King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968

AFSCME Central Files Department Records

jruss — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:09:27 -0400

The AFSCME Central Files Department was established in 1966 to which all departments within the international headquarters contributed correspondence and reports so all material related to a particular incident would be filed together. In 1974, Dr. Philip Mason of the Reuther Library at Wayne State completed a thorough records management survey of AFSCME and recommended that the Central Files Department be dissolved and that individual departments maintain their own records. His recommendation was enacted that same year.

The material in this collection reflects the broad range of operational activities undertaken by the AFSCME International Headquarters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The records reveal information on most aspects of the union’s procedures, on councils and locals throughout North America, and on AFSCME’s dealings with organizations, government entities, and other unions. The records are primarily comprised of correspondence, but other types of records also appear including legal and policy memoranda, financial statements, legal decisions, transcripts from hearings and proceedings, meeting minutes, procedures, by-laws, grievance claims, membership lists, staff activity reports, press releases, and news clippings.

AFSCME Communications Department Records

jruss — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:06:22 -0400

AFSCME has produced a regularly published magazine since its inception. Publication duties for this organ and other materials were accomplished by the Education and Publications Department for the first twenty years of AFSCME’s existence. The 1954 Convention, however, passed Resolution 14, establishing a Publications and Public Relations Department. This new department would continue to publish the AFSCME magazine and other materials and would also take on new media public relations duties both at headquarters, and importantly, in the field. Recognizing that current field staff’s duties did not include crafting AFSCME’s message during organizing campaigns and strikes, it was hoped that the new department would provide skilled public relations professionals on the ground. The new department was created on April 1, 1956. The Publications and Public Relations Department existed until 1971 when the name was changed to the Public Affairs Department. This existed until 2011 when the name was changed again to the Communications Department.

The AFSCME Communications Department Records document the public activities of the Department, AFSCME International, and AFSCME officials. Records include speech transcripts; press releases; surveys and polls; documents related to AFSCME biennial conventions such as transcripts of proceedings, correspondence, and planning documents; correspondence; publications; meeting minutes; clippings; photographs, slides, and negatives; audio and video recordings; and posters.

AFSCME Local 1733: Memphis, Tennessee Records

jruss — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:40:48 -0400

Sanitation workers in AFSCME Local 1733 in Memphis, Tennessee led a strike in 1968 to gain union recognition. The strike lasted for 65 days and garnered national attention as Local 1733's campaign for labor rights became fused with the struggle for civil rights. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lent his support to the strikers by visiting Memphis and leading marches. While there, on April 4, 1968, King was assassinated. The strike was settled soon after King's death. Local 1733 went on to wage other campaigns for workers' rights, including a push to raise wages for public employees in the summer of 1969, a school boycott in the fall of 1969 that corresponded to the NAACP's drive for more racially diverse representation on the Memphis City Council, and a push to unionize workers at St. Joseph Hospital in the fall of 1969.

The vast majority of this collection consists of newspaper clippings that follow these campaigns in both local and national publications. Some additional material relating to the strikers' strategies and the organizations formed to support the strikers such as Community on the Move for Equality (C.O.M.E.) and Memphis U.S.A. also appears.

AFT Inventory Part I Records

dgolodner — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:06:07 -0400

Contains Series I, III, IV, VI.

Series I Presidents department, 1920-1964 4W-B-8(1-6), 4W-B-7(9)
Series III Executive Council, 1916-1980 4W-B-7(6-9)
Series IV Defunct Locals, 1916-1958 4W-B-7(3-6)
Series VI Old correspondence with locals, 1914-1940s 4W-B-7(1-2) 4W-B-6(9)

Papers consist of correspondence, ballots, proceedings from meetings, clippings, local finances, per capita reports, charter applications. Subjects include integration, federal works programs, loyalty oaths, academic freedom, federal aid to education, communist issues. read more »

Jerome P. Cavanagh Photographs and Other Material

drice — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 11:06:29 -0400

The Jerome P. Cavanagh Photographs and Other Material consists of numerous photographs, the majority of which were taken during his time in office. These photographs cover events such as the 1968 Olympic Bid, visits from Lyndon B. Johnson, aftermath of the 1967 unrest, and Mayor Cavanagh with various prominent Detroit business people, union members, and politicians. Also included in the collection is memorabilia from his 1966 Senate campaign, 1968 Olympic information, and other various memorabilia during his time in office.

