Racism

AFT: Human Rights and Community Relations Records

dgolodner — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:04:52 -0400

The Human Rights and Community Relations Department of the American Federation of
Teachers was created by Vice President Richard Parrish October 2, 1966. Before the
official department was created it was a standing committee and then a permanent
committee with in the executive council. The department was created as an office in the
AFT that would be responsible for collecting and distributing information about the
government, education and community policies and programs dealing with civil and
human rights. The most important duty of the department is to guide the AFT in any
“involvement with or commitment to labor and other organizations concerned with civil
and human rights.”

Part One of the collection deals with the Racism in Education conference that the AFT sponsored throughout the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Other materials are general subject files and correspondence to and from the Civil Rights Department. Part Two of the collection pertains to black history, race relations and women’s rights on both national and local levels. The collection consists of AFT files as well as meeting and conference information. The department maintained a large section of subject files relating to civil and human rights in education.

Mike Hamlin and Joann Castle Papers

drice — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 15:59:07 -0400

Michael Charles Hamlin was born Oct 17, 1935. He graduated from Ecorse High School and attended the University of Michigan on a scholarship. He enlisted in the Marines, working as a firearms instructor until he was discharged in 1960. He worked as a delivery truck driver for the Detroit News, where he met Kenneth Cockrel and John Watson. He later worked for Wayne State University’s newspaper, “South End.” Mike Hamlin was active in political groups such as the Black Workers Conference. He was a founding member of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers and served as an officer. He also organized the black radical newspaper, “Inner City Voice.”

Joann Carole Castle was born May 30, 1937. In 1957 she married Donald J. Castle, Chairman of the Catholic lay organization Hourglass, with whom she had six children. After their marriage ended in the early 1970s she began attending Wayne State University. Both Hamlin and Castle were active in the Motor City Labor League (MCLL). Hamlin was a founder of the organization and Castle worked for a period as a coordinator. Both attended meetings of the Control-Conflict-Change group of the Ad Hoc Action Group of Concern Citizens.

The papers consist of records from Mike Hamlin and Joann Castle’s involvement in MCLL, largely through the Red Squad files of police surveillance that documented meetings, personal actions and information. The collection also includes articles, clippings and correspondence from the controversy over the Archdiocese Opportunity Program to aid the impoverished in Detroit and the Hourglass group involvement to support self-determination of African Americans in the late 1960s. Joann’s thesis on the Community Health Associations is also included.

Norman McRae Papers

drice — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:38:35 -0500

Norman McRae was a longtime teacher and administrator in the Detroit Public School System, playing a major role in the development of multicultural and human rights curricula. His papers mainly reflect his avid research on African-American history and the African-American experience.

Part II of the Norman McRae Papers consists mainly of educational curriculums and resources, the centennial celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, and secondary sources on Detroit and Michigan African-Americans.

Michigan Coalition for Human Rights Records

drice — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:26:19 -0400

The Michigan Coalition for Human Rights (MCHR) was formed in Detroit in December
1980 by a group of Detroit-area religious leaders representing a broad range of Judeo-
Christian and Muslim denominations. Initially organized with the goal of providing a
liberal alternative to conservative Christian organizations such as The Moral Majority,
the group’s primary issues included racism, militarism, gay rights, unemployment,
poverty, and other socio-economic and local political topics. The organization was dedicated to improving race relations in the Detroit area and promoting social justice and other liberal causes in the state of Michigan and nationwide as well as the promotion of human rights in Africa and other international regions.

The Michigan Coalition for Human Rights Records document its operations and activities
between the organization’s formal inception in 1981 and 2003, with some supplemental
articles and materials on human rights issues from the period of 1975-1980. Materials
reflect the goal of the MCHR to encourage those in the Detroit-area to participate in
events and campaigns promoting better race relations, increased civil liberties, and a
greater respect for human rights abroad. Issues including capital punishment, race
relations in Detroit, gay rights, children’s rights, apartheid in South Africa, US
involvement in Central America, as well as the internal financial operations of the MCHR
are documented.

AFSCME Local 1, Washington, D.C.'s fight against racism

scaloia — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 11:53:21 -0500

“Several years ago Marvin Fleming, at that time a WBR-3 Trash Collector in the Division of Sanitation, became the instrument through which one of the most deliberate and pernicious systems of racial discrimination in the District government was smashed.” 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 »

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 »

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 »

Letter regarding Marvin Fleming, Washington, DC, 1968

scaloia — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 12:25:06 -0500

Letter addressed to Mr. James Slaughter, Commissioners' Council on Human Relations, from Warren W. Morse, Business Agent, AFSCME Washington DC Local 1.

The letter reads:
“Several years ago Marvin Fleming, at that time a WBR-3 Trash Collector in the Division of Sanitation, became the instrument through which one of the most deliberate and pernicious systems of racial discrimination in the District government was smashed. Over the determined resistance of Mr. Roeder, Division Chief, and Mr. Redd, Chief of the Incineration and Trash Collection Branch, Mr. Fleming was able to receive on-the-job training as a Crane Operator without first serving an apprenticeship as a Weighmaster. He has since been the subject of repeated harassment.

"On August 16 Mr. Fleming was one of two employees rated as qualified for two positions as Overhead Crane Operator WBR-5712-10. On August 23 a 'personnel request' was submitted for him and the other qualified employee. Sometime between then and September 5, the approval date, Mr. Redd disapproved of Mr. Fleming's selection, and his name was x'ed off the personnel request.

"We charge that this represents retaliation for Mr. Fleming's role in breaking up the old discriminatory system and indicates that there has been more change in practice than in intent. We ask that you take immediate steps to have the Division directed to appoint Mr. Fleming to this position. We also ask that if there is a positive finding that the disapproval represents racial discrimination appropriate disciplinary action be initiated against those responsible."

(28770) Political Cartoon

jruss — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:50:47 -0400

This political cartoon appeared in an issue of the UAW Education Department's publication Ammunition in the 1940s. It draws attention to the negative impact racism had on the war effort. This particular version was scanned from the Reuther Library vertical files Race Riots 1940s folder.

(28773) Work stoppages over advancement of African Americans

jruss — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:08:56 -0400

This chart appears on page 8 of a pamphlet entitled What Caused the Detroit Riot? An Analysis produced by the NAACP and written by Walter White and Thurgood Marshall in July 1943. The chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics details work stoppages enacted in Detroit factories from 1943 March 1 - 1943 May 31 over issues related to the job advancement of African Americans.

(29479) Racial Profiling, March on Washington, Washington, D.C., 2000

aorchard — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:53:28 -0500

A participant at the Racial Profiling March on Washington, August 26, 2000, holds a sign stating, "We don't quit!"

(29495) Martin Luther King March, Washington, D.C., 1983

aorchard — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:31:58 -0500

A view of attendees in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at the Martin Luther King March in Washington, D.C., August, 1983.

(29499) Racial Profiling, March on Washington, Washington, D.C., 2000

aorchard — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:31:59 -0500

A crowd gathers around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during the Racial Profiling March on Washington, August 26, 2000.

(46696) Letter regarding Marvin Fleming, Washington, DC, 1968

scaloia — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 12:36:33 -0500

Letter addressed to Mr. James Slaughter, Commissioners' Council on Human Relations, from Warren W. Morse, Business Agent, AFSCME Washington DC Local 1.

Podcast: Assembly Line Housing: Walter P. Reuther, George Romney, and Operation Breakthrough – Part 1

teller — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 09:45:14 -0400

In the first of a two-part series, Dr. Kristin Szylvian explains the role of the American labor movement, and UAW president Walter Reuther in particular, in lobbying for and shaping fair housing programs and legislation in Detroit and nationally after the Second World War. That influence paved the way for an unlikely alliance in the 1960s between Reuther and George Romney, the former Republican governor of Michigan, when they joined together in the late 1960s to launch Operation Breakthrough, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program to use union-made manufactured housing to alleviate the housing crisis in minority communities while also creating job opportunities and encouraging racial and income integration in the larger community. read more »

Podcast: Assembly Line Housing: Walter P. Reuther, George Romney, and Operation Breakthrough – Part 2

teller — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 09:04:23 -0400

In the second of a two-part series, Dr. Kristin M. Szylvian explains how racial segregation and the fear of declining property values ultimately scuttled Operation Breakthrough, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Program early in the Nixon administration to use union-made manufactured housing to create racially- and economically-integrated housing communities throughout the country. read more »

The Detroit Interracial Committee and Racial Pragmatism, 1944-1950

teller — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 17:04:26 -0500

Sean Henry discusses the Detroit Interracial Committee’s (IRC) pragmatic attempt to ease racial tensions in the city following the 1943 Detroit riots. Assuming that it could not completely eliminate racial antagonism, the IRC instead used its Community Barometer initiative and the Detroit Public Schools program for intercultural education to identify and manage systemic racial inequities in the city. read more »

[Podcast] (Re)Introducing the Michigan Black History Bibliography

teller — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 11:10:19 -0400

Reuther Library field archivist Dr. Louis Jones and former archives students and staff members Mattie Dugan and Allie Penn discuss the Reuther’s Michigan Black History Bibliography (MBHB) and the multi-year, student-led project to digitize a decades-old index card file. read more »

[Podcast] A "Most Conscientious and Considerate Method": Grosse Pointe’s Gross Post-War Housing Point System

teller — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 11:42:13 -0400

Emma Maniere describes how homeowners associations in Grosse Pointe, an affluent suburb bordering Detroit, developed a point system following the Second World War to rank and exclude prospective homebuyers to maintain the community’s Anglo Christian whiteness and affluence. The point system, which ranked nativity and ethnicity, accent, skin tone, and occupation, among other measures, was dismantled in 1960 but left a pernicious legacy that continues to reverberate in the community today. Maniere is a doctoral candidate in the history program at New York University. read more »

[Podcast] Environmental Activism in Deindustrialized Detroit

teller — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 16:13:47 -0400

Brandon Ward explains how Detroit residents, community organizations, and the labor movement, alarmed by the pollution remaining in Detroit’s deindustrialized era that mostly heavily impacted Black Americans and the working class, banded together from the 1970s onward to create a healthier, greener, and more livable city. read more »

[Podcast] No Equal Justice: The Legal and Civil Rights Legacy of George W. Crockett Jr.

teller — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:59:00 -0400

Peter Hammer describes the life and legacy of civil rights icon George W. Crockett, Jr. A Black lawyer who fought racism and defended constitutional rights in landmark cases in the 1940s through the 1960s, Crockett brought his ethos to the Detroit Recorder’s Court during his time on the bench from 1966 through 1978, and to his decade of service in the 1980s as a Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives. read more »

[Podcast] Race and Rebellion: Reexamining the Unlearned Lessons of the Kerner Report a Half Century Later

teller — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 20:18:12 -0400

Reuther Library outreach archivist Meghan Courtney discusses the conclusions of the 1968 Kerner Commission report in the context of today’s protests over race relations and police brutality. read more »