Social history

Ann Blankenhorn Papers

drice — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:39:13 -0400

Ann Blankenhorn investigated and publicized the social and economic conditions in the textile, clothing, and coal mining industries in the 1920s and 30s with special emphasis on women and children. Also included are papers relating to the WPA (1934) and the imprisonment of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn in the 1950s. Important correspondents are Peter Blume and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. The materials consist of correspondence (1931-68), personal notebooks, diaries, and address books.

Arthur W. Calhoun Papers

drice — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:16:07 -0500

Arthur Calhoun was an author of many published books, a scholar, and a teacher at a large number of American universities, focusing largely on economics and sociology. His papers reflect both his personal and professional interests and are mainly comprised of manuscripts of his writings on subjects as diverse as religion, history, workers education, gerontology, and the humanities.

Folklore Archive: Student Field Projects Records

drice — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 10:50:49 -0400

The Folklore Archive, established in 1939 by WSU English professors Emlyn Gardner and Thelma James, contains the oldest and largest record of urban folk traditions in the United States. To document these traditions, Wayne State University students conducted field research projects covering a broad range of topics. These projects typically consist of transcripts of oral interviews conducted by the students as part of their research. The collection is strong in modern industrial and occupational folklore, reflecting the rich ethnic diversity and workoriented heritage of Detroit and southeastern Michigan.

Ernest L. Horne Papers

drice — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:17:13 -0400

Ernest L. Horne, a retired General Motors Research Laboratory Librarian and Archivist, has been a known activist in the Detroit gay civil rights movement since 1979, holding membership and leadership positions in several area GBLT organizations. His papers document the activities of the gay and lesbian liberation movement in Detroit, primarily through the records of three organizations: The Association of Suburban People (ASP), South East Gay and Lesbian Council (SEMGLA), and Detroit Area Gay and Lesbian Council (DAGLC).

H. Merrill Jackson Papers

pneirink — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 08:49:56 -0500

H. Merrill Jackson was a social scientist who had an academic career from the 1950s through the 1990s. In 1953 Jackson conducted research on Vietnamese and African communities while abroad in Paris and Vietnam. From 1969-1970 he performed fieldwork in West Africa and the Caribbean and was a research fellow at the University of Ghana. Jackson joined the faculty at Wayne State in 1970 and taught at Monteith College in the Science of Society Division and with the School of Social Work. This collection contains Jackson’s research on relational theory, social change, folk and urban society, and peasant society. Also well represented is Jackson’s interest in marginalized groups, Black Power, and race relations. The collection also contains fieldwork from his time in Vietnam, France, the Caribbean, and West Africa and documents his pedagogy at Wayne State University’s Monteith College. The collection includes articles and working papers by Jackson; scholarly articles by his contemporaries; manuscript chapters on relational theory and related interviews with Robert Thomas; and course syllabi and lecture notes.

Nettie Kravitz Papers

pneirink — Mon, 09 May 2022 14:31:15 -0400

Nettie Kravitz was a labor organizer, feminist scholar, and long-term member of the Johnson-Forest Tendency and its later forms, Correspondence Publishing Committee and Facing Reality Publishing Committee. The collection contains correspondence and both published and unpublished political writings that thoroughly document the ideological disagreements resulting in each organization. The collection also contains materials related to Kravitz’s scholarship in Women’s Studies and Literature and her political priorities.

Abraham Lefkowitz Papers

drice — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:38:09 -0500

Abraham Lefkowitz was a teacher and principal in the New York elementary school system and active in teachers unions, civic and social reform movements, and championed minority causes and civil liberties. He was one of the founders of the American Federation of Teachers, serving as Vice-President for fourteen years. His papers reflect his professional and social contributions made during his years in the New York public school system, particularly his fight against communists in the AFT.

James Lindahl Papers

drice — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:22:50 -0400

James Lindahl served as Recording Secretary for the United Auto Workers-Congress of Industrial Organizations (UAW-CIO) Local 190 (Packard Motor Car Plant). Mr. Lindahl’s papers document his work for Local 190 and also include publications reflecting his interest in union membership and organizing, U.S. politics, the American worker, dissident groups, civil rights, and socio-economics, among other related subjects.

John Musial Papers

drice — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:16:56 -0400

John J. Musial was a student at University of Michigan who later worked for the city of Detroit. He served on the Commission on Community Relations as the Research Director in 1963. Musial wrote articles related to programs and projects in the city of Detroit.

The John Musial Papers consist of reports and other published materials created by or regarding the development of the city of Detroit. As Research Director of the Commission on Community Relations, he authored some of the reports. The reports are related to housing, population, income, and community projects in Detroit during the administration of Jerome Cavanagh until the beginning of the Coleman Young administration.

