Feminism

Erma Henderson Papers

srafferty — Mon, 09 May 2022 15:05:47 -0400

Erma Henderson first ran for Detroit Common Council in an unsuccessful bid in 1969. However, she was successfully elected in 1972 and served on the Council through 1989. Through her work as a Councilwoman, Henderson was often considered to be one of the most powerful women in Detroit. In addition to her City Council work, Henderson was also very active in a number of organizations that aligned with her interests, particularly municipal government, redlining, civil rights, and advancing the rights and representation of minorities. This collection documents her work for and service to many organizations including Equal Justice Council, National League of Cities, Michigan Statewide Coalition Against Redlining, and the Women's Conference of Concerns. This collection also contains some material from Henderson's tenure on the Council. The material is primarily correspondence based, but also includes daily calendars, news articles, resolutions, among other work documents.

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.

National Organization for Women (NOW): Downriver Chapter Records, Parts I & II

drice — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:43:49 -0400

The Downriver chapter of NOW was formed in 1974 by Loretta Moore, a Wayne State University professor, who was elected the chapter’s first president. The chapter was
active in supporting local, state and national policy concerning women’s rights,
participated in marches, rallies and walkathons and also endorsed pro-women’s rights
candidates. They hosted and participated in numerous programs for local women, set up
networks and resources for the community, established a library for members and
published in newspapers as well as their own newsletter. Their membership peaked in
the ERA era with about 100, with their average membership being about 50.

The Chapter's records were assembled by Louise Heck-Rabi, the chapter’s librarian and archivist. Part I reflects the ideology and activities of feminists in the downriver area of Metro Detroit. Part II includes chapter meeting minutes, publicity and press releases, newsletters,
correspondence and mailings, as well as Michigan and National NOW mailings and
programs. Also included are newspaper and magazine clippings relative to the women’s
movement, resources for members and local women, research done by the group and
programs they hosted or participated in.

Toni Swanger Papers

abarker — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:53:32 -0400

An active member of the Detroit women’s rights movement, journalist Toni Swanger worked with the Detroit Women’s Radio Workshop on programming for the Detroit public radio station WDET, and served in various roles for Detroit newspaper, Metro Times, including production manager and managing editor.

Ms. Swanger’s papers reflect her interest in women’s issues and document her career as an activist and radio and print journalist.

Tom Mooney Papers

dgolodner — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 10:33:53 -0400

Tom Mooney was born September 12, 1954 in Albany, New York. Mooney attended Guardian Angel’s Catholic School and McNicholas High School in Cincinnati and then Antioch College from 1970-1973 focusing on political science and teaching. In high school, Mooney became involved in the United Farm Workers boycott committee in Cincinnati, becoming one of the lead volunteers. This exposed him to social justice and radical political ideas. At Antioch he set up a boycott office and surrounded himself in radical political thought, especially with Marxist-Leninist ideologies.
During the mid to late 1970s Mooney was involved in Marxist-Leninist organizations, especially with the New American Movement and the Organizing Committee for an Ideological Center. After the OCIC folded in 1981, Mooney aligned himself with the Democratic Party.
Mooney was hired as a full time teacher at Bloom Junior High in late 1974 early 1975. He immediately joined the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers Local 1520 (CFT) and was elected as building representative for the school. He was then transferred to Crest Hill Middle School. Mr. Mooney then was elected as the Area 6 coordinator in 1977-1978. Mooney was elected president of the CFT in 1979 at the age of 24.
As president of the CFT, he led the local into the national spotlight by bargaining education reform programs. Under his leadership the local negotiated the 2nd Peer Assistance and Evaluation Program in the country and the 1985 contract secured more control for teachers over grading and promotion standards. With the next round of bargaining in 1988 the CFT and board of education used a “win-win” style of negotiations in which they achieved unique career ladder system called Career in Teaching Program. In 1991 Mooney helped negotiate a new student discipline code that brought more order to the classroom, protecting teachers and students. Mooney became president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers in 2000.
Mooney began attending AFT conventions siding with the more radical fringes of the AFT political arena, which was the United Action Caucus but by 1981 joined the Progressive Caucus. In 1988, the AFT asked Tom to be apart of the a labor delegation to go to Chile to be an observer of the Plebiscite in which he reflected that it was “one of the most moving experiences of my life.” In 1990 he was elected to the AFT executive council and sat on the human and community relations committee. In 1998 he was asked to serve on the AFT executive committee and chair the AFT K-12 Program and Policy Council. He later resigned the position of chair over the stance that the AFT took on No Child Left Behind.
Tom Mooney died of a heart attack on December 3, 2006 at his apartment in Columbus, Ohio.

Chicana Fotos on Display at the Reuther Library

mcourtney — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 11:29:32 -0500

Born and raised in Chicago by Mexican-American parents, Nancy De Los Santos is an accomplished filmmaker and proud “Chicana from Chicago” who has dedicated her life and career to rewriting and redefining the image of Latina/os in the mainstream media. read more »

Introducing the SWE Stories: Tales from the Archives Podcast

teller — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 15:19:30 -0400

Reuther archivists are always looking for new ways to publicize the collections under their care and share the stories hidden within. Recently, Society of Women Engineers archivist Troy Eller English embarked on a new project to share stories from SWE's history and archival collections. Along with co-host Anne Perusek, SWE's director of editorial and publications, in September Eller English launched SWE Stories: Tales from the Archives, part of SWE's larger podcast series, Advance. read more »

Notable Women of SEIU

aorchard — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:27:05 -0400

Women have been a part of SEIU since its inception, when Elizabeth A. Grady was elected Trustee at the founding convention in 1921. Grady often reminded her fellow executive board members, all of whom were men, “You men must know that you cannot get very far or make any real progress if you have women workers who compete with you, unorganized and working for less wages” (Union Sisters, p. 16). Indeed, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) was keenly aware of the importance of organizing women, demonstrated by correspondence found in the SEIU Historical Records. Amidst the correspondence are documents sent by AFL’s then president Sam Gompers, such as reports detailing labor’s organization of women in Europe during the 1920s, as well as questionnaires to AFL Internationals, generating data on women in industry. However, given SEIU’s initial gender integration, in part due to SEIU’s organization of flat (apartment) janitors whose wives were expected to share in the work, SEIU already recognized the importance of women in the labor movement. Indeed, while not always in the most visible of positions, women, both rank-and-file members, and those within SEIU’s leadership, have made great contributions to SEIU and the greater labor movement over the years. In honor of Women’s History Month, we take a look at some of SEIU’s more prominent female leaders. 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 »

(31876) Greene, Chavez, Steinem, Fundraisers, Migrant Worker Health Care, 1968

eclemens — Thu, 29 May 2014 09:00:30 -0400

“Amy Greene & Gloria Steinem Invite You To Meet Ceasar Chavez.”
Poster details a gathering, described as an “after work wine party,” held by Amy Greene and Gloria Steinem for those wanting to meet Cesar Chavez. The party, to be held at at the Greene Eala Studio, is a fundraiser to build a health clinic for migrant workers. Image depicts a hat, moustache, collar, hands, and feet of a man with the poster’s text forming the rest of the body.

Labor Feminism in the Federated Press, 1930s through 1950s

teller — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 15:15:21 -0400

Dr. Victoria Grieve shares the lives of five pioneering female journalists of the Federated Press, a labor news service operating in the early and mid-20th century. In addition to their work for the Federated Press, Julia Ruuttila, Jessie Lloyd O’Connor, Virginia Gardner, and Miriam Kolkin also participated in leftist social and political movements, forming an important network that linked labor journalism with labor feminism and other political issues. read more »

[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 »