Scope and arrangement
The Benjamin F. McLaurin photographs date from the 1930s to 1983, and chronicle McLaurin's lifelong involvement in labor, political, and civic activism through 35mm slides, prints, and negatives. The collection is ordered into the following groupings: Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; National Committee for Rural Schools; March on Washington; Civic Committees; and Personal.
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) photographs are arranged by topic and date from 1948 to 1973. The BSCP photographs depict social events, Ladies' Auxiliary locals and committees, and annual union conventions. Group shots of Ladies' Auxiliary locals make up the majority of the images.
National Committee for Rural Schools (NCRS) photographs are arranged by subject. Many of the images in this grouping are from 'field trips' taken by Rae Brandstein, the founder of NCRS, to towns and rural homesteads in the Deep South. These images were later used in fundraising campaigns.
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom images are from the trip McLaurin and his wife Margaret took to be a part of the 1963 March. Several of the slides were taken from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, with the Washington Monument on the horizon. In addition to views of the crowds, there are also miscellaneous pictures from the trip, including shots of the McLaurin's hotel rooms.
Civic Committee photographs, dated from 1960 to 1970, are arranged by topic. Images in this grouping showcase events, meetings, and board staff of the Board of Higher Education of the City of New York and the Coordinating Council on Education for the Disadvantaged.
The Personal photographs, dated from the 1930s to 1983, are arranged by topic and contain images of social events, photographs of Margaret McLaurin throughout her life, holidays, and vacations.