Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements

AFSCME Administration Department Records

jruss — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 16:02:10 -0400

The Administration Office existed for a number of years in the 1960s and 1970s. When it dissolved, its duties were transferred to other departments. Its convention planning duties were handled by the Office of the President for a time and are currently enacted by the Conference and Travel Services Department. Its other duties were assumed by the AFSCME Business Office. Records in this collection include subject files on areas of interest to AFSCME; correspondence from councils and locals; and information on President Jerry Wurf's public relations and special event activities. Also included are committee reports from the 1960-1970 conventions, with most of the focus on the 1965 Special Constitutional Convention, the 1968 convention, and the 1970 convention.

J. Edward Bailey III Photographs

eclemens — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 15:05:28 -0400

Photography by the renowned Black photojournalist, J. Edward Bailey III. The collection contains standard and oversized (OS) black and white photo prints, OS proof sheets, b/w photo negatives, and color transparencies. Examples of both his personal and commercial work are present, including select imagery used in Bailey's exhibits "The City Within" (Detroit Institute of Arts, 1969), and "Patient Care" (Detroit Bank and Trust Co., 1972). Subjects represented include civil rights, industry, organized labor, poverty, and Detroit's 1967 Rebellion.

David Elsila Papers

kschmeling — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 10:34:01 -0400

David Elsila is an activist, educator, writer, editor, and historian best known for his work involving the labor movement. He notably served as the longtime editor for the UAW’s magazine Solidarity, managing the publication from 1977 to 1998. Before then, he was editor for the American Federation of Teacher’s publications American Teacher and Changing Education. Throughout his diverse career, he also taught journalism courses at Wayne State University, wrote several books on labor history, served as Vice-President of the ACLU of Metropolitan Detroit, was a board member and editor of the Michigan Labor History Society, and received numerous awards for his journalistic and civic accomplishments.

Industrial Workers of the World Records

drice — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 16:44:51 -0400

The Industrial Workers of the World was founded in 1905 and is a member-run union for all workers. The IWW organizes all workers producing the same goods or services into one union instead of pooling them by skill or trade. Numbered among its members (known popularly as Wobblies) are lumberjacks, miners, farmhands (especially migrant workers), sailors, and workers in textile mills. Since their founding, the IWW has made significant contributions to labor struggles around the world. The union is proud of its long-standing tradition of fierce defense of the first amendment and breaking down barriers of race, ethnicity, and gender. Since it's founding in Chicago, the IWW has moved its headquarters around the country.

Part 1 includes minutes and proceedings, trial records and evidence, newspapers, pamphlets, poems, cartoons, songs, and correspondence. Subjects of interest include the Centralia Conspiracy; criminal syndicalism; the Everett Massacre; Free Speech fights; organization of farm workers; labor conditions; the controversy between craft and industrial unionism; government raids and seizures; trials of various members; foreign IWW administrations; political prisoners; GEB 1960's-1970's; conventions 1970's; Junior Wobblies; Houston Branch; and information on such figures as Vincent St. John. Correspondents include T.J. Bogard, Arthur Boose, Richard Brazier, Frank Cederval, A.S. Embree, William D. Haywood, Claude Irwin, Joyce Kornbluh, John A. Law, George Lucas, Albert Prashner, Rudolf Rocker, Vincent St. John, Nicolaas Steelink, Fred W. Thompson, William Unger, Walt Westman, and Claire Whitaker.

Part 2 of the Industrial Workers of the World Collection contains General Executive Board correspondence from the 1960s and 1970s and minutes, newsletters and correspondence from several branch locations and foreign administrations covering the same time period. Also included are Constitutional General Convention minutes from the 1970s, membership dues booklets, songs, cartoons, poetry, articles, legal case files, and a large assortment of English and foreign-language pamphlets and leaflets. Of particular interest are the reports of undercover private detectives posing as IWW members who investigated IWW organizing among Arizona miners in 1923.

Part 3 include mainly correspondence, reports, and photographs that document the union’s activities and goals primarily during the time they were headquartered in Ypsilanti. Since the organization is global, some reports come from places as far as Sweden and Germany. Of particular note are copies of Junior Wobblies cards dating from the 1930s.

Content of Box 158, Folder "Cigar Makers Meeting" is unavailable.

Ruthven (Rudy) Simons Papers

aorchard — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 15:21:03 -0400

Ruthven (Rudy) Simons is an activist for human rights. He was a vice president of the Cranbrook Peace Foundation, a board member of the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, a founder of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Wayne State University, and a member of delegations to Iraq, Iran, Haiti, China, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Israel, and Palestine. As a result of his passion for human rights, he was a recipient of the Center Peacemaker Award from the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Wayne State University, and of the Founder’s Award from the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights.

Simons has rallied for causes such as South African apartheid, ending U.S. intervention in Central America, Haiti, Iraq, and Iran, women’s rights, and civil rights. Moreover, he has participated in numerous demonstrations for peace with organizations including Witness for Peace, Michigan Interfaith Committee for Central American Human Rights, Michigan Committee for a Democratic Haiti, the Gray Panthers, the Poverty and Social Reform Institute, Business Executives Move for Vietnam Peace, and the U.S. China Peoples Friendship Association. Because of his wide breadth of interests, this collection spans a sizeable portion of Detroit peace and civil rights protests between the mid-1960s to 2012.

The Ruthven (Rudy) Simons Papers consists of newspaper articles, correspondence, rally information, and flyers from protests and events. There are also administrative documents and correspondence from numerous peace and civil rights community organizations, as well as notes and travel details from Simons’ delegation trips. Finally, this collection contains photographs from events including the Selma March and the Detroit Walk to Freedom, in addition to demonstrations and human rights-centered events.

(46041) Posters, Anti-War Movement, 1973

eclemens — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 17:03:25 -0400

“Untitled” 13.5 x 17 inches.
Artist: Uncredited.

Poster shows people, likely meant to represent Vietnamese citizens, being mistreated by American Soldiers. The background is an American flag. Pencil markings on the top, left corner read “N.Y. IWW Jan 1973. "