Found 31 collections related to African Americans -- Employment

The National Research Council Committee on the Status of Black Americans working papers consist of thirty-three essays prepared by prominent scholars in several fields as background for the publication, A Common Destiny: Blacks and American Society (National Academy Press, 1989). less

William H. H. Wilkinson was the special assistant of administrative action to improve the relationship of Blacks in the New York State Division of Placement and Unemployment Insurance. The collection contains memoranda, reports, budget estimates, printed matter, and correspondence related to Wilkinson's role and career with the New York State Employment Service. less

The National Negro Congress was established, in 1936, to "secure the right of the Negro people to be free from Jim Crowism, segregation, discrimination, lynching, and mob violence" and "to promote the spirit of unity and cooperation between Negro and white people." This collection includes the files of executive secretaries John P. Davis, Edward Strong, and Revels Cayton, as well as financial records. less

Lawrence D. Reddick served as curator of the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature, 1939-1948. An African-American historian, Reddick was interested in the role of the black soldier in U.S. wars and published on this topic. Concerned that the role of black soldiers during World War II would not be portrayed accurately by the government, the mainstream or black press, Reddick initiated a campaign to document the experiences of blacks in the military using their first hand accounts. He placed an ad in newspapers served by the Associated Negro Press, requesting that letters written by black soldiers to their families be sent to the Schomburg Collection. In addition, he conducted interviews with black servicemen and women from 1944 to 1946, and collected memorabilia and other World War II related items. The Lawrence D. Reddick World War II Project Collection, 1943-1953 (bulk 1943-1945) consists of correspondence with black servicemen and women, summaries of interviews Reddick conducted, as well as research files maintained by him. The series Letters and Interviews, 1943-1945 consists of more than a hundred letters that black servicemen and officers, and a few black servicewomen, wrote principally to their families and friends relating the individuals' experiences. The servicemen were stationed in all of the theaters of operation, and some were stateside at various training camps throughout the United States. Of note is a letter Dwight Eisenhower wrote in 1947 in response to a letter from Reddick, stating his opposition to discrimination of American soldiers based upon color or race. Also included in the collection are summaries of interviews Reddick conducted between 1944 and 1946 in Harlem with former servicemen and officers. The interviewees were forthright in their discussions about their experiences with both black and white soldiers and officers, and the people in the countries where they served. There are also summaries of interviews with several black servicewomen and one white serviceman, as well as civilians. Individuals interviewed include William E. Artis (artist), Warren Cuney (writer), Benjamin O. Davis (Air Force General), Ewart Guinier (who later headed the first African-American Studies Department at Harvard University), William H. Hastie (civil rights attorney), Roi Ottley (author and journalist) Leigh Whipper (actor). less

Born in Charleston, S.C., in 1883, Cecilia Cabaniss Saunders was a graduate of Fisk and Columbia Universities; she served as executive director of the Harlem Branch of the Young Women's Christian Association for more than thirty years. The daughter of Harriet Hampton and James Holloway, she married James Cabaniss, a medical doctor in 1912, and John Saunders, a real estate broker, in 1915. Cecila Cabaniss Saunders was a resident of Central Harlem. She died in 1966. Correspondence with attachments documenting Cecila Cabaniss Saunders's efforts, as executive director of the Harlem Branch of the Young Women's Christian Association, in opposing discrimination in employment in the armed forces during World War II. Correspondents include: Frieda S. Miller, Chairman of the Committee on Discrimination in Employment of the New York State Council of National Defense; Claude Barnett, director of the Associated Negro Press; and Emily L. Ehle, director of the American Leadership Panel, an African American lobby which surveyed the opinions of black leaders in the 1940s, and whose membership included Mary McLeod Bethune, Alain Locke, Walter White and Richard Wright, among others. The collection also includes a completed questionnaire submitted to Saunders for a special study conducted by the American Leadership Panel relating to the April 1945 United Nations Conference in San Francisco. less

Elijah Shoemaker was the local chairman of the Sante Fe System Local of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and assistant district chairman (Los Angeles). These papers contain original and mimeographed correspondence to and from the national headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters including a letter from L. B. Thompson, legislative representative, and W.T. Nickleberry, past president relating to a memorial service for A. Philip Randolph; financial statements; reports of convention proceedings; and miscellaneous handbooks on health benefits, payroll deductions, workers compensation and copies of the General Rules for the Guidance of Employees of the Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe Railway System (1950-1966). less

James Reese Europe, Jr., son of the well-known African-American musician James Reese Europe (1881-1919) and dancer Bessie Simms, was a seaman in the Merchant Marines during World War II. In 1942 the Marine Firemen's, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers Association attempted to have Europe discharged in direct violation of Presidential Order 8802 of the Fair Employment Act. With the support of the War Manpower Commission and many on board the ship, Europe was permitted to continue in his position. Over time he moved up from wiper (entry-level position) to deck engineer, and with his captain's recommendation he attended officer's candidate school and returned to sea as an ensign in the U.S. Maritime Service. By the time of his discharge in 1946, Europe had been promoted to lieutenant and had received recognition for his work in the Middle East, Pacific and Atlantic war zones. The James Reese Europe, Jr. Papers consists primarily of photocopies of documents related to a case of discrimination during World War II in direct violation of Executive Order 8802, involving James Reese Europe, Jr. and the Marine Firemen, Oilers, Watertenders and Wipers Association in San Francisco (1942). Several documents provide the details of the case from the perspective of the Bay Area Council Against Discrimination, which assisted Europe in presenting his case to the Committee on Fair Employment Practices and to the War Manpower Commission. The union's viewpoint is also represented. Included are originals and copies of certificates, awards, and discharge papers, in addition to letters and documents dealing with his termination from the New York City Police Department on charges of alleged subversive activities related to the aforementioned discrimination case. less

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. less

The Edward S. Lewis Papers, 1918-1986 (bulk 1948-1986), consist primarily of printed material. In the General series there are: correspondence, with letters from Senator Walter Mondale and Robert C. Weaver; memoranda; minutes; travel itineraries and printed matter. Lewis' trips to East and West Africa, leading delegations of educators and peace advocates, are well documented in the collection. Also documented, are the anti-apartheid activities of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agency, Lewis' tenure on the New York State and the Presidential Consumer advisory councils; and the Manhattanville tenants and condominium owners' advocacy organization for which he was a board member. less

The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) organized railway porters (traditionally an occupation for African-Americans) to bargain with the Pullman Company which held a virtual monopoly on the nation's sleeping car facilities. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters collection includes printed matter, correspondence, legal documents, addresses by A. Philip Randolph, and other material reflecting the activities of this union. less

Browne has been a prolific writer within his areas of expertise, i.e. American involvement in the Vietnam conflict, especially its impact on African-Americans, economics as it pertains to African Americans and to a lesser extent, to Africans. Most of his writings have been in the form of articles, letters to the editor and book reviews as well as writing and co-authoring several books. less

The Carnegie-Myrdal Study of the Negro in America research memoranda collection consists of twenty-nine memoranda prepared by the team of social scientists; letters from Frederick Keppel, president of the Carnegie Corporation, establishing the project; correspondence between Keppel and Gunnar Myrdal; memoranda of interviews with Myrdal and the social scientists who wrote the reports; and files for the Committee on Selection. less

The Coalition of Black Trade-Unionists Collection consists of selected speeches by its president and co-founder William Lucy, workshop materials and resolutions from its annual conventions, copies of the CBTU Bulletin, and annual reports of its Executive Committee. A copy of the CBTU's National Constitution and a document entitled "Proposals for Jobs and Training Opportunities for the Disadvantaged" are also included. The bulk of the Collection dates from 1976 to 1988. less

Benjamin F. Seldon was State Supervisor of Negro Adult Education for the New Jersey Works Progress Administration from 1938 to 1941. He served in World War I, then completed his education in Europe where he studied the economic, social, and political conditions of several countries. He also taught in France and at the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (in 1928). The Benjamin F. Seldon papers consist of correspondence pertaining to various aspects of his career and personal life, and a scrapbook Seldon maintained containing news clippings relating primarily to African Americans in World War I. Many letters relate to Seldon's experiences as the State Supervisor of Negro Adult Education for the New Jersey Works Progress Administration in which he had 136 teachers under his supervision. Letters also pertain to the Civilian Conservation Corps. Additional correspondence is with religious, political, educational, and social organizations, and several prominent people including Adam Clayton Powell, Sr., Bertha B. Randolph (wife of A. Philip Randolph) and L. Hollingsworth Wood. There is also personal correspondence with Seldon's family and friends. A few letters are written in French and Spanish. less

The Black Economic Research Center Records document BERC's activities as well as the involvement of Robert Browne in numerous organizations. Although the primary function of BERC was to conduct economic research to aid black organizations and individuals, research data, notes and memoranda concerning studies BERC conducted were not included in the collection; therefore the records are stronger in its administrative functions than in its programmatic aspects. less

The Blacks in the Railroad Industry Collection is comprised of a variety of materials documenting the struggle of black railroad employees against ouster from the industry by collusive actions of the companies and the unions. While provenance seems to be uncertain, holograph notes on many of the documents appear to have been done by Robert Wood, editor of "The Railroad Workers' Link," a newspaper published by the Railroad Committee of the Communist Party. In addition, the few original items in the collection are addressed specifically to him or to the "Link.". less

Civic leader of New York City and a major figure in local Democratic Party activities. Official correspondence, minute books, press releases, photographs, invitations, annual convention and activity programs, printed material, and news clippings, chiefly relating to Adams' participation in various social, political, and civic organizations in New York, including the Aeolian Ladies of Charity, Democratic Club, Friends of the Northside Center, a child guidance center for the prevention of delinquency and maladjustment, Harlem Cooperating Committee on Relief and Unemployment, Harlem Hospital Chaplaincy Committee, Nannie H. Burroughs Philanthropic Club, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, National Committee for the American Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Liberia, National Council of Negro Women, New York State Committee on Discrimination in Housing, New York Urban League, New York World's Fair Committee of Negro Women, and the Utopia Neighborhood Club, a nursery center for small children, as well as several local New York City organizations. Also included are personal papers and memorabilia. less

Luther S. Thomas was an African American railroad porter employed by the Pullman Company in the 1940s and 1950s, and president of the Asheville North Carolina Division of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. The Luther S. Thomas papers cotains correspondence, including a few letters to staff of the Pullman Company, membership records, and printed matter documenting Luther S. Thomas's career as president of the Asheville, North Carolina Division of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters union. The collection also contains miscellaneous correspondence and documents relating to the Triennal Convention of the Brotherhood in 1953, including a handwritten report by Thomas to the Asheville division. The bulk of the collection pertains to labor grievances filed by Thomas and several Asheville porters, particularly on issues of discrimination and adequate health safeguards in the transportation of patients with communicable diseases. Also included are Division membership lists and printed material about tourist sites published by various railroad lines. less

Records of the Negro Labor Committee encompassing historical and activity records, general subject and activity files, records of affiliated unions and locals, and personal files of Frank R. Crosswaith. Historical and activity files include records of predecessor organizations of the Committee, the Trade Union Committee for Organizing Negro Workers, 1925, and the Harlem Labor Committee, 1934, and items summarizing the Committee's general interests and activities from its founding in 1935 to 1969. Records contain general correspondence, minutes, committee reports, financial records, form letters, and related materials. General subject and activity files of the Committee include material on conferences and conventions in which the Committee participated, documents relating to activities and special projects of the Committee such as the Harlem Labor Center, Scholarship Benefit Fund, Negro Labor Committee-U.S.A., anniversary journals, and the proposed March on Washington in 1943. Also, minutes of the Negro Labor Assembly, of which the Committee was an integral part, and press releases of the Negro Labor News Service, 1935-1951. In addition, the collection contains files from the individual unions which were affiliated with the Committee and which joined in many of its projects, programs, and activities. Files present a cross section of the progressive labor movement in New York City during the 1930s and 1940s. less

