Blogs

The staff of the Reuther Library mourns the loss of our beloved friend and colleague, Carrolyn Davis. Carrolyn died unexpectedly on April 8, 2014. Her passing leaves an immense void in the hearts of her colleagues at Wayne State, the archival community, and her friends throughout the library world.

She attended Detroit Public Schools and graduated from Northwestern High School. She received her Bachelors and Masters Degrees from Wayne State University.  read more »

In 1992, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) selected the Walter P. Reuther Library as the official repository for its archives and records.  read more »

The Wayne State University Mace, a ceremonial scepter used at certain official university occasions, will be present on Friday, April 4, when M. Roy Wilson is inaugurated as the 12th president of Wayne State University. The mace also appears at Commencement ceremonies and at each year's New Student Convocation. The Wayne State University Mace has been in use for thirty years; it was built for the university by Phillip Fike.  read more »

Social movements that disrupt the status quo and go on to change the lives of participants most often coalesce around a powerful leader. In 1962, Cesar Chavez, a former migrant worker and community activist, began the long struggle for farm workers’ rights by organizing the National Farm Workers Association in Delano, California—the forerunner of the UFW. By 1965, after signing up about 1200 members, Chavez was asked to join a grape strike in Delano led by the predominant Filipino Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC).

The Walter P. Reuther Library commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Delano Grape Strike by recounting its near fifty-year relationship with the United Farm Workers to document and preserve its legacy.  read more »