Equality

Coalition of Labor Union Women: Metro-Detroit Chapter Records

drice — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:36:19 -0500

The Metro-Detroit Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women was founded as the Wayne County Chapter of CLUW at the Southeastern Michigan Organizing Conference in July 1974. Their goal was to bring together as broad a representation as possible of union women living or working in Wayne County to identify common problems and develop union-centered programs to deal with them. Their records reflect activities concerning strike assistance, affirmative action, ERA, and sexual harassment.

Mildred Jeffrey Papers

drice — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:19:31 -0500

Mildred "Millie" Jeffrey worked as an organizer for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, as Educational Director of the Pennsylvania Joint Board of Shirt Workers, as a consultant to the War Labor Board, as Director of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Women’s Bureau, and as Director for UAW Community Relations and Consumer Affairs Departments. Ms. Jeffrey was also active in the Democratic Party and was a founding member and chair of the National Organization of Women’s (NOW) political arm, the National Women’s Political Caucus.

Part 1 of Ms. Jeffrey’s papers document her extensive work for women’s rights and the labor movement and reflect her commitment to social justice. Part 2 primarily documents the last 30 years of her life during which Jeffrey became an activist in the many social and political movements of the time, including women’s rights, civil rights, reproductive rights and peace.

Morag McLeod Simchak Papers

drice — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:31:29 -0500

Morag McLeod Simchak began her career with the United Rubber Workers International Union before she embarked on a government career with the Department of Labor. She was recognized as their leading expert on several Acts dealing with equal rights for workers. Her papers are a reflection of her efforts to achieve equality for working women, in particular.

Marjorie Stern Papers

abarker — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:55:19 -0400

Marjorie Stern worked as on organizer for the American Federation of Teachers in various cities, served seven consecutive terms as secretary to the San Francisco Federation of Teachers Local 61, and played an instrumental role in the creation of the AFT Women’s Rights Committee. Ms. Stern served as coordinator of the National Organization for Women’s (NOW) Task Force on Union Women, and served as a founding member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW). Ms. Stern’s papers relate to her work in the AFT, NOW and the CLUW, particularly concerning the AFT Women’s Rights Committee.

Wayne State University Women's Resource Center Records

cwesterman — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:33:34 -0500

The Women's Resource Center (WRC) at Wayne State University, originally founded as the Women's Center in 1976, was created in response to a report from the President's Commission on the Status of Women. It provided referral services, child care services, and resource information to students and staff and supported women re-entering school. The Center existed largely for women on campus to find support, information, and advice and it routinely arranged seminars, workshops, and support groups for this purpose. In the 1980s, the Center was absorbed into University Counseling Services, Student Affairs Division, and later on incorporated the Minority Resource Center. Kay Hartley served as Director throughout the years of the Center's operation, until it closed in 2001.

The records of the Women's Resource Center document its origins and subsequent administration and services to the university and the Detroit Metro area. The records of Kay Hartley are included. Materials reflect the efforts of the WRC to attract and retain women of all ages and backgrounds to higher education, as well as the changing status of women in society, and the issues they faced.

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 »

One Giant Leap For Womankind

teller — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:00:00 -0400

When Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon 42 years ago this month on July 20, 1969, he proclaimed that it was “one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” Behind the scenes, the lunar landing reflected a giant leap for womankind, as well.

In 1957, Russia grabbed world headlines by successfully launching its first Sputnik satellite. The achievement shocked citizens, scientists, and politicians of the United States, who worried that the Soviets were gaining the upper hand read more »

Subject Focus: Women in Labor Unions

drice — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:44:25 -0400

“We didn’t come here to swap recipes!” Those words, uttered by Myra Wolfgang during the first Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) convention in 1974 set the tone for an agenda aimed at increasing women’s involvement and influence in labor unions. Coming on the heels of landmark legislation such as the Equal Pay Act (1963), the Civil Rights Act (1964), and the Equal Employment Opportunities Act (1972), the formation of CLUW institutionalized the long-held ambitions of individual female union members to participate more fully in the labor movement. read more »

(38592) UAW Recreation Department, Bowling, Anti-Discrimination Campaign

eclemens — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 17:21:07 -0400

A handbill from the United Auto Workers Recreation Department asks union members to fight discrimination in the sport of bowling.

[Podcast] Betty Friedan's Labor Roots

teller — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 15:01:39 -0400

Rachel Shteir shares how Betty Friedan’s early experience as a labor reporter for the Federated Press informed her later work as a famed women’s rights activist, author of The Feminine Mystique, and co-founder of the National Organization for Women. read more »

[Podcast] Immigrant Girl, Radical Woman: A Memoir of Wobbly Organizer Matilda Rabinowitz Robbins

teller — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 14:42:39 -0400

In a two-episode series, artist Robbin Légère Henderson discusses her exhibition of original scratchboard drawings featured in the illustrated and annotated autobiography of Henderson's grandmother, Matilda Rabinowitz Robbins, a Socialist, IWW organizer, feminist, writer, mother, and social worker. read more »

[Podcast] The Radical Fund: How a Band of Visionaries and a Million Dollars Upended America

teller — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:31:22 -0500

John Fabian Witt recounts how in the 1920s and 1930s Charles Garland donated his million-dollar inheritance to the American Fund for Public Service, or Garland Fund, to support progressive causes and organizations he believed could challenge inequality and reshape capitalism and democracy in America. read more »