Minorities--Civil rights

Ken Barger Papers

drice — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 16:46:10 -0400

Ken Barger (1941-), who was raised in east Tennessee, became active in social change after his experiences serving in the Vietnam War. He was a professor of Anthropology for thirty years at Indiana University Indianapolis, focusing professionally on social change. Through these professional interests, he got involved with the farm labor movement and the immigrant rights movement. Barger has been an active member of the FLOC movement since 1979. He participated in many activities, such as building boycotts, farm labor education, immigrant rights, and public education about migrant worker justice. He was the vice president of the Farm Labor Research Project and the community organizer for FLOC. As of 2011, he serves on the board of directors for the Campaign for Migrant Worker Justice as secretary.

The Ken Barger Papers are predominantly FLOC materials. Included are packets from the FLOC Constitutional Conventions and collective bargaining agreements between workers and companies like Vlasic Foods, Heinz U.S.A. and Campbell Soup. Several campaigns are covered with an abundance of material relating to the Campbell Soup Campaign and Mt. Olive Campaign. There are also copies of FLOC publications and Nuestra Lucha.

Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) Records

drice — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:19:49 -0400

Founded in Toledo, OH in 1967 by Baldemar Valasquez, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) represents migrant workers in the agricultural industry, and seeks to promote and protect the right of farm workers to actively participate in decisions that affect their conditions. FLOC centered their efforts not on growers, who the organization realized were relatively powerless, but on the large food processing companies who ran the agricultural business and ultimately controlled farm workers rights and benefits. FLOC used boycotts, marches, publication campaigns, and rallied community and church support to fight for migrant worker rights. The Campbell Soup boycott, which began in1978 and ended successfully in 1986, was FLOC’s most important campaign, but they also led successful efforts against Vlasic, Heinz, Aunt Jane, and Mt. Olive Pickle. FLOC expanded from its base in Ohio to the Midwest in the 1980s and eventually to the South in the late 1990s. FLOC also provided a support network for migrant workers, Latinos and immigrants through community and educational programs, legal clinics and Latino organizations.

FLOC records document its day-to-day organizational activities; correspondence;projects and community efforts; research; related organizations and unions; and resources for farm workers and Latinos. Also covered are individual boycotts and campaigns with the majority of material detailing the Campbell boycott.

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.

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.

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.

SEIU Executive Vice President's Office: Patricia Ford Records

aorchard — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 14:41:28 -0400

In 1973, Pat Ford, then a clerical worker at Alameda County Hospital, aided in the creation of Local 616 by affiliating the 4000-member association with SEIU. Ford held various leadership positions in Local 616, including president (the Local’s first African-American woman president), and Executive Director. In addition to Ford’s service to Local 616, in 1996 she was elected as SEIU Executive Vice President, and reelected in 2000. During her tenure with SEIU, Ford helped to found the Caucus of African Descent (AFRAM), lead SEIU’s government affairs program, and coordinated SEIU’s civil and human rights activism. A full biography on Patricia Ford, may be found in Ford’s oral history held at the Reuther Library.

The SEIU Executive Vice President’s Office: Patricia Ford Records contains digital transcripts of 25 speeches given by Patricia Ford during her tenure as SEIU Executive Vice President. The records particularly reveal Ford’s involvement with organizations such as CBTU, CLUW, and NAACP. Also included is one folder of photographs, primarily featuring Ford at various SEIU events.

Speech transcripts may be found here:
https://www.reuther.wayne.edu/search/node/pat+ford+speech+transcript

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: 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 »

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 »

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: 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 Popular Crimetown Podcast Digs into Detroit Crime by Digging into the Reuther Library’s Collections

mwallace — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 14:22:50 -0400

The new season of the hit podcast Crimetown will use material from various collections at the Walter P. Reuther Library. Each season of Crimetown examines the “culture of crime” in a different American city. This upcoming season they are focusing on Detroit and using film, video, and sound from the Reuther’s collections. read more »

(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.

(2947) Demonstration, Civil Rights, Poor People's Campaign, Detroit, 1968

eclemens — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:39:00 -0400

African-American men march down Woodward Ave. during a Poor People’s Campaign demonstration, Detroit, Michigan. Two of the men hold a sign that has a dead rat hanging from it and reads “I Have a Dream” .

(2947) Demonstration, Civil Rights, Poor People's Campaign, Detroit, 1968

eclemens — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:38:44 -0400

African-American men march down Woodward Ave. during a Poor People’s Campaign deomnstration, Detroit, Michigan. Two of the men hold a sign that reads “I Have a Dream” that has a dead rat hanging from it.

(11884) Demonstration, Civil Rights, Poor People's Campaign, Detroit, 1968

eclemens — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:34:45 -0400

Protesters and activists march down Woodward Ave. during a Poor People’s Campaign demonstration, Detroit, Michigan. At center is Michigan Governor G. Mennen Williams and Congressman Charles Diggs.

(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.

(25373) Resurrection City, Living Conditions, Poor People's Campaign, 1968

eclemens — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 08:51:48 -0400

Walter Reuther, members of the UAW Political Action Committee, clergymen and civil rights activists tour the shanty town set up on the National Mall to house people who traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the Poor People's Campaign.

(25374) Resurrection City, Living Conditions, Poor People's Campaign, 1968

eclemens — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 08:51:48 -0400

Walter Reuther, members of the UAW Political Action committee and civil rights activists tour Resurrection City, a shanty town set up on the National Mall to house people who traveled to Washington DC for the Poor People’s Campaign.

(25376) Resurrection City, Living Conditions, Poor People's Campaign, 1968

eclemens — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 08:51:48 -0400

Walter Reuther, members of the UAW Political Action committee, clergymen and civil rights activists tour Resurrection City, a shanty town set up on the National Mall to house people who traveled to Washington DC for the Poor People’s Campaign. The exterior of the shanty in view is painted with the slogan “Bread Free Forever - Give us the Day,” however it is unclear if the structure is someone’s shelter or a feeding station.

(25377) Poor People's Campaign, Rev. Douglas, Speeches, 1968

eclemens — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 08:51:48 -0400

Reverend Jesse Douglas of Montgomery, Alabama sings to the delighted masses on the National Mall in Washington, DC during the Poor People’s Campaign.

(25379) Marches, Demonstrations, Poor People's Campaign, Washington DC, 1968

eclemens — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 08:51:48 -0400

Civil rights demonstrators from across the country converge on the National Mall in Washington, DC during the Poor People’s Campaign.

(25380) Marches, Demonstrations, Poor People's Campaign, Washington DC, 1968

eclemens — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 08:52:54 -0400

Civil rights demonstrators from across the country converge on the National Mall in Washington, DC during the Poor People’s Campaign.

(25381) Marches, Demonstrations, Poor People's Campaign, Washington DC, 1968