girls' activities, mothers' meetings, citizenship groups, lecture courses and literary societies. 

Beyond providing classes for community residents, the Neighborhood Union petitioned the Atlanta Board of Education in 1913 to build two new schools. Headed by members of the Neighborhood Union, the Women’s Social Improvement Committee conducted a survey of Atlanta public schools. They tabulated facts, took pictures, and surveyed and interviewed leaders in the Atlanta Public School system. Organizers at the district level investigated all of the schools, and reported that they were too small, improperly ventilated and dark, and generally overcrowded.

A Social Service Institute for Blacks in Atlanta grew out of the need for trained workers to carry on the activities that the Neighborhood Union started. An institute was organized and held at Morehouse College in 1918. This institute eventually became the Atlanta School of Social Work in 1920. Prominent social workers and sociologists, Garrie Moore, E. Franklin Frazier, Forrester B. Washington were all connected to the School. In 1947, the Atlanta School of Social Work evolved into the Atlanta University School of Social Work (now the Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University).