Environmentalism

Citizen Action Records

drice — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:24:20 -0500

Citizen Action (CA) was founded in 1979 by former members of Students for a Democratic Society and the Indochina Peace Campaign as a coalition of state and national liberal consumer and activist groups. It organized door-to-door canvassers to work on the state level promoting CA membership and educating the public on issues such as health care, energy, environmental concerns, and auto insurance. Citizen Action was also active in election campaigns on the local, state and national level to recruit and support candidates who espoused the same ideas on various issues. Citizen Action affiliates, such as Ohio Citizen Action and Connecticut Citizen Action Group, played a key role in get-out-the-vote campaigns and issue-specific canvassing and lobbying, especially regarding health care. On the national level, Citizen Action lobbied Congress and the federal government, often testifying before committees, working to introduce bills and interacting with federal departments and commissions. Citizen Action was shut down in 1997 after a scandal emerged involving illegal funds from the Teamsters.

The records in this collection are primarily from the national office of Citizen Action, though there are documents dealing with issues and activities in specific states. Also among these records are documents from affiliate organizations: Citizens/Labor Energy Coalition (C/LEC) and Energy Action.

Karen Kendrick-Hands Papers

aorchard — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 11:58:08 -0400

Karen Kendrick-Hands was a Detroit-area environmental lawyer and activist. Since the 1980s, Kendrick-Hands participated in a variety of causes within Michigan, notably regarding issues of greenhouse gas emissions. Specific actions included the Polluters Pay Act, opposing the split of Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources and Department of Environmental Quality, SEMCOG’s Ozone Action! campaign, and opposition to garbage incinerators in Michigan. Over the years she has supported environmentalism by utilizing her experience as a lawyer to tackle environmental issues from the legal and legislative angles. She has recently become notable as a purveyor of high-end yarn and knit goods and runs a nonprofit organization that promotes the crafts of knitting and crochet.

The Karen Kendrick-Hands Papers contain records regarding the environmental campaigns she participated in over the years. Most records are grouped by subject, often by environmental issue or organization. Much of the collection is comprised of publicly available records with Kendrick-Hands’ personal notes and annotations written in the margins. Commonly found throughout the collection are Karen Kendrick-Hands’ handwritten notes from various meetings and events she attended.

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.

Nancy vom Steeg Papers

kschmeling — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 12:34:26 -0400

Nancy vom Steeg was a Detroit activist during the 1960s through the 1980s. Though Poletown might have been the more well-known issue of the time, Nancy was a part of several movements, such as food coops, environmentalism, women and religion, and consumer protection.

UFW Work Department Records

drice — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:25:21 -0400

The National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) was founded in 1962. In 1966 it affiliated with the Agricultural Workers Committee to form the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC). In 1973, the UFWOC became the United Farm Workers, AFL-CIO. Cesar Chavez led the farm workers from 1962 until his death in 1993. The Records of the Work Department of the UFW contains a variety of correspondence concerning farm workers, boycotts, and Teamster/UFW conflicts.

Urban Environment Conference (UEC) Records

drice — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 11:09:42 -0400

The Urban Environment Conference (UEC) grew out of an effort in 1971 by Michigan Senator Philip Hart to provide a forum for the discussion of problems and issues of joint concern to urban reform groups, environmentalists, and organized labor. Within a year, most of the participants decided to organize the group as a non-profit corporation with both advocacy and clearinghouse functions, including lobbying, education and publicity, fundraising, leadership training, technical assistance on program development, and coalition-building. While protecting on-the-job and community health has been the Conference’s priority issue, UEC also has a notable record on energy, mass transit, fair housing and full employment.

The Urban Environment Conference Collection consists of correspondence, reports, minutes,
clippings and publications related primarily to environmental/occupational health issues affecting minorities at home and in the workplace.

Utah Phillips Papers

aorchard — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 12:19:57 -0400

Bruce Duncan Phillips (1935-2008), better known as Utah Phillips, was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 15, 1935. He became well known as a folk singer, performer, storyteller, and activist beginning in the late 1960s and continued to be a prominent figure in the American folk and labor communities for the following four decades.

The Utah Phillips Papers document the personal, professional, and political activities of Utah Phillips. The papers include correspondence, interviews, writings, notes, contracts, flyers, publications, articles, clippings, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and other materials.

Guest Post: Detroit Incinerator

Public Relations Team — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 11:40:30 -0400

Please note: The oral history course collections mentioned in this post have been consolidated into one collection: Wayne State University Oral History Methodology Course Oral Histories. Please refer to the finding aid here: https://archives.wayne.edu/repositories/2/resources/3381.

The history of the Detroit Incinerator, later rebranded as Detroit Renewable Power, is a microcosm of the history of intersections of environmental and social justice. The Reuther Library has many collections related to the community response surrounding the Incinerator’s building and operation. It was originally built in 1986 near the corner of Russell and East Ferry Street. Billed as the “world’s largest” trash incinerator, read more »

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 »

Labor Unions, Earth Day, and Environmentalism

gstrassel — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 16:05:51 -0400

This Earth Day, we’d like to highlight archival collections that demonstrate organized labor’s role in environmentalism and the understanding of Earth Day as advantageous to the interests of business and workers alike. Though one may not expect it, numerous collections highlight unions’ historical efforts to fight pollution and champion conservation. read more »

Letter from Walter P. Reuther to Senator Gaylord Nelson

gstrassel — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 09:47:44 -0400

Excerpt of the letter from UAW President Walter P. Reuther to Earth Day-founder Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, 1969. The letter documents Reuther's pledge of $2,000, the initial seed money to fund Nelson's campaign to create an official Earth Day holiday. From the Olga Madar Papers.

Podcast: Speak to the Earth and it Shall Teach Thee: Catholic Nuns, the United Farm Workers Movement, and the Rise of an Environmental Ethic, 1962-1978

teller — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 15:25:22 -0400

John Buchkoski explores the role that religious women had in grassroots social activism in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly organizations of Catholic women religious. He explains how these groups supported United Farm Worker strikes by publicizing the environmental and health effects of pesticide use and popularizing produce boycotts across Catholic communities. Buchkoski is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Oklahoma. read more »

[Podcast] A Miasma of Metals: The Steelworkers’ Environmental Call Following the Donora Smog of 1948

teller — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 11:30:05 -0400

Louise Milone recounts how smog produced by the southwestern Pennsylvanian steel industry poisoned the air in the Monongahela Valley town of Donora on November 1, 1948, killing more than 22 people and sickening thousands more. Exploring the response of the US Steel Corporation, employees, and Donora residents, Milone explains how the United Steelworkers of America union pushed for an investigation and improved environmental and health and safety regulations following the disaster. Milone is a Ph.D. candidate in the University of Georgia Department of History. 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 »