One of the first black flight attendants, Patricia Banks, a native New Yorker, fought discrimination by filing a lawsuit against Capital Airlines through the New York State Commission Against Discrimination. A graduate of the Grace Downs Air Career School, Banks applied to several airlines companies for a stewardess position, but was repeatedly denied employment. In 1957 she filed a suit against Capital Airlines (which later merged in 1961 with United Airlines), and in 1960 the Commission ruled in her favor and ordered the company to hire her. She has been acknowledged by the Black Flight Attendants of America, Inc. and was featured in an WNBC News segment for being a pioneer in her field. Collection of documents relating to Patricia Banks and her groundbreaking legal case to become one of the first Black flight attendants. Collection includes newspaper clippings from 1957-1960, her flight attendant's certificate from Capital Airlines and a travel log. Also included is the transcript from her legal suit with the New York State Commission against Discrimination against Capital Airlines. Along with a video about Banks from WNBC News Black History Month, 1997, are print outs of digital photographs and the program booklet from the Black Flight Attendants of America, Inc.'s annual convention in 1999 where she was honored. less

Ernest Thompson was a labor leader and one of the founders and the director of organization of the National Negro Labor Council. From 1951-1956, he was also the Fair Employment Practices Committee director for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, a multiracial trade-union expelled from the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) on charges of communist infiltration. Thompson later became involved in efforts to gain African American political representation in Orange, New Jersey, improve education in the state, and eliminate segregation within the school system. The Ernest Thompson collection consists of printed matter and publications of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America on Blacks, women, urban renewal, and the labor movement in the 1950s. Additionally, there is printed material on the student movement of the 1960s, publications of communist youth organizations, and publications about segregation and discrimination in public schools in Orange, New Jersey, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. There is also a speech by Henry Winston about the founding of a Marxist-Leninist youth organization. less

The Victor Daly Papers reflect Daly's efforts with the United States Employment Service to integrate previously segregated occupations as well as his activities as an officer of the American Bridge Association. In addition to biographical information about Daly, including published articles, the collection contains his novel Not Only War, published in 1932 as well as short stories. There are also journal and newspaper articles written by him regarding employment opportunities for minorities. Daly's many speeches about youth employment presented at high schools, universities, radio stations and organizations in the Washington, D. C. and Baltimore area can be found in the collection, beginning in 1941 through the 1960s. less

Milton Price Webster joined the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) in 1925, and soon became A. Philip Randolph's major ally. He was the first vice-president of the BSCP and chief negotiator of contracts. Together with Randolph, Webster led the BSCP to victory in 1935, following a protracted campaign to make the union the bargaining representative for Black porters and maids. The BSCP was the first African American union to win a national contract as well as the first to have a bargaining agreement with the Pullman Company. Among the main issues Webster addressed as the chief negotiator was the Pullman Company's long-standing practice of low pay, long working hours, and harsh treatment of its porters, most of whom were African American. The Milton P. Webster collection includes a variety of material related to labor negotiations between the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and several national railroad companies. Items concern pay rates and increases, health and welfare benefits, and other labor issues involving porter-brakemen and chair car attendants. Materials include correspondence, memoranda of agreement, rosters of attendants and porters, bulletins, and membership lists. less

Arthur L. Woolfolk was a railroad labor union leader. He was the 1st Vice President of the Atchison, Topeka, and Sante Fe System Local in 1956 and Local Chairman of Sante Fe System Local in 1967, both of Denver, Colorado. The Arthur L. Woolfolk papers contain original and mimeographed letters between local and national officers, special bulletins containing constitutional changes about membership dues and officer eligibility; report of Train and Chair Car Committee on reducing worker hours, increasing membership, job stability, and employee railroad pass rights; a call to the Fifth Triennial Convention in Chicago, Illinois in September 1965 from A. Philip Randolph, International President; and a copy of the proceedings of the Colorado State Legislature of March 31, 1949 regarding locomotive employee and passenger safety. less

The Jessica B. Davis Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters collection consists of the constitution and history of the BSCP, programs, anniversary and commemorative booklets, speeches and writings by A. Philip Randolph, and news clippings by and about Randolph. There are also tributes to this union leader during his lifetime, and an address and press release for the 1942 planned March on Washington. less

The National Youth Administration (NYA) was a government sponsored youth training and employment program from 1935 to 1943. The collection consists of images of primarily African American youths engaged in NYA activities including employment and training programs, meetings, and parades. The collection dates from 1935 to 1943 with the bulk of the images from 1942-1943 when the organization was placed under the War Manpower Commission. Other images include NYA's youth activities under the auspices of the Works Projects Administration (1935-1939) and the Federal Security Agency (1939-1942). Images that document the NYA administration are very limited. less