Soul and Soil Salvation. Clean Up, Grow Up, Fix Up, Decorate, Beautify

[East Des Moines, Ia: R.E. Patten, 1956. Very good.. Broadsheet, 14 x 9 inches. Creased through center, with mild toning and creasing. A rare broadsheet written and published by Robert E. Patten, a prominent African American printer, photographer and entrepreneur who lived in Des Moines, Iowa beginning in 1909. The broadside promotes an organization dedicated to urban renewal that Patten called "The Community Garden Club" as well as the "Peace School Health Club." The front page of the broadsheet discusses the group's plans to clean up the neighborhood, and calls upon community members to "STOP breaking bottles on sidewalk, street and alley. Dispel fear-worry from your face and spirit. Plant the Spring of life in your soil and soul. Warm the community atmosphere with the Summer of friendly fellowship." The verso, meanwhile, covers numerous subjects, including nuclear disarmament, predatory medical practices, and brain washing, and aims for a national movement of "soul salvation" and "soil salvation." One in OCLC, at the University of Iowa; another possible copy may be held at the African American Museum of Iowa. (Inventory #: 6078)