- unitid
-
{"value"=>"Sc MG 100", "type"=>"local_call"}
{"value"=>"20830", "type"=>"local_mss"}
- unitdate
-
{"value"=>"1917-1965", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1917/1965"}
{"value"=>"1923-1939", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1923/1939"}
- date_inclusive_start
-
1917
- date_inclusive_end
-
1965
- keydate
-
1917
- unittitle
-
{"value"=>"Frank R. Crosswaith papers"}
- physdesc
-
{"format"=>"simple", "value"=>"2 linear feet (6 boxes)"}
- repository
-
{"value"=>"<span class=\"corpname\">The New York Public Library Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture</span>"}
- langmaterial
-
{"value"=>"English"}
- origination
-
{"value"=>"Crosswaith, Frank Rudolph, 1892-1965", "type"=>"persname"}
- bioghist
-
{"value"=>"<p>Frank R. Crosswaith was a lifelong socialist, a labor union organizer, editor, and socialist candidate for several New York State offices. During the 1920's and 1930's he was one of the most effective organizers of black workers in New York City.</p> <p>Born in St. Croix, Crosswaith immigrated to this country at age thirteen. Like many other Caribbean immigrants he had begun acquiring socialist ideas as an adolescent. He attended the Rand School of Social Science, a labor and socialist school, and later became a lecturer there. In 1922 he was Secretary of the People's Educational Forum in New York City where liberals of national importance addressed black audiences. And, in 1923 he served as chairman of a meeting held in Harlem to honor the labor and socialist leader, Eugene V. Debs.</p> <p>Crosswaith was known as the Socialist Party's foremost black orator, and ran for various offices on the American Labor Party and Socialist tickets. In 1924 he was Norman Thomas' running mate, seeking the office of Secretary of State when Thomas ran for governor. Other offices he sought include Congressman (several times between 1922 and 1934), lieutenant governor (1932), City Council (1939), and president of the Board of Aldermen of New York City.</p> <p>Crosswaith's first job in New York was as an elevator operator. As a laborer he understood and shared the difficulties and low wages of a significant portion of blacks in the teens and 1920's period who were employed in domestic and service positions. In 1925 he founded and served as executive secretary of the American Federation of Labor Trade Union Committee for Organizing Negro Workers, at a time when the AFL excluded most black workers, skilled and unskilled. As executive secretary, Crosswaith worked with most of the unions that had blacks in their industries, including elevator operators, barbers, mechanics, laundry workers, and motion picture operators.</p> <p>The Labor Trade Union Committee for Organizing Negro Workers was succeeded in 1934 by the Harlem Labor Committee of which he served as chairman for many years. This organization, which appealed to black and white workers, was active in seeking higher wages, better working conditions and improved fringe benefits. Crosswaith was also instrumental in organizing the First Negro Labor Conference, held in July 1935, which was held under the auspices of the Harlem Labor Committee. The purpose of the Conference was to consider the economic plight of the black worker and to develop a program of action to secure non-menial jobs for black workers. The Committee also encouraged solidarity of black and white workers.</p> <p>The Conference established the Negro Labor Committee in 1935, with Crosswaith as chairman. The Committee sought to organize unorganized black workers and to lend its support to unions engaged in organizing and strike activities among black workers. It also established the <span class=\"emph\">Negro Labor News Service</span>which disseminated information to newspapers on events about or relating to black labor throughout the country. Crosswaith was its editor for twelve years. The Committee maintained the Harlem Labor Center, established in 1935, which served as a headquarters for trade unions in Harlem, bringing together many black workers, who, because of economic conditions, had a newly aroused interest in trade unions.</p> <p>Crosswaith was also well-known for his work as a special organizer for the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters which struggled for ten years to win the right to represent the Pullman porters and maids. He worked with the Brotherhood for three years until his resignation in 1928. His reasons for resigning included his perception of numerous irregularities in the internal finances of the Brotherhood which were detrimental to the members. Crosswaith felt undermined by Roy Lancaster, the Secretary-Treasurer, but he was unable to bring about changes in office procedures which he felt were sacrificing the goals of the membership. In addition, for over thirty years Crosswaith was on the staff of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU). As general organizer, he established as its principal goal working through those AFL trade unions that were seeking to organize black workers. He was also one of the organizers of the original March on Washington Movement (1941), under A. Philip Randolph.</p> <p>In 1942 Crosswaith was appointed the first labor member of the five member Board of the New York City Housing Authority by Mayor LaGuardia, and was successively reappointed by Mayors O'Dwyer and Impellitteri, serving as the Commissioner until 1957. The Housing Authority was responsible for building and operating public housing and was involved in redevelopment and slum clearance.</p> <p>As a socialist organizer and lecturer for the League for Industrial Democracy and later as a national organizer for the ILGWU in the 1930's, Crosswaith travelled across the United States addressing multiracial labor groups, college students and other groups discussing labor and socialist issues. He was outspoken as an anti-communist, espousing his viewpoint that communists felt he was “a stumbling block in their campaign to organize the negro population of the United States.” He believed strongly that black workers should follow socialist practices to achieve freedom and economic viability, and his professional life was devoted to furthering the cause of labor and the rights of blacks.</p> <ul> <li> <span class=\"bibref\">Jones, James T. <span class=\"title\">Crosswaith, Frank Rudolph.</span> In: <span class=\"emph\">Dictionary of American Negro Biography</span>edited by Rayford W. Logan and Michael R. Winston, 142-144. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1982.</span></li></ul>"}
- scopecontent
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Frank R. Crosswaith Papers date from 1917 to 1974. The papers document aspects of his involvement as a labor leader and socialist and consist primarily of Crosswaith's speeches; scrapbooks containing documentation regarding his activities, particularly the Socialist Party and the Negro Labor Committee; and news clippings. Biographical information and material documenting tributes held in his honor are included. The collection is relatively small and contains very little of substance in the Labor and Politics series regarding trade union involvement with the exception of Crosswaith's writings and speeches. Much of the collection consists of printed material and speeches. Day-to-day office files for organizations with which he held significant positions are not included in this collection.</p> <p>The Papers have been divided into three series. They are: Personal Papers, Labor and Politics, and Writings.</p>"}
{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Frank R. Crosswaith papers are arranged in three series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/20830#c651578'>Personal Papers</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The <span class=\"emph\">PERSONAL PAPERS series, 1917-1962 (.2 lin. ft.)</span>consists of several biographical sketches, organizational membership cards, certificates, and information about several dinners honoring him between 1937 and 1962.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/20830#c651590'>Labor and Politics</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p><span class=\"emph\">LABOR AND POLITICS, 1922-1974 (1 lin. ft.)</span>The material about labor unions includes two scrapbooks which relate to his involvement with the Harlem Labor Committee and its Harlem Labor Center. This material includes by-laws, anniversary journals and related correspondence, press releases, and minutes of meetings. There is also a program for the First Negro Labor Conference which established the Negro Labor Committee, as well as articles written by Crosswaith and printed matter about the unionization of specific trades. The scrapbooks have been disbound but the original order has been maintained.</p> <p>Organizations with which Crosswaith was involved as a labor organizer which are represented in the collection include the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (one folder contains minutes of executive meetings and Crosswaith's 1928 letters of resignation addressed to members of the Brotherhood explaining the reasons for his departure). The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union is documented by three folders which appear in three different sections of the Labor and Politics series, including in the two scrapbooks. This material consists primarily of news clippings and other printed matter, in addition to articles he wrote. Material in the scrapbooks include speeches and articles Crosswaith wrote, news clippings and other printed matter as well as typed versions of his editorials.