Blogs

In honor of Black History Month, we highlight the Dale Rich Collection.

Over fifteen years ago, Mr. Dale Rich, professional photographer, longtime newspaperman, and historian, came to the Reuther Library to research African Americans and labor. As I, Access Archivist Carrolyn Davis, began working with him, he soon showed me hundreds of photographs he had taken over the years of the 2006 Detroit Public School Teachers Strike, of organizing groups supporting the teachers, of himself reenacting a black Civil War solider at the Elmwood Cemetery, and of the Detroit Labor Day Parade, especially the trucks driven by the Teamsters.  read more »

It's time for another round of our photo caption contest! To enter the contest follow these simple steps:

1. Look at the photo.

2. Come up with a caption for it.

3. Post your caption and the URL for this blog post on our facebook page, either directly on our wall, or in the comments beneath the contest announcement, within one week.

We’ll pick the one we like best, and that person will get a free print of the image. After a week, we’ll reveal the true context of the photo. We hope you enjoy!  read more »

The season of the Facebook

It has been two and a half years since a student at Wayne State University's School of Library and Information Science approached us here at the Walter P. Reuther Library about a school project. The assignment was to build a page on Facebook to help promote archives and libraries. This student contacted me, Paul Neirink, Digital Resources Specialist, by email. Soon after, construction was under way. In the three winters since its completion, this seemingly small school project has blossomed into a steady course of links and comments touching on numerous labor history related topics and events. In a very real sense, the Reuther's Facebook page has become an alternative source of information that is nearly as useful as our main site in terms of advancing aspects of our mission.  read more »

January 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of a watershed moment in American labor history: the Lawrence Textile Strike. Commonly referred to as the "Bread and Roses Strike," workers fought to not only earn enough to feed their families, but to also be afforded basic human dignity. For this reason, many consider the event’s significance as a social revolution to be equally as important as its impact on working conditions.  read more »