Mary White Ovington Papers

drice — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:29:15 -0500

Mary White Ovington began her career as a social worker, devoting her efforts to the problems of African-Americans in New York and other cities. She helped found the National Association for Advancement of Colored People and remained an officer and prominent figure until her retirement in 1947. Her papers reflect her interest and involvement with the living conditions of the poor in New York City and African-Americans in the south in the early 1900s; the foundation and growth of the NAACP; the civil rights movement; and her family history.

Prismatic Club of Detroit Records

aergas — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:25:06 -0400

Samuel R. Bartlett founded the Prismatic Club on January 10, 1867 in Detroit. It was patterned after a literary society of Concord, Massachusetts, "The Social Circle of Concord", and similarly the Prismatic Club has a cultural, social and literary focus. The club has had portrait paintings of club Presidents produced since 1877 and therefore has one of the best collections of community, social and academic leaders in Detroit. Copies of many of the weekly presentations by members, a hallmark of the organization, are also in the collection. The annual dinner meeting is another highlight of the group. The collection contains biographies and background information on members and material on Detroit history, medicine, engineering, sociology, genealogy, art, literature and gastronomy.

UAW President's Office: Walter P. Reuther Records

drice — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:42:54 -0500

Walter Reuther's official files reflect all phases of his career as president, UAW West Side Local 174 (1936); UAW Executive Board member (1936); director, UAW General Motors Department (1939-48); UAW vice-president (1942-46); UAW president (1946-70); president, ClO (1952-55); vice-president, AFL-CIO (1955-67); and president, AFL-CIO Industrial Union Department (1955-67). The records also document Mr. Reuther's work on numerous governmental boards and agencies and many public institutions. The collection contains material on his work in civil rights, politics, poverty programs, medical care, and other social concerns. Other topics include collective bargaining, political action by labor, defense production, government and labor, workers' education, and most other areas of interest to labor. The collection contains correspondence with major political leaders in the U.S. and abroad, leaders in the U.S. and foreign labor movements, and with many other public figures.

FBI File on Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers

kschmeling — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 13:46:51 -0500

The work of Cesar Chavez, former President of the United Farm Workers, on behalf of farm migrants, resulted in his being closely examined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was seen as possibly subversive in the 1960s for several reasons, such as his empowerment of minorities against a powerful and Anglo-controlled agribusiness and association with Alinsky, a known radical. The FBI records are microfilm copies published in cooperation with the FBI, and released under the Freedom of Information Act. They deal primarily with the 1960s, the period fo the UFW's greatest growth.

United Community Services Board of Directors Minutes

drice — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 13:44:32 -0400

The United Community Services of Metropolitan Detroit has its origins in the establishment of the Detroit Community Union in 1917. The Union was reorganized into the Council of Social Agencies of Metropolitan Detroit in 1932, and merged with the Detroit Community Chest in 1951 to become the United Community Services (UCS). UCS operated alongside the United Way for Southeastern Michigan (United Foundation until 1989), which was primarily a fundraising organization. They merged to form the United Way Community Services in 1995, which merged with the United Way for Oakland County to become the United Way for Southeastern Michigan in 2005. UCS was an umbrella organization for a wide range of social welfare agencies in the Metropolitan Detroit area, and sought to promote social services (including child care, family, health, recreation, and community planning) through the centralized planning, coordinating, and budgeting of those agencies. The Board of Directors was the central governing body of UCS, and oversaw the administration and operation of the organization and its component departments. Members of the Board of Directors were responsible for determining the programs, policies, and organization of UCS.

The United Community Services Board of Directors Minutes collection consists of minutes from the meetings of the Board of Directors of UCS, the United Way Community Services, and its predecessors including the Associated Charities of Detroit, the Detroit Community Union, and the Council of Social Agencies of Metropolitan Detroit. It also contains meeting minutes from the Board of Directors of several of the fundraising organizations associated with UCS throughout its history, including the predecessors of the United Foundation: the Detroit Patriotic Fund, the Detroit Community Fund, the War Chest of Metropolitan Detroit, and the Community Chest. The materials in the collection demonstrate the activities of the governing bodies of those organizations, and contain information detailing their administrative functions including the decision making process behind proposed initiatives, programs, agencies, and mergers.