UAW Public Relations Department Photographs and Sound and Video Recordings

mwallace — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 14:01:25 -0400

Since the United Automobile Workers of America (UAW) was established as an affiliate of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in August 1935, the union has maintained an office to deal with public relations. At that time, a "Committee on Publication" was formed, which became the "Publication Committee" in April 1936. The Committee subsequently became the "Publicity Department" in August 1936, when the UAW became an independent union affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). This became the UAW's Public Relations Department some years later. The primary purpose of the original Committees and Department was the production of the union's national newspaper, the United Automobile Worker, which became Solidarity in 1957. Over the years, as the UAW grew into a large, powerful union, the P.R. department played an increasingly important role in writing speeches and producing various publications. It also generated large numbers of photographic images, created television advertisements, and issued press releases, delivering the union’s official stance on nearly all issues. In recent years, the P.R. Department has also been responsible for maintaining the union’s social media presence. The collection consists of Audio-Visual material, including photographic prints and contact sheets, videotapes, and audio recordings.

Walter P. Reuther - Walter P. Reuther (1963 Speech)

pneirink — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 15:30:12 -0400

In this famous 1963 speech in Washington D.C., Walter Reuther promotes civil rights and equal opportunity for all Americans.

More info about the album can be found here: http://reuther.wayne.edu/node/10783

1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

scaloia — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 15:57:03 -0400

Thomas Oliver “T.O.” Jones believed a union for sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee was a necessity. A sanitation worker himself, he experienced the unfair working conditions and accompanying low pay. It was the 1960s and forty percent of full-time Memphis sanitation workers qualified for welfare assistance. The men had to carry heavy trash bins, often leaking waste, from residents’ yards to the trucks in sweltering Memphis heat. Black workers did not read more »

50 Years Later: the Kerner Commission and the Poor People's Campaign

mcourtney — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 13:36:49 -0500

On February 29, 1968, The Kerner Commission issued its report on the root causes of urban rebellion in the United States. Though the report was a top-down response to inequality, it was not the only response to growing unrest in American cities. That same year, Ralph Abernathy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. planned the Poor People’s Campaign to address a lack of economic opportunity through grassroots organizing and demonstration. read more »

Detroit's Walk to Freedom

eclemens — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 22:48:12 -0400

This Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we recall Detroit's Walk to Freedom, described by Dr. King as “one of the most wonderful things that has happened in America." Dr. King led the march and shed light on the status of African Americans in northern industrial cities. Organized by the Detroit Council on Human Rights (DCHR), the Walk to Freedom was the largest civil rights demonstration in the nation’s history. Its purpose was to speak out against segregation and the brutality that met civil rights activists in the South while at the same time addressing concerns of African Americans in the urban North: inequality in hiring practices, wages, education, and housing. The date of the march, June 23, 1963, was chosen to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1943 Detroit Riots in which 34 people, the majority of them African American, were killed. read more »

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

jruss — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:25:59 -0400

“It is a crime to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages.”–Martin Luther King, Jr.

At the beginning of 1968, working conditions for sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, especially African Americans, were atrocious. Employees were given no benefits, no vacation pay, no pensions; forty percent qualified for welfare, and many worked second jobs. During bad weather, black workers were sent home without pay, while white workers collected a full day’s wages. The Memphis Sanitation Department refused to modernize the equipment used by black workers. read more »

Remembering Walter and May Reuther

gstrassel — Fri, 08 May 2020 13:02:06 -0400

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the tragic passing of Walter and May Reuther. As we solemnly commemorate this event, we also celebrate the lives of two individuals who dedicated so much to the labor movement and transformed society throughout America and abroad. read more »

Subject Focus: African American History at the Reuther Library

wlefevre — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:19:12 -0500

The Reuther Library celebrates African American History Month with a look at some of the significant collections housed in the library that deal with African American history.

A gem from Rosa Parks’s collection is a set of her hand written notes from her time at the Highlander Folk School in 1955, shortly before the Montgomery Bus Boycott. These notes showcase her read more »

The Creation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

mcourtney — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 16:21:19 -0500

The Reuther Library and Wayne State University will be closed in observation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

While we’re out, we wanted to tell you a bit more about the way this became a national holiday and the people who worked to make sure it happened.

