aergas's blog

Civil rights activist Viola Gregg Liuzzo was remembered and honored on July 23, 2019, when a new sculpture, by local artist Austen Brantley, was dedicated at the Detroit park named after her.

Liuzzo, born in 1925 and a mother of five living in the Detroit area, attended classes at Wayne State University for several years in the early 1960s. In 1965, she drove to Selma, Alabama, to join activists at voter-registration drives and marches led by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.  read more »

Recent work on papers donated to the Reuther Library has created new interest in the Michigan Dance Archives, which focuses on the history of dance in the Detroit metro area and across Michigan. The Michigan Dance Archives (MDA) was established in 1994 to acquire and preserve the rich heritage of Michigan dance, and it includes the papers of its founder Harriet Berg.  read more »

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Prismatic Club, the Reuther Library has opened the records of the Detroit-based men’s private social club.

The Prismatic Club was founded by Samuel R. Bartlett on January 10, 1867, in Detroit.  read more »

This Women’s History Month, we bring you the story of an activist and labor leader whose fascinating life needs to be remembered and re-appreciated. For several decades, Rose Pesotta organized across the country for garment workers in New York, rubber and auto workers in the Midwest, and immigrant laborers in California. She also worked for victims of government persecution, war and prejudice. Pesotta was a pioneer in labor organizing, an unstoppable force for the common worker, for the immigrant and for justice.  read more »