Nuclear disarmament--United States--20th century

Clara M. Vincent Papers

aorchard — Fri, 22 May 2015 16:02:04 -0400

Born in 1895 in Ingham County Michigan, Clara M. Vincent was a peace and civil rights
activist. Vincent immediately became entrenched in peace activism after the end of World War I. Her activism largely focused on civil rights, peace, nuclear disarmament, world hunger, and the separation of church and state. She was involved in innumerable organizations, including: Livonia Citizens for Better Human Relations, the Detroit branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Farmington, the Jane Addams Peace Association, and Americans for the Separation of Church and State. Moreover, she was a member of the Warsaw Peace Congress, in addition to aiding the Progressive Party’s Henry Wallace in his presidential campaign, during which she worked alongside Paul Robeson.

The Clara M. Vincent Papers includes correspondence, political flyers, and pamphlets from
Vincent’s political activities. Additionally, this collection contains a notable amount of
newspaper clippings revolving around racism, warfare, nuclear disarmament, and the formation of the Progressive Party.

Al Fishman Papers

abarker — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:16:12 -0400

Alvin Fishman was born in Los Angeles, Nov. 28, 1927, but he was raised in New York and graduated from Stuyvesant High School. He was drafted and served in Italy during World War II. After the war, he moved to Ann Arbor, MI to attend the University of Michigan and study architecture. During this time he became involved in politics. Fishman left the university prior to graduation to move to Detroit and work as a tool and die machinist in an auto plant for the next thirteen years. He married Margaret Radulavich in 1951; they had two children, Marcia and Daniel. As an adult, he returned to college to complete his education in mathematics at Wayne State University. He also pursued a Master of Public Adminstration from Wayne State in the 1970s. He made a living programming computer systems for the Detroit Police Department.

Al Fishman and his wife, Margaret, were activists for peace and justice. Al was a long time leader of Peace Action of Michigan, serving as co-chair and representative on the national board of directors. He joined in the 1980s when the group was called the SANE/Freeze, working on the Nuclear Freeze Campaign. He was also involved with the New Jewish Agenda, Detroit Area Peace with Justice Network, Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, and Democratic Socialists of America.

Part 1 of Mr. Fishman’s papers reflect his activities as state chairperson for the New Democratic Coalition of Michigan (NDCM) and his involvement in various Detroit-area political organizations and the anti-Vietnam War movement.

Part 2 of the collection documents the Fishman’s activism in the city of Detroit and their participation in various peace, justice and human rights groups, such as New Jewish Agenda, Peace Action of Michigan and Detroit Area Peace with Justice Network groups. Materials from Margaret Fishman’s involvement in the group Women’s Conference of Concerns are included. The collection also contains some materials from Al Fishman’s work with the Detroit Police Department, the City Charter Revision Commission, and his unsuccessful bids for city office.

Smith College Records

aorchard — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 11:04:30 -0400

The collection contains pamphlets, booklets, periodicals, and monographs related to a wide variety of liberal causes from the 1920s to the late 1960s. The majority of items concern issues in the United States or that directly deal with American involvement. Most of the records date back to the 1960s and involve topics related to the American anti-war movement or socialism.

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Detroit Branch Records

aorchard — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 11:34:35 -0400

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to ending war and bringing about world peace. Formed in 1919 along with the Michigan branch, Detroit’s WILPF branch has been active in pushing for peace and equality throughout the region and nationally. These actions reflected in the collection include lobbying politicians (notably Michigan governors, Representative John Dingell, and Detroit mayor Coleman Young), writing publications advocating their positions on various issues, holding public demonstrations for numerous causes, and more. WILPF has continually operated since its formation, but activity and membership spiked in the 1960s in response to the Vietnam War. Noteworthy past members include Meta Riseman (who would go on to serve as the head of WILPF’s US branch), former president Agnes Bryant, and Alice Herz (the first American to commit self-immolation in protest of the war in Vietnam).

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Detroit Branch Records contains the records of WILPF’s Detroit chapter with some materials from the Michigan state branch. Much of the collection is comprised of records from meetings for the two chapters and their various subgroups. These reports and meeting minutes reflect the goals and activities of the local WILPF chapters. Other notable sections are the records for WILPF’s Peace Day Camp, compiled materials on prominent local WILPF members, numerous subject files, WILPF publications and pamphlets advocating various issues, planning materials for special events, legislative activities with local and federal politicians, newsletters, and scrapbooks documenting the organization’s history.

(32348) Events, Firestone, Detroit Area Nuclear Weapons Freeze Committee, 1985

eclemens — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 14:57:07 -0400

Bernie Firestone speaks to members and supporters of the Detroit Area Nuclear Weapons Freeze Committee at their “Hiroshima-Nagasaki Anniversary Event.”