Scope and arrangement
The Vicki Garvin papers document aspects of Garvin's work as a trade union organizer, especially among African-Americans in the 1950s; her teaching experience in Shanghai (1964-1970); return trips to China in the 1970s; and her support of communism both in the United States and China. Included are Garvin's personal reminiscences about her activities and individuals with whom she associated.
In addition to personal papers and letters to various activists and personalities, her files include the published proceedings of the 11th Constitutional Convention of the CIO. Garvin's interest and work with