Finding aid for the Helen E. Arnold Papers, 1965-1975

Biography of Helen E. Arnold

Helen E. Arnold was born on August 2, 1924 in Burlington, New Jersey. She moved to Akron, Ohio with her family when she was very young. She attended Leggett Elementary School and Central High School in Akron. She obtained her GED in 1966. Arnold attended The University of Akron taking courses in family life, sex education, and board training. She later enrolled in cosmetology school and became a licensed cosmetologist. Arnold also attended numerous workshops, seminars, and conferences offered by the AFL-CIO and other organizations on topics ranging from welfare, poverty, and inner-city violence, to education, the energy crisis, and Pan-Africanism. Arnold worked as a beautician in a beauty shop in the late 1950s before owning her own shop from 1959 to 1962. In 1964, she worked as an interviewer and surveyor for Candeub, Fleissig & Associates, a consulting firm based in Newark, New Jersey that focused on community development and environmental planning. The company was considered the country's largest planning firm in the 1960s. Arnold became an office manager for the City of Akron in 1965 and became a permanent city employee a year later. Helen Arnold married Roy Arnold in 1941. They had nine children that she raised. Helen became a PTA volunteer to assure that everything was being done to provide her children with the best education possible. She also wanted to ensure that the same quality education was available to all children in Akron Public Schools. Therefore, in 1978 she ran for and was elected the first black woman to serve on the Akron Board of Education. During her 24-year tenure she served as board president, was a member of the Ohio School Board Association, and co-founded the Black Ohio School Board Association. Arnold is considered to be one of the first in the Akron/Summit County community to support the Afro-Centric School at Stewart Elementary. In addition to her work in education, Arnold volunteered for numerous organizations in the Akron and Summit County Area and fought tirelessly for equal rights for women and African-Americans. She was the Chairman of Welfare for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She is probably best known for serving as NAACP Akron Branch President from 1970 to 1972. She also served the Akron Branch as Vice President from 1972 to 1974 and as Past President and Governing Board Member. Arnold also held the title of Chairman for the District IV Ohio NAACP and for the Ohio Black Political Caucus. She also held the position of President and Secretary for the Community Action Council of Summit County and Greater Akron. Furthermore, Arnold was a member of JACS, the Brotherhood Action Committee, the Panel of American Women, and the 14th Congressional Black Caucus. Helen Arnold received numerous awards and certificates for her work in education and civil rights. This includes the NAACP Appreciation Award, the Akron Community Service Center & Urban League Award, the Community Action Council Award of Appreciation, the WHLO Good Citizen Award, and the North Akron Neighborhood Council Award. She also received a letter of commendation from the Summit County-Greater Akron Community Action Council's Governing Board. Helen Arnold passed away in February of 2001. In 2004, the Akron School Board honored her by naming a new school building in her honor. The Helen E. Arnold Community Learning Center is located on Vernon Odom Boulevard near the site of the former Lane School. It was dedicated and opened in 2007.

Scope and Content

The Helen E. Arnold Papers mostly consist of subject files that document the work of numerous Akron and Summit County organizations for education reform and equal rights for women and African-Americans. The files predominantly document the Akron Branch of the NAACP, the Ohio Black Political Assembly, and the United Neighborhood Council. They also document Arnold's unsuccessful campaign for Akron City Council. A few of Arnold's speeches and writings are also included in the papers as well as incoming and outgoing correspondence and newspaper clippings that document the work of Arnold and the groups mentioned above.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

No restrictions on access; except not available through interlibrary loan. Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Restrictions on Access

No restrictions on access; except not available through interlibrary loan. Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to reproduce or publish materials in this collection must be secured in writing from Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron.

Akron Board of Education Records, Dr. Herbert A. Davidson Papers

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Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Helen E. Arnold Papers, Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio.

Detailed Description of The Collection