Dr. King was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee read more »

Web Exhibit Announcement: I AM a Man

jruss — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:00:57 -0400

April 4, 2012 marks the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. King had traveled to Memphis in the spring of 1968 to lend his support to striking sanitation workers, members of AFSCME Local 1733. We're pleased to announce the launch of a new web exhibit, created in conjunction with the Wayne State University Library System, explaining the events of that spring. Please visit the exhibit and share widely: (http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/iamaman/).

Johanna Russ was the Archivist for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) from 2008 until 2013.

Memorial Program for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memphis, 1968

scaloia — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 14:42:19 -0400

Program titled "The Service of Memorial and Dedication for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Speakers included Dr. Ralph Abernathy, Coretta Scott King, Bishop J.O. Patterson, Reyes Lopez Tejerina, Rev. B.L. Hooks, and Rev. Samuel B. Kyle.

Walter Reuther, Martin Luther King, Jr., and May Reuther

gstrassel — Fri, 08 May 2020 12:13:06 -0400

UAW International President Walter Reuther, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and May Reuther at the UAW's 25th anniversary celebration at Detroit's Cobo Hall. 1961.

(360) Civil Rights, Demonstrations, "Walk to Freedom," Detroit, 1963

eclemens — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 06:45:28 -0400

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leads an estimated crowd of 125,000 civil rights activists down Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit during the historic "Walk to Freedom." Rev. C.L. Franklin, Walter Reuther, Rev. Albert Cleage and Mayor Jerome Cavanagh are all in view.

(1723) Civil Rights, Marches, "Walk to Freedom", Detroit, 1963

eclemens — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:13:02 -0400

Political, spiritual, civil rights, and labor leaders guide thousands of activists down Woodward Ave. during the “Walk to Freedom” civil rights march, Detroit, Michigan.

Left to right: Walter Reuther, Benjamin McFall, James Del Rio, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rev. C.L. Franklin.

(3712) Wurf and King, Memphis

jruss — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:48:03 -0400

AFSCME President Jerry Wurf consults with Martin Luther King, Jr. who traveled to Memphis to lend support to the striking sanitation workers of Memphis Local 1733 in 1968. King was assassinated while in Memphis campaigning for the AFSCME Local.

(7482) Wurf and Reuther march for King

jruss — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:57:04 -0400

AFSCME President Jerry Wurf and UAW President Walter Reuther (lower right, front row) march in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. on 8 April 1968, shortly after his assassination.

(7529) AFSCME staffers watch King in Memphis

jruss — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:50:44 -0400

AFSCME International Field Director P.J. Ciampa (left), and AFSCME staffer Bill Lucy (center, in checked suit) watch as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. greets a crowd while in Memphis for the sanitation workers’ strike in late March or early April 1968.

(8887) King speaks in Memphis

jruss — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:20:20 -0500

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks to a crowd in Memphis during the AFSCME Local 1733 sanitation workers’ strike.

(8888) King in Memphis

jruss — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:31:56 -0500

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. meets with a crowd in Memphis during the AFSCME Local 1733 sanitation workers’ strike.

(8891) King in Memphis

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:22:35 -0500

AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf (right) and International Representative P.J. Ciampa (standing) with Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis during Local 1733’s sanitation workers’ strike.

(8893) King family, Memphis

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:38:54 -0500

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s widow, Coretta Scott King, and their children disembark the plane carrying King's body to Atlanta for his funeral. King was assassinated while showing his support for AFSCME Local 1733’s sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis.

(8895) King speaks in Memphis

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 10:50:11 -0500

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks to a crowd in Memphis during the AFSCME Local 1733 sanitation workers’ strike.

(8896) March for King

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:17:14 -0500

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s family leads the memorial march held in Memphis after he was assassinated while showing his support for AFSCME Local 1733’s sanitation workers’ strike. To the right of Coretta Scott King and her children Yolanda, Martin III, and Dexter, are Rev. Ralph Abernathy and Rev. Andrew Young.

(8898) Wurf, Reuther mourn King

jruss — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:31:44 -0500

Seated on the speakers’ platform in front of Memphis City Hall at the rally following the memorial march for Martin Luther King, Jr. are from left: Bishop B. Julian Smith of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf, UAW President Walter P. Reuther, and AFL-CIO Civil Rights Director Don Slaiman. King was assassinated while supporting striking sanitation workers from Local 1733.

(11380) Senator Ted Kennedy honors Martin Luther King, Jr.

jruss — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:15:10 -0400

AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf watches as Reverend Ralph Abernathy (right), leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, welcomes Senator Ted Kennedy to the rostrum at the one year memorial for Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis in April 1969.

(11886) Civil Rights, Marches, "Walk to Freedom", Detroit, 1963

eclemens — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:07:09 -0400

Political, spiritual, civil rights, and labor leaders guide thousands of activists down Woodward Ave. during the “Walk to Freedom” civil rights march, Detroit, Michigan.

Left to right: Walter Reuther, Benjamin McFall, James Del Rio, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rev. C.L. Franklin. Behind Franklin is Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanagh.

(12101) Wurf in Memphis

jruss — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:37:20 -0400

AFSCME President Jerry Wurf speaks to sanitation workers in a Memphis church in April 1969, one year after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated aiding these workers in their strike for union recognition and improved working conditions.

(12113) Memphis Strike Twentieth Anniversary

jruss — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:50:02 -0400

AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer William Lucy looks on as President Gerald McEntee speaks with reporters on the twentieth anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death in Memphis.

(24727) Kennedy Remembers King

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:09:36 -0400

Senator Ted Kennedy remembers Martin Luther King, Jr. one year after his assassination in Memphis.

(24728) Kennedy Remembers King

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:15:00 -0400

Senator Ted Kennedy remembers Martin Luther King, Jr. one year after his assassination in Memphis.

(24729) Reverend H. Ralph Jackson

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:23:59 -0400

Reverend H. Ralph Jackson, a leader of the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers strike, rests during the one-year remembrance of Martin Luther King’s assassination.

(24730) Michigan Local 41 Remembers King

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:43:56 -0400

AFSCME members of Detroit Local 41 prepare to march in memory of Martin Luther King on the first anniversary of his assassination.

(24732) Michigan Local 41 Remembers King

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:53:53 -0400

AFSCME members of Detroit Local 41 prepare to march in memory of Martin Luther King on the first anniversary of his assassination.

(24733) AFSCME Leaders Remember King

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:57:58 -0400

AFSCME President Jerry Wurf (back seat) and Secretary-Treasurer Joe Ames (front seat) ride in a car during remembrance events in Memphis on the first anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination.

(24734) President Wurf Remembers King

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:02:38 -0400

AFSCME President Wurf speaks in Memphis on the first anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination.

(24735) AFSCME Leaders Remember King

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:06:44 -0400

AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Joe Ames (right) and Vice President Father Albert Blatz of Minnesota sit on the dais at the first anniversary remembrance of Martin Luther King’s assassination.

(24742) Mourners March for King

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:44:43 -0400

Mourners and supporters carry a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. during a memorial march shortly after his assassination--likely the funeral march held in Atlanta.

(24743) King in Memphis

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:21:00 -0400

AFSCME President Jerry Wurf (right) speaks with an admirer of Martin Luther King, Jr. (left) who had traveled to Memphis to lend support to striking sanitation workers of Local 1733. AFSCME organizer P.J. Ciampa stands behind them.

(24745) King in Memphis

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:39:10 -0400

AFSCME President Jerry Wurf (right) speaks to Martin Luther King, Jr. at a rally for the striking sanitation workers of Memphis Local 1733. AFSCME organizer P.J. Ciampa stands behind them.

(24746) King in Memphis

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:44:48 -0400

Martin Luther King, Jr. attends a rally for the striking sanitation men of Local 1733 in Memphis. AFSCME President Jerry Wurf sits next to him.

(24747) King in Memphis

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:00:11 -0400

Martin Luther King, Jr. sits with AFSCME President Jerry Wurf at a rally for striking sanitation workers of Memphis Local 1733. AFSCME organizers P.J. Ciampa (left) and Jesse Epps (center) stand behind them.

(24749) First Anniversary March

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:32:29 -0400

Participants march in Memphis in remembrance of Martin Luther King on the first anniversary of his assassination.

(24750) Wurf Remembers King

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:38:20 -0400

AFSCME President Jerry Wurf speaks in Memphis at a remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. on the first anniversary of his assassination.

(24752) Marchers Remember King

jruss — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:50:42 -0400

Participants march in Memphis in remembrance of Martin Luther King on the first anniversary of his assassination.

(24753) Supporters Prepare to March

jruss — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:06:24 -0400

Supporters and mourners prepare to participate in the first anniversary march commemorating the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis.