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Creator
Williamson, Simon
Call number
Sc MG 997
Physical description
0.83 linear feet (2 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], Simon Williamson papers, Sc MG 997, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Simon Williamson (1908-1963) was a Garveyite and Trotskyist activist and journalist whose documented work dates back to 1929. Williamson notably wrote for The Kansas City American, far-left publications The Militant and The New Militant, and the Federal Works Progress Administration's Federal Writers' Project. The Simon Williamson papers include correspondence, ephemera, and political writings in relation to Williamson's activism in New York City.

Biographical/historical information

Simon Williamson (1908-1963) was a Garveyite and Trotskyist activist and journalist, born November 26, 1908 in Kansas City, Missouri. His documented work dates back to 1929, when Williamson wrote editorials for The Kansas City American and was an active member of the League of Struggle for Negro Rights and the Kansas City division of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).

Later that year, Williamson attended UNIA's Sixth International Convention of the Negro Peoples of the World in Kingston, Jamaica. He extended his trip by a few months and traveled through British and Spanish Honduras (known today as Belize and Honduras, respectively) and Guatemala on his way back to the United States.

In the early 1930s, Williamson was active in the League of Struggle for Negro Rights (LSNR), an organization started by the American Communist Party. Williamson eventually became involved with the Communist League of America (Opposition) (CLA(O)), a Trotskyist organization, and wrote for their publication The Militant. When the CLA(O) merged with the American Workers Party to form the Workers Party of the United States (WPUS) in 1934, Williamson was deployed to Harlem, New York to organize Black workers and wrote for The New Militant about Black liberation. He felt unsupported by WPUS leadership and complained of white chauvinism from other party members. In 1935, Williamson was expelled from the WPUS for an alleged disciplinary infraction.

Williamson began to write essays about the history of Black life in New York through the Federal Works Progress Administration's Federal Writers' Project under editors Charles Alexander and Charles B. Cumberbatch. He also served as president of New York's Inter-Racial Liberal Club for a brief period in 1937. By 1942, Williamson enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. There is little publicly available information about Williamson after this, but he lived in New York until he passed away on November 7, 1963.

Scope and arrangement

The Simon Williamson papers (1930-1942) are divided into five groupings: Biographical, Correspondence, Clippings, Flyers and Invitations, and Writings. The collection is arranged chronologically and all undated material is arranged alphabetically by title.

The Biographical file features a printed copy of Williamson's World War II draft registration card and his "Statement of Joining the League for a Revolutionary Workers Party." Williamson outlines his activist work and why he was expelled from the WPUS in this statement.

Correspondence consists of a letter from Williamson about social conditions in Jamaica; a partial letter from the Organizational Committee of the Negro World Unity Congress; a postcard mailed to Williamson during his time in the U.S. Army that mentions Claude McKay (former friend and Federal Writers' Project colleague); and a letter from the House of Representatives of the United States summoning Williamson to appear before the American Act Committee.

The Printouts of News Clippings file contains printouts from Newspapers.com pertaining to Williamson during his time in Kansas City, Missouri, and Harlem, New York. The source of these printouts is unclear.

The Flyers and Invitations file includes a flyer for a One Big Union Club that lists Williamson as "Negro Guest Speaker," an invitation to an Inter-racial Liberal Club event, and a flyer for a Citizens Committee for the Improvement of Conditions of Domestic Employees of the Bronx and Manhattan meeting.

Writings are split into three subgroups: Articles and Essays; Outlines, Research Notes, and Collected Data; and Unidentified Fragments. Writings include both partial and full drafts of articles, essays, and data reports from Williamson's time writing for the Federal Writers' Project. These files also include a fragment of an article written by Vivian Morris, who also wrote for the Federal Writers' Project. Most of the writings in this collection are fragmented and missing pages. The Unidentified Fragments are organized by the following topics: Black Life in New York, Church, Slavery and Abolition, and Miscellaneous. These files contain article and essay fragments where the title, author, and/or publication are unknown.

Additionally, the collecton includes a copy of the March 1946 issue of The Crisis with Williamson's signature on the cover.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Purchased from Swann Auction Galleries in April 2024.

Processing information

Processed by Denise Mantey in 2025.

Related Material

Claude McKay collection : additions, Sc MG 623, Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Writers' Program, New York City: Negroes of New York collection, Sc Micro R-6544, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research & Reference Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor