When the city manager profession was first launched in the early 20th century as an innovation to improve urban government administration, there remained other unfinished business in political and governance institutions. America at this time was a society that had not yet established the 19th amendment to the Constitution allowing women the right to vote; it would need decades more time to begin dismantling segregation and improving civil rights.
More than 60 years after the council-manager form of government was established and the earliest city managers were appointed, the first African American joined the profession in 1968 when James C. Johnson was hired by Compton, California. Today, several hundred African American city and county managers serve as the chief executive officer (or as a deputy or assistant) in communities across the United States. And while that number has grown it is still a small percentage of the city and county management demographic.
ICMA is partnering with the National Forum of Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) on a project to tell the story of African American city and county managers. The project is focused on:
- The stories of the pioneering men and women who were among the first generations of African American city and county managers
- The social, political, and contextual milestones that challenged and supported the first generations as well as those that continue to serve in the profession
- A recounting of the institutional programming and support provided by groups like ICMA and others from the late 1960s until today, and
- Showcasing the experiences of today’s African American city managers serving communities across the United States.
Project Outputs
- Publications. Professor Lenneal Henderson (lhenderson@vsu.edu) was awarded an ICMA Local Government Research Fellowship to prepare a research paper documenting the last 50+ years of African Americans in the profession.
- Archive. As part of the project, we are creating an archive of primary source materials.
If current or former managers have copies of appointment letters and contracts, notable commendations, newsworthy council meeting minutes, and other documents that will help inform the project, we would appreciate copies for the larger archive. For information on how to submit documents contact Tad McGalliard at tmcgalliard@icma.org or 443-223-7851.
- Story Telling and Documentary. Ultimately, our goal is to identify funding and produce a documentary or StoryCorps-type record of sound and imagery that would be suitable for a professional and public audience.
Project Staff and Contacts
Lenneal Henderson is is currently dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Eminent Scholar at Virginia State University, Petersburg, Virginia. He serves on the boards of Virginia Humanities and LifeNet Health, Inc, and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Before joining Virginia State University, Henderson was formerly a visiting faculty member in the Department of Government at the College of William and Mary; distinguished professor of Public and International Affairs and Senior Fellow of the Schaefer Center for Public Policy; and assistant dean of the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore. He was also chair of the Mayor’s Budget Commission for the District of Columbia and a board member of the National Civic League.
Project Advisors: Sherry Suttles and Michael Rogers
ICMA Staff Liaison: Tad McGalliard, Director Research and Development, ICMA (tmcgalliard@icma.org)