</p> <p>Subject files include barbers, laundry workers and other unions.</p> <p>Crosswaith's political campaigns as a Socialist candidate are represented by news clippings, flyers and correspondence. There is additional correspondence about Eugene V. Debs, the socialist candidate for whom Crosswaith campaigned in 1923. Crosswaith's tenure with the New York City Housing Authority is represented by only two bulletins from 1957. Because he was appointed by mayors, the NYCHA material has been placed in this series.</p> <p>There are a large number of news clippings about labor, including the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and A. Philip Randolph, and the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Many of these articles discuss Crosswaith. Additional clippings focus on several of his New York City political campaigns. Oversize news clippings had been photocopied prior to the Schomburg Center's acquisition of the collection. Some of these photocopies contain articles about several related subjects which appear on the front and reverse sides.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/scm/20830#c651656'>Writings</a></div>\n<div class='series-description'><p><span class=\"emph\">WRITINGS SERIES, 1921-1953 (. 6 lin. ft.)</span>The writings primarily focus on two major topics: socialism and organized labor as they relate to blacks. All of Crosswaith's writings were in scrapbooks labelled “speeches”, with an index to the contents. The original order as they appeared in the scrapbooks may be studied by examining this index. As there did not appear to be any logic to the order of this material, the following arrangment has been imposed: Speeches (chronological), Articles and Essays (chronological; undated material is arranged alphabetically), Press Releases (chronological), Editorials (chronological), Poems, and News Clippings (chronological). Among the subjects he wrote about are: segregation, housing, trade unionism and socialism. As an orator for socialist and labor issues, the collection is rich in Crosswaith's speeches which he delivered nationwide primarily in the 1930's. The series also contains printed announcements, organized chronologically.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}
- acqinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Gift of Richard Parrish, March 17, 1977</p> <p>SCM 78-12</p> <p>Gift of Mrs. Beatrice Parrish, August-September 1983</p> <p>SCM 83-23</p>"}
- separatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>The following items were removed from:</p> <p>Name of Collection/Paper Frank R. Crosswaith Papers</p> <p><span class=\"emph\">Accession Number</span>SCM78-12, SCM83-23</p> <p>Donor: Richard Parrish, Mrs. Beatrice Parrish</p> <p><span class=\"emph\">Date received:</span>March 17 1977, Aug. - Sept. 1983</p> <p><span class=\"emph\">Date transferred:</span>Dec. 22, 1992</p> <p>The item(s) listed below have been sent to the division indicated, either to be retained or disposed of there. Any items that should receive special disposition are clearly marked.</p> <p> <span class=\"emph\"> <span class=\"emph\">Schomburg Photographs and Print Division:</span></span></p> <p>1 folder of photographs of Frank Crosswaith and colleagues</p> <p>1 folder of photomechanicals</p> <p><span class=\"emph\">Accessioned by:</span>Janice Quinter</p> <p><span class=\"emph\">Date:</span>Dec. 22, 1992</p>"}
- relatedmaterial
-
{"value"=>"<p>The Negro Labor Committee Records located in the Schomburg Center contain information about Crosswaith's involvement with the NLC and with other organizations, such as the New York City Housing Authority.</p>"}
- arrangement
-
{"value"=>"Papers organized into three series: I. Personal Papers; II. Labor and Politics; III. Writings", "supress_display"=>true}
- note
-
{"value"=>"<p>Photographs transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division</p>", "encodinganalog"=>"500"}
{"value"=>"<p>Additional papers pertaining to Frank Crosswaith and the Negro Labor Committee are in the Frank Crosswaith Papers</p>", "encodinganalog"=>"500"}
- abstract
-
{"value"=>"The Frank R. Crosswaith Papers document aspects of his involvement as a labor leader and socialist and consist primarily of Crosswaith's speeches; scrapbooks containing papers regarding his activities, particularly the Socialist Party and the Negro Labor Committee; and news clippings. Biographical information and papers documenting dinners held in his honor are included."}
- prefercite
-
{"value"=>"Frank R. Crosswaith papers, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library"}
- processinfo
-
{"value"=>"<p>Processed by Janice Quinter; Machine-readable finding aid created by Apex Data Services; revised by Terry Catapano.</p>"}
- date_start
-
1917
- date_end
-
1965
- date_bulk_start
-
1923
- date_bulk_end
-
1939