Washington Office on Africa Records

When these records were received, some printed materials were removed and placed with the Sterling Memorial Library Manuscripts and Archives South African apartheid collection, MS 1500. The material remaining in this record group relates more to the actual operations of WOA, its publications and activities, and its interactions with other organizations. The topical resources in this record group were collected to support and direct the lobbying and advocacy activities of the WOA.

Series I, Organization and Policy Records, includes minutes and reports of the boards and committees of the WOA and the Washington Office on Africa Educational Fund. These materials provide a succinct overview of the activities of the organization. Series II, Correspondence and Staff Records, is quite small and primarily relates to internal office operations; the majority of letters and memoranda of the WOA Directors and staff are integrated into later series. Series III, Fundraising and Financial Records, is divided into three sub-series: Summary Records, Chronological Sequence of Records, Correspondence with Notable Funding Agencies.

Series IV, WOA Programs, is the core of this record group. It includes an alphabetical listing of programs and proposals sponsored or co-sponsored by WOA, and a chronological arrangement of material related to the lobbying and monitoring activities of the WOA. Material in this series provides valuable documentation about the issues that were of concern to WOA as well as about the lobbying process and the WOA's interaction with related organizations.

Series V, WOA Publications, includes publications with distinctive titles. Many other WOA statements, papers, and press releases are integrated with the program material of Series IV. The major serial publications of WOA were Action Alert, and Washington Notes on Africa. Other publications included "Information Packets." brochures and printed leaflets, and "Fact Sheets."

Series VI, Resources by Organization, include correspondence between the WOA and related organizations as well as printed material documenting the work of those organizations. This alphabetically arranged list includes a broad cross section of U.S. and African organizations concerned with issues in Southern Africa. Series VII, Resources by State/Region, documents WOA's interaction with and monitoring of Southern Africa-related events and programs throughout the United States. Series VIII, Resources by Topic, is divided into three sub-series: Country Files, Economic and Foreign Policy Issues (U.S. interaction with Southern Africa), and Miscellaneous. The Country Files are strongest in documentation of events and issues in Angola, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Of particular note are materials related to church activities and reactions in these countries. Economic and Foreign Policy issues documented in Series VIII include the arms trade, boycotts, divestment and investment in South Africa, espionage, international economic and trade issues, and sanctions. This material should be consulted in conjunction with the WOA program materials of Series IV, which document WOA positions and actions on the various issues.

Some complementary records related to WOA activities have been digitized by the Michigan State African Activist Archive and the University of Pennsylvania’s African Studies Center.