United Community Services Planning Department Records

drice — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 13:56:41 -0400

The United Community Services of Metropolitan Detroit has its origins in the establishment of the Detroit Community Union in 1917. The Union was reorganized into the Council of Social Agencies of Metropolitan Detroit in 1932, and merged with the Detroit Community Chest in 1951 to become the United Community Services (UCS). UCS operated alongside the United Way for Southeastern Michigan (United Foundation until 1989), which was primarily a fundraising organization. They merged to form the United Way Community Services in 1995, which merged with the United Way for Oakland County to become the United Way for Southeastern Michigan in 2005. UCS was an umbrella organization for a wide range of social welfare agencies in the Metropolitan Detroit area, and sought to promote social services (including child care, family, health, recreation, and community planning) through the centralized planning, coordinating, and budgeting of those agencies. The Planning Department was responsible for identifying social problems, working with citizens and service organizations to identify and propose solutions to those problems, and fostering the involvement of members of the community in the community service process. The Planning Department consisted of various component councils and committees throughout its history, each tasked with fulfilling the goals of effective community planning for specific geographic areas or community concerns.

Part 1 of the records of the United Community Services Planning Department consist of correspondence, reports, minutes, publications, research studies and other material documenting health and human services in metropolitan Detroit. Part 2 consists of correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, proposals, and other paper materials documenting the department’s efforts to effectively identify and improve social welfare concerns in the metropolitan Detroit area. The councils and committees represented include those responsible for planning for geographic, demographic, and functional concerns including children and youth services, health services, recreation, and social services. It also includes records related to the administrative functions of the Planning Department, including records from the Metropolitan Area Planning (MAP) Committee and the Coordinating Council.

United Community Services Records

drice — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:27:17 -0400

United Community Services, operated in Detroit since 1878 under various names, was organized by civic leaders to coordinate the work of different charitable institutions in the area, and raise funds for community welfare needs. Gradually, it became a clearinghouse for the investigation and referral of social service cases as well as an advocate for social and health care reform. The records of the UCS reflect the concerns of professional social workers, the plight of the poor in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Detroit, and the community's attempts to improve their condition through the work of public and private social welfare agencies.

United Community Services Research Department: Studies and Reports

drice — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:46:40 -0500

Subjects include: social welfare and health care services in metropolitan Detroit; AIDS and HIV; education; senior citizens; substance abuse; child abuse; family services; hunger and malnutrition; spouse abuse

United Community Services Suburban Councils Records

drice — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:48:08 -0500

Subjects include: social welfare and health care services in Hamtramck, Highland Park, Downriver, Southern Oakland Co. and Dearborn; Salvation Army; Visiting Nurse Association; YMCA and YWCA

United Community Services Women's Committee Records

drice — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:49:14 -0500

Subjects include: education in Detroit; senior citizens in Detroit; Detroit Community Fund; social services in Detroit; women volunteers

United Foundation Office of the President: Walter C. Laidlaw Records

drice — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:51:27 -0500

Subjects include: Detroit and Michigan philanthropies; social services; volunteerism; charitable fundraising; Torch Drive; hospital services

Mary Heaton Vorse Papers

drice — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:37:50 -0500

Literary manuscripts and related papers, correspondence, daily notes and journals, reference and research material, notes, clippings, pamphlets, personal and family papers, and memorabilia, collected by Mrs. Vorse, writer, labor journalist, and social critic of the U.S. She also covered strikes, civil and labor disturbances, wars, revolutions, and political upheavals in other parts of the world. From the textile strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts (1912) to the textile strike in Henderson, North Carolina (1959), her writings and activities include the International Women Suffrage Convention (1913); the IWW; child labor; Consumers League; the organization of the Provincetown Players (1915); mining strikes in Michigan and Minnesota (1916); the rise of Hitler; invasion of Poland; postwar conditions in Europe after both world wars; the Scottsboro case; the steel strikes of 1919 and 1936-37; organizational drive of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers (1920-21); the Sacco-Vanzetti case (1920); Palmer raids and criminal syndicalist cases (1921-23); textile strikes in Passaie (1926) and Gastonia (1929); Farmers Holiday Association (1932); migrant workers; automobile sit-down strikes (1936-37); UNRRA (1945-47); the Sinarquistas in Mexico (1949); crime on the New York-New Jersey waterfronts (1950-54). Correspondents include John Dewey, John DosPassos, Dave Dubinsky, John Edelman, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, William 2. Foster, John F. Kennedy, John L. Lewis, Sinclair Lewis, Robert E. Peary, Walter Reuther, Theodore Roosevelt, Lincoln Steffens, and many other prominent persons in the labor, literary, and political fields.

Welfare Employees Union Records

drice — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:00:26 -0500

Subjects include: Michigan Civil Service Commission employees; welfare rights; welfare reform; Detroit, Wayne Co. and Michigan welfare agencies

150 years of Prismatic Club Records now open

aergas — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 11:46:42 -0500

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Prismatic Club, the Reuther Library has opened the records of the Detroit-based men’s private social club.

The Prismatic Club was founded by Samuel R. Bartlett on January 10, 1867, in Detroit. read more »

The Conservator

kchinery — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 11:49:07 -0400

Processed. Microfilm: March 1890-June 1919. Vols. 1-30. Index on reel 3.