Detroit--race relations

Mel Ravitz Papers

cwesterman — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 15:22:23 -0500

Professor and Detroit community advocate Mel Ravitz held various posts in Detroit politics, including positions such as the Detroit City Plan Commission Director of Community Organization, on the Detroit City Council and as staff director of the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Services Board. As a professor at Wayne State University, Mr. Ravitz assisted in the formation of the University’s Department of Urban Planning.

Mr. Ravitz’s papers reflect his interests in community organizing and neighborhood revitalization, and serve to document the history of Detroit politics and the social and economic changes that the city faced during the later half of the twentieth century. In addition there are files relating to his activities to 2005.

The collection is in three parts.

Jerome P. Cavanagh Papers

drice — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:06:22 -0400

The papers of Mr. Cavanagh, mayor of Detroit from 1962 to 1970. They include correspondence, reports, studies, speeches, minutes, and other materials of the mayor's office and commissions and departments of the city. Efforts, both local and national, in improving economic and racial conditions in Detroit are recorded in the collection. Subjects of interest include 1967 Detroit riot; Detroit Police Dept.; urban redevelopment programs; Detroit and Michigan politics; New Detroit, Inc.; poverty programs; housing; civil disorders and police problems; and all aspects of the urban complex. Smaller groups within the collection are the files of James L. Trainor, Fred Romanoff, Richard Strichartz, Jack Casey, and Sandra McClure, all members of the mayor's staff. Correspondents are government officials on every level: U .S. presidents, vice presidents, senators, congressmen, state officials, mayors of other cities, and other prominent public figures.

Detroit Industrial Mission Records

drice — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 16:22:18 -0400

The Detroit Industrial Mission (DIM) was an ecumenical organization that was founded on the premise of a need for a better understanding between the worker, management and religion. It aimed to serve all churches and types of industry. The industrial mission, organized by the Rev. Hugh C. White in October 1956, sought to organize independently of the formal structures of any denomination. The mission engaged directly with varying types of industry to explore with managers and their workers the relevance of their work and Christianity; ultimately the goal was to discover the meaning of work. They sought men and women who were eager to pursue the quest for industrial expression of faith and to develop a greater quality of life within industry consistent with the industrial institution. Ultimately, they intended to foster human good between the work experience and theological ideas of men, industry, and the religious tradition. Due to financial constraints, the Detroit Industrial Mission folded in 1978.

Part 1, includes correspondence, reports, project evaluations, and various papers by project members.

Part 2, documents the organization’s development and their activities with emphasis on the 1960s through the early 1970s. The records contain project files and administrative files. DIM project files specifically document the organization’s activities within industry including workshops, interviews, and the mission’s offerings of strategy for the individual industries that sought help. Administrative files collectively document material generated by the mission staff including correspondence, financial records, and subject files used for research. These materials may also be found throughout the entirety of the records.

Ernest C. and Jessie M. Dillard Papers

abarker — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:58:58 -0400

An active member of United Auto Workers Local 15, Ernest Dillard was the first African American elected to a succession of UAW leadership posts. Jessie Dillard was one of Detroit’s leading block club organizers and civil rights activists. Both Mr. and Ms. Dillard played prominent roles in the Detroit NAACP and held leadership positions in the Michigan Democratic Party.

Part I of the papers of Ernest and Jessie Dillard reflect the broad range of their professional and political activities in the labor and civil rights movements.

The papers in Part II consist of correspondence,reports, clippings, speeches, publications and other material related to their labor, political and publishing activities.

George C. Edwards, Jr. Papers, Parts 1-4

drice — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:39:40 -0400

George Edwards, Jr., son of George Clifton Edwards, attended Harvard University where he became involved with the Student League for Industrial Democracy. After coming to Detroit in 1936, he became a UAW organizer with Walter Reuther, was appointed director of the Detroit Housing Commission, and served on the Detroit Common Council. After serving in WWII, he went into private practice, followed by judgeships in the Wayne County court system. In 1956, Edwards was appointed to the Michigan State Supreme Court. In 1962 he was invited by Mayor Jerome Cavanagh to the post of Police Commissioner of Detroit where he focused his attention on organized crime and discrimination. After serving two years he was nominated to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals by President John F. Kennedy, and eventually served as a Chief Judge. He retired in 1991 and passed away in 1995.

Parts I-III of his papers reflects his early high school and college days, including correspondence with his father and material from his involvement in several student groups. Edward, Jr.'s various judicial campaigns, particularly his Michigan Supreme Court appointment, as well as his directorship of the Detroit Housing Commission are documented. Personal papers, including wartime correspondence with his wife, are included, as are newspaper clippings dealing with a variety of topics relevant to Detroit politics and events.

Part IV of Edwards, Jr.'s contains personal and career related correspondence from his service in the military through the 1980’s, with much focus on his nomination and confirmation to the Sixth Circuit Court. Included are many speeches and writings, his activities with professional organizations, a photocopy of his manuscript of the biography of his father, Pioneers at Law, and memorial tributes and letters of condolence to his family.

Focus: HOPE Records

drice — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:26:00 -0500

Focus: HOPE emerged in March of 1968 from the ashes of the 1967 Detroit riot. The largely volunteer civil and human rights organization has created an astonishing variety of innovative programs aimed at overcoming racism, poverty and injustice by fostering integration and bringing the urban unemployed into the economic mainstream, programs which have become a model for urban revitalization worldwide. The Focus: HOPE Collection contains a wide variety of sources, including correspondence, statistical reports, financial records, survey data, grant proposals, legislative history and publicity, documenting the food distribution, human relations and job training programs Focus: HOPE pioneered to eliminate the racism, poverty and unemployment which fueled the 1967 Detroit riot. Additionally, the collection examines the motivation and careers of the organization's co-founders, Father William Cunningham and Eleanor Josaitis.

Dan Georgakas Papers

abarker — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:50:15 -0400

An author of poetry and non-fiction, Dan Georgakas’ publications include the book: Detroit: I Do Mind Dying: A Study in Urban Revolution. Mr. Georgakas’ papers represent research collected for Detroit: I Do Mind Dying, documenting the activities of Detroit African American radical groups in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Horace W. Gilmore Papers

drice — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:56:35 -0500

Correspondence, pamphlets, booklets, newsletters, clippings, reports, and notes collected by Mr. Gilmore, who has been active politically in Detroit and Michigan. In 1952 he was special assistant U.S. attorney for the Office of Price Stabilization under Philip A. Hart; from 1955-56 he served as deputy attorney general of Michigan; from 1956 to the present he has been a Wayne County Circuit Court judge; from 1965-68 he helped to organize the Detroit Citizens Committee for Equal Opportunity and led its Police-Community Subcommittee; since 1965, he has chaired the Michigan Committee for Revision of the Criminal Code; he has been a member of the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice since 1967, leading the commission's Task Force on Administration of Justice. In 1969 he was elected a member of the Judicial Tenure Commission; from 1970-71 he headed the Round Table of Jews and Christians Institute of Police-Community Relations; and from 1971-72 he was president of NARCO (Narcotics Addiction Rehabilitation Coordinating Organization). Subjects include police training, criminal code revision, community relations, the 1967 Detroit riot and civil rights, and Detroit community projects. Major correspondents are Richard Emrich, Mildred Jeffrey, and G. Mennen Williams.

Morris Gleicher Papers

abarker — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:44:21 -0400

Morris Gleicher served as president of United Public Workers Local 209 and of the Michigan American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and founded the public relations firm, MG Advertising, later known as MG and Casey, and MG Associates.

Mr. Gleicher’s papers reflect his work as in public relations and his involvement in issues of civil liberties, racial equality and the peace movement.

Grand Rapids Education Association Records

drice — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:15:02 -0500

Correspondence, clippings, financial papers, reports, and agreements of the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Education Association (1964-66); reports from the Michigan Education Association (1965-66); proceedings, correspondence, reports, handbooks, and surveys of the Grand Rapids Board of Education (1955-66); reports, budgets, resolutions, and surveys of the National Education Association (1965-67); and minutes (1907-34) and newsletters (1933-63) of the Grand Rapids Teachers Club. The materials were collected by the Grand Rapids Education Association, founded in 1907 as the Grand Rapids Teachers Club. Subjects include teacher salaries, negotiations, elections, and professional problems.

Grosse Pointe Civil Rights Organizations Records

drice — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:19:32 -0500

The Grosse Pointe Civil Rights Organizations collection is made up primarily of the papers of two organizations: The Grosse Pointe Human Relations Council, and the Grosse Pointe Committee For Open Housing. The papers of the Grosse Pointe Civil Rights Organizations reflect the work of a number of civil rights organizations in the Detroit area in the 1960's and 1970's.

William Hanna Photographs

drice — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 16:11:03 -0500

William Hanna worked for the city of Detroit. During the course of the
work day and on his free time, Hanna would capture events in the city
that he personally found interesting or of importance. The photographs
in his collection consist of black and white snapshots of the building
of the Fort St. County Building and the changing river front and color
snapshots of buildings, streets, and people during the civil unrest in
Detroit in 1967.

Charles A. Hill Papers

drice — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:36:11 -0500

Reverend Charles A. Hill served as a Baptist minister in Detroit for many years. Interested in labor unions, he encouraged his parishioners (men employed by the Ford Motor Company) to unionize and, in 1941, to strike. He was active in the Sojourner Truth Housing Project in 1942, and was a member of the committee investigating the 1943 race riot in Detroit. These activities are covered in the papers, as is the Lantz Hill interrogation. Correspondents include Prentiss Brown, John Dingell, William R. Hood, Thurgood Marshall, and C. F. Palmer. An oral history interview with Mr. Hill is available.

Damon J. Keith Papers

drice — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:20:02 -0400

Judge Damon Keith served in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Judge Keith delivered several landmark rulings in civil rights and civil liberties cases and played an active role in various civic, cultural and educational associations, including the Detroit YMCA, the United Negro College Fund, and the Detroit National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He is the recipient of the NAACP’s Springarn Medal, the American Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award, the Edward J. Devitt Award for Distinguished Service to Justice, and over thirty honorary degrees. Judge Keith’s papers document important milestones in his career, his precedent-setting judicial decisions, his role in ensuring equal justice for all Americans, and the many honors and awards bestowed upon him for his dedication to civil rights and to the City of Detroit.

Samuel Kellman Papers

abarker — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:16:55 -0400

Samuel Kellman collaborated with Thomas Harris and Gartha Williams in articles published in The World concerning Father Charles E. Coughlin, and assisted in the Detroit Free Press’ defense against Father Coughlin’s libel suit. Mr. Kellman’s papers reflect his interest in the nature of fascism, racism, and the affairs of the Catholic Church; and relate to Father Coughlin and the activities of fascist and anti-Semitic groups in Europe and the United States.

Lily Lampinen Papers

drice — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:35:42 -0500

The papers of Lily Lampinen reflect her personal interest in a variety of important social and political issues, particularly civil rights for minorities.

Maurice Kelman Papers

kschmeling — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 13:38:59 -0400

Attorney Maurice Kelman taught at Wayne State University Law School and served as Special Counsel to Mayor Jerome Cavanagh.

Part 1 of Mr. Kelman’s papers, which reflect his career as an attorney and arbitrator, primarily relate his work as Special Counsel to Mayor Cavanagh. Part 2 of the Collection spans the years of 1943 to 2012, including materials from Kelman's early life attending Durfee Intermediate and Cass Technical High Schools, further education at the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Harvard Law School, up through his entire professional career. This Collection contains his numerous publications, work concerning Elected Officeholder Expense Funds, Ray Girardin interview transcripts, and features his passion for drawing and cartoons. Important subjects include: Kwame Kilpatrick, Coleman A. Young, Jerome P. Cavanagh, Ray Girardin, and Wade H. McCree Jr. Collection includes a 1971 interview recording and transcript with Ray Girardin who served as Detroit police commissioner for five years under Mayor Jerome Cavanagh. Prior to his police career he was a crime reporter. Girardin talks about his career as a crime reporter with and as Detroit police commissioner during the 1967 civil unrest, which he describes in detail over its unfolding, from his perspective as a law officer.

James J. McClendon Papers

drice — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:57:15 -0500

An active member of the Detroit Branch, NAACP, Dr. McClendon was president of that group from 1938 to 1945. These papers include material on the fight against racial discrimination in Detroit and the armed services, and on fund-raising problems. The collection also has papers relating to Dr. and Mrs. William A. Thompson of Detroit, who were active supporters of the NAACP. Correspondents include Edward J. Jeffries, Jr., Henry L. Stimson, and Arthur H. Vandenberg.

Wade H. McCree, Jr. Papers

drice — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 13:55:18 -0500

Wade Hampton McCree, Jr. began his career as a lawyer in the Detroit law firm of Harold E. Bledsoe and Hobart Taylor. He later served on the state’s Workmen’s Compensation Commission and as a judge in the county and U.S. court system. During his tenure on the bench, McCree took part in a number of school desegregation cases iand as the government’s lawyer, he argued a number of significant cases before the Supreme Court. He resigned in 1977 to accept appointment as U.S. Solicitor General in the Carter administration. In the last few years of his life, McCree taught law at the University of Michigan, and consulted on various cases and served as Special Master for the U.S. Supreme Court in cases in which it exercised original jurisdiction. Judge McCree’s professional, educational, civic and charitable activities were many and he was the recipient of numerous honors and awards.

His papers contain his personal and professional correspondence, speeches and writings, voluminous case files, including his notes and opinions, meeting minutes, publications and other material relating to his service on the bench and as the federal government’s chief lawyer as well as his work on professional committees and his involvement with a wide range of civic, fraternal and charitable organizations.

Metropolitan Detroit Building Fund Records

drice — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:21:50 -0500

Detroit hospital construction; United Foundation Capital Fund Division; racial discrimination in hospital services and medical training in Detroit

NAACP Detroit Branch Records

drice — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:04:32 -0500

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was established in 1910 to help African-American citizens secure their rights, obtain legal justice and gain equal political, economic and social opportunity. The Detroit Branch was established in 1912 and has worked to improve conditions in housing, employment, education, and police-community relations and in doing so has received community-wide and national recognition. Their records reflect these accomplishments, including material on the Detroit race riot of 1943, scattered records concerning police brutality and discrimination in housing, employment, and education, civil rights complaints, membership campaigns, events and programming, and administrative materials.

New Detroit, Inc. Records

drice — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:45:45 -0500

On August 1, 1967, immediately following the Detroit riot, Michigan Governor George Romney, Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanagh and J. L. Hudson department store chain president Joseph L. Hudson, Jr. announced the formation of the New Detroit Committee (as it was originally called), a citizens' coalition comprised of a cross-section of community leaders committed to finding solutions to the problems that had spawned that summer's violence and destruction. New Detroit not only serves as a forum for identifying urban problems, but also promotes strategies to reduce them by providing financial and technical assistance to grassroots community development programs and to a multitude of New Detroit-initiated projects. The records of New Detroit, Inc. consist of correspondence, reports, minutes, clippings, speech material, publications, surveys, and project proposals related to the administration and programs of the organization.

George Schermer Papers

srafferty — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 14:22:55 -0500

George Schermer worked to improve housing, human relations, and urban social problems throughout his career. First with the Chicago Housing Authority as a Supervisor of Tenant Selection and Tenant Services, before moving to Detroit where he worked with the Detroit Housing Commission as Assistant Director for Management. In 1945, Mayor Jeffries appointed Schermer as Director of the Detroit Mayor's Interracial Committee, which he created to help ease tension within the city, especially in the wake of the 1943 riot. Schermer left Detroit in 1953 to begin working as the Director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, where he worked for 10 years before resigning. Schermer opened a consulting firm, George Schermer and Associates, and worked with organizations like the Ford Foundation and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, around the country on urban social issues.

In his spare time, Schermer helped initiate the creation of the National Association of Human Rights Workers. He also served as the first President of the Michigan Committee on Civil Rights, as well as being heavily involved in neighborhood communities where he lived, namely Boston-Edison in Detroit and West Mt. Airy in Philadelphia.

The Schermer papers contain materials primarily from his career in Detroit, Philadelphia, and as a consultant. It also contains some personal material from his life outside of work including correspondence as well as his involvement in neighborhood associations and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.

UAW Fair Practices and Anti-Discrimination Department Records

drice — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:45:49 -0500

Subjects include: African-American workers; anti-Semitism; civil rights; community action programs; CIO state councils; race relations; Democratic Party; Detroit Revolutionary Union Movements; employment discrimination; Sunnyhills Housing Cooperative; Ku Klux Klan; Mexican Americans; gender discrimination; women's rights; United Steelworkers of America; sharecroppers; skilled trades; school desegregation

Note: Box 13 is unavailable.

UAW Local 212 Records

drice — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:04:48 -0500

UAW Local 212 represented workers of the Briggs Corporation, an automobile supplier eventually purchased by Chrysler Corporation. There were numerous company and union conflicts as well as factional union conflicts which mirrored the struggles within the UAW at large. Their records document shopfloor conditions, organizing, elections, and contract negotiations in the various plants serviced by the local.

United Community Services Central Files

drice — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:45:31 -0500

United Community Services and its predecessors, Associated Charities of Detroit, Detroit Community Union, and the Council of Social Agencies of Metropolitan Detroit, were federations of public and private agencies providing social welfare and health care services to needy Detroiters as well as planning organizations engaged in research into the causes of social problems and their solutions.

The UCS Central Files provide insight into the social history of metropolitan Detroit during much of the twentieth century, its cultural and racial diversity and tension, and the disruption brought on by economic instability, population shifts, and war.

Subjects include: Detroit social welfare agencies; African Americans; poverty; aging; child and family services; city planning; community organizing; Depression and World War II in Detroit; health care; housing; immigrants; juvenile delinquency; neighborhoods in Detroit; race relations; settlement houses; social work profession; youth organizations and activities

Stanley J. Winkelman Papers

abarker — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:29:50 -0400

Stanley Winkelman served as president and Chief Executive Officer of the historic Detroit retailer, Winkelman Stores, Inc. An active leader in the Detroit community, Mr. Winkelman served in a multitude of Detroit political and civic organizations, holding posts such as president of the Jewish Community Council of Metropolitan Detroit, on the Detroit Commission on Community Relations, and as chairman of New Detroit, Inc.

Mr. Winkelman’s papers document his professional life and his activities as an influential community leader, reflecting the affairs of Winkelman Stores, Inc., and his affiliations with community organizations throughout Metro Detroit.

Coleman Young Papers

drice — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:14:06 -0400

With a background in labor activities and civil rights, Coleman Young captured a Michigan State Senate seat in 1964, representing an east side Detroit district, and rose quickly to leadership posts in the Lansing legislature. Michigan Democrats elected him in 1968 to become the first black member ever to serve on the Democratic National Committee. In 1973, pledging to restore peace between the people and police of Detroit, Coleman Young announced as a candidate for Mayor of Detroit. He defeated the City's former police chief, John Nichols, in a bitter election contest in January 1974 and was re-elected in 1977,
1981, 1985 and 1989. He was one of the first African-Americans to be elected mayor of
a major U.S. city and served a total of twenty years. He was considered by many of his
constituents as a champion of the disadvantaged and disenfranchised. During Young’s
mayoral years, the city of Detroit faced numerous economic, political and social
challenges.

The papers in Part I of this collection reflect the years of Young's state senatorial service. The materials in Part II of this collection represent a portion of Coleman A. Young’s
correspondence and other documents from his tenure as mayor of Detroit, 1973-1993.

African Americans and the UAW

mosmith — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:53:30 -0500

The Reuther Library celebrates African American History Month with a brief review of the important role that African Americans have played in the formation and growth of the United Automobile Workers of America (UAW), one of the most powerful unions in American history, and the influence of black UAW members within the polity of Detroit. read more »

Book Announcement: The Color of Law

teller — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 18:45:25 -0400

Next month metropolitan Detroit authors and frequent Reuther Library researchers Steve Babson, Dave Riddle, and David Elsila are releasing their book The Color of Law: Ernie Goodman, Detroit, and the Struggle for Labor and Civil Rights, which uses information garnered from collections held at the Reuther.

We have many records and manuscript collections that reflect how the local government, legal system, and organizations have addressed the intersection of civil rights, race, and the law in metro Detroit. read more »

Collection Spotlight: Dale Rich Collection

cdavis — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:04:08 -0500

In honor of Black History Month, we highlight the Dale Rich Collection.

Over fifteen years ago, Mr. Dale Rich, professional photographer, longtime newspaperman, and historian, came to the Reuther Library to research African Americans and labor. As I, Access Archivist Carrolyn Davis, began working with him, he soon showed me hundreds of photographs he had taken over the years of the 2006 Detroit Public School Teachers Strike, of organizing groups supporting the teachers, of himself reenacting a black Civil War solider at the Elmwood Cemetery, and of the Detroit Labor Day Parade, especially the trucks driven by the Teamsters. read more »

Collection Spotlight: Wade McCree's contribution to Detroit and the nation

ljones — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 09:37:16 -0500

The Walter P. Reuther Library continues to celebrate Black History Month by highlighting the life of Wade McCree and his papers.

In his work as a judge, appointed official, and educator coupled with his sense of civic responsibility, Wade Hampton McCree, Jr. made a unique contribution to the Detroit metropolitan area and beyond. His success in these areas are noteworthy by themselves, but even more so given the barriers to success experienced by African Americans read more »

Detroit's Black Bottom and Paradise Valley Neighborhoods

Public Relations Team — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:15:49 -0400

In the Winter 2012 semester, the Reuther Library worked with students in the Graduate Certificate in Archival Administration program at the Wayne State School of Library and Information Science to produce a series of student-written, guest blog posts.

Cathy MacDonald is a student in the Archival Administration Program at Wayne State University. She is currently interning at the Arab American National Museum’s Library and Resource Center.

Detroit’s Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods provided both housing and entertainment for the city’s African American community from the 1920s through the 1940s. 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 »

Eleanor Josaitis — Hands Across the Racial Divide

wlefevre — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:32:36 -0400

As a symbol, it is exquisite in its simplicity. Two hands inside a circle, one black and one white, almost but never quite touching across the racial divide. This has been the logo of Focus: HOPE, an organization fighting for basic human rights in Detroit and Southeast Michigan for over forty years. And until her death last week, one of the leaders of the fight was Eleanor Josaitis. read more »

Exhibit Announcement: Tony Spina Photographs from the 1967 Civil Unrest

eclemens — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 19:18:44 -0400

Visit the Reuther Library's Woodcock Wing gallery now through winter 2017 for an exhibition of previously unpublished photographs of Detroit's 1967 Civil Unrest by preeminent photojournalist, Tony Spina. read more »

Gallery Announcement: Images from the Jerome P. Cavanagh Photographs

eclemens — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 10:57:53 -0400

The Walter P. Reuther Library is pleased to announce our latest image gallery: Selections from the Jerome P. Cavanagh Photographs.

Jerome P. Cavanagh (1928-1979) was mayor of the city of Detroit from 1962 until 1970. Born in Detroit on June 16, 1928, Cavanagh was read more »

Hidden Gem: A.G. and Marie Mezerik Papers

aergas — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 14:09:24 -0400

It’s hard to explain to people just how extensive (over 2,500 collections) and varied the archival holdings of the Reuther Library are. When someone asks, we first respond with the “Big Ones, ” such as the UAW, the American Federation of Teachers, the Wayne State University Archives. There are important medium-sized collections too, among them Focus Hope, the United Farm Workers and the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). Then there are the very small collections that are sometimes overlooked, hidden like small pebbles in a jar filled with big stones. These often contain fascinating materials that complement the Reuther’s more prominent collections.

One of these is the A.G. and Marie Mezerik Papers. read more »

HistoryPin Tour: Detroit's Chinese Community

eclemens — Fri, 26 May 2017 19:58:42 -0400

Many people are surprised to learn that Detroit once had two Chinatowns, both built by a resilient community that thrived in the city for nearly 100 years. As Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month draws to a close, we invite you to visit our latest HistoryPin tour: a look back on Detroit's Chinese Community. read more »

In Memoriam: Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015)

eclemens — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 11:56:02 -0400

The Reuther Library mourns the passing of our friend, the incomparable Grace Lee Boggs.

Boggs was a writer, philosopher, mentor, and an outspoken activist for many causes, including civil rights, workers’ rights, Black Power, environmental justice, feminism, and community empowerment. To many, she seemed a force of nature – always working, organizing, teaching, and inspiring others to think critically and improve the world around them. Her philosophies evolved constantly throughout her life, but one thing held true from the beginning to the end: her faith that positive social change was possible if people were willing to work together. read more »

Records of Jewish Community Council Reveal Mid-Century Concerns and Actions on Social and Racial Justice

aergas — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 09:30:45 -0500

A lesser-known, and maybe surprising, source for historians and researchers looking at 20th-century race relations in Detroit are the Jewish Community Council Records, part of the Jewish Community Archives at the Reuther Library.

This large collection documents grassroots discussions and actions in Detroit’s Jewish community and the wider urban community particularly from the 1940s to the 1970s. 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 »

Subject Focus: Black Revolutionaries

eclemens — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:21:12 -0500

The Reuther Library celebrates African American History Month with a brief look at resources in our collections that deal with the topic of Black revolutionaries. We define Black revolutionaries as persons or groups whose goal was to create a positive change in the lives of African Americans through radical action. The means to this end varied from person to person, organization to organization - the action could be carried out with words or through armed conflict, the desired results could be equality for all or separation of races all together. The following resources chronicle the struggle for identity and equality and highlight the rich legacy of social and political activism and reform within the various revolutionary movements. read more »

Subject focus: Jewish Detroit Experience

wlefevre — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:52:44 -0400

The Reuther Library celebrates the Jewish holiday of Passover with a look at some of the significant collections housed in the library that deal with the Jewish experience in Metropolitan Detroit.

As the repository for the Jewish Community Archives (JCA), the Reuther Library has a wealth of information on the Jewish community in Detroit and surrounding environs. The JCA holdings include, but are not limited to, the papers of: read more »

Subject Focus: NAACP

jruss — Thu, 05 May 2011 11:58:47 -0400

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was formed in early 1909. It held its first convention in May of that year. This May, 102 years later, we showcase collections related to the history of this vital civil rights organization.

The Reuther holds the papers of NAACP founding member Mary White Ovington. Her papers reflect the development of the organization and the civil rights movement generally. Also documenting the growth of the national organization are the papers of NAACP stenographer Carrie Burton Overton, civil rights leader Rosa Parks, and NAACP historian Charles F. Kellogg. read more »

The 1943 Detroit Race Riot

jruss — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:07:36 -0400

On June 20, 1943, a fight broke out between African American and white Detroiters spending their Sunday on Belle Isle, the city’s large park in the middle of the Detroit River. Fighting spread to the mainland, and rumors crisscrossed the city, stoking racial tensions that had been running high and threatening to boil over into violence for months. Rioting spread, with little attempt from the police to stop it (in fact, much evidence points to many white police facilitating and even participating in violence against African Americans), and by the time President Franklin Roosevelt sent in federal troops on the evening of June 21, hundreds had been injured, and 34 people had died: 25 African American (17 of whom were shot by police), and 9 white. Of the arrests made later, 85% were African American. read more »

The Civil Unrest of 1967

eclemens — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:43:38 -0400

Despite a century of progressive innovation in Detroit, it is a sad reality that the events of July 23-27, 1967 are among the city’s defining moments. The five-day period of civil unrest and extreme chaos caused physical damage to the city and emotional trauma to its people. Decades later, the aftereffects of the damage and trauma linger on.

The violence was not totally unexpected. Rumors of an uprising had been swirling throughout the city for the better part of the summer. Radicalism was on the rise, and talk of self-determination and separatism read more »

(26121) Riots, Rebellions, Housing, National Guard, Boy Scouts, 1967

eclemens — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:21:54 -0400

A view of tents set up for visiting National Guardsmen and Firemen during the civil unrest of 1967 by Boy Scout troop 1428.

Courtesy Detroit News Collection.

(28650) Riots, Housing, Sojourner Truth, 1942

eclemens — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 07:11:00 -0400

Dozens of African Americans meet outside of a home after families attempting to move into the Sojourner Truth Housing Project were met by over 1200 angry, white demonstrators.

(35783) Tony Spina Photographs; Civil Disturbance; 1967

eclemens — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 12:20:04 -0500

A line of military vehicles make their way down a residential street during the 1967 civil unrest. "Big Shooter #4" is painted on the side of a small tank. Detroit, Michigan. 1967-07.