The Bernard F. Ashe moving image collection documents the latter portion of Ashe's career as general counsel to the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), and esteemed member of the American Bar Association and American Arbitration Association, from 1989 until his retirement from NYSUT in 1996.
Bernard F. Ashe (b. 1936, Baltimore, Maryland - d. 2023, Delmar, New York) was an African American labor lawyer. Ashe served as general counsel to the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) from 1971 until his retirement in 1996, and this period is the primary focus of the collection.
Ashe earned his law degree from Howard University in 1961. He was an attorney with the National Labor Relations Board from 1961 to 1963, and an assistant general counsel to the International Union of the United Auto Workers from 1963 to 1971, before becoming general counsel for NYSUT. After his retirement, Ashe went on to teach as an adjunct faculty member at Cornell University, Fordham University, and Roger Williams University, and continued to serve as a trustee of Adelphi University and the New York State Lawyers Fund for Client Protection.
Ashe became a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) Consortium on Legal Services and the Public in 1979. He was elected chairman of the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law in 1982, the first Black person to do so. In addition to serving on the ABA board, Ashe served on many boards including the American Arbitration Association, American Prepaid Legal Service Institute, the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, and the Urban League of Albany, New York.
The Bernard F. Ashe moving image collection consists of five video recordings created from 1989 to 1996. The collection is arranged chronologically by date, and includes recordings of professional events, news clips, and media appearances featuring Bernard F. Ashe and his work.
Bernard F. Ashe, 2007 and 2008.
Collection inventoried by Nathan Evans and Stacey Doyle Ference. Collection processed and described by Anika Paris, archivist; and Shola Lynch, curator. Finding aid published in 2023.
Forms part of the Bernard F. Ashe archive: Bernard F. Ashe papers, ca. 1963-2006, Sc MG 705. Bernard F. Ashe photograph collection, Sc Photo Bernard F. Ashe Collection.