Poland--History

Don Binkowski Papers

drice — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:34:13 -0400

Don Binkowski spent his career serving the people of Michigan as a Warren councilman, delegate of the Michigan Constitutional Convention, and judge in the 37th District Court. Privately, Binkowski, a passionate historian, copiously researched and wrote extensively on Polish and Polish-American history and interests, and on North Detroit. This collection is mainly comprised of Binkowski’s research collected in the pursuit of publication, specifically his three books: Col. P.W. Norris – Yellowstone’s Greatest, Poles Together: Leo Krzycki and Polish Americans in the American Labor Movement, and Leo Krzycki and the Detroit Left. Papers that document Binkowski’s career in public service are also included.

Dorothy Kraus Papers

drice — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:30:40 -0400

Dorothy Kraus, wife of Henry Kraus, had a Jewish working class socialist family background. When married to Henry, she helped assist in local Detroit UAW strikes by organizing strike kitchens and leading the Emergency Brigade. Her efforts led to the formation of the UAW Women's Auxiliary.

Material in Part I of the Dorothy Kraus Collection relates mainly to the early activities of the UAW Women's Auxiliary, attempts to control the cost of living during the Depression, and to anti-Semitism. Papers in Part II detail Dorothy’s early life in Poland, and contain personal notebooks, correspondence and manuscripts of her later writings.

Solidarność Exhibit — 2010

kchinery — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:31:41 -0400

Thirty years ago, Poland captured the world’s attention when the workers of the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk went on strike and launched a national rebellion. Solidarność, the free trade union born during the strike, developed into a social movement that established a democratic government in Poland and eventually led to the end of the Cold War in Eastern Europe. The Reuther Library’s latest exhibit, "Solidarność: Poland’s Struggle for Freedom, 1980-1990," provides an historical account of Solidarność from the events leading up to the first strike in 1980 through the 1989 election in Poland. read more »

(28659) Lech Walesa, Solidarnosc, Gdańsk, 1983

eclemens — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:29:46 -0400

Portrait of Lech Walesa as he leaves the Gdańsk Shipyard.

Photographer's note: "I wanted to get a picture as the leader and founder of Solidarity, Poland's outlawed labor organization, left the shipyard at 2:00, the end of his shift. He had to come to his van, so I positioned myself there, where he would be in the foreground as he walked from the gates. I had to be unobtrusive, as the authorities did not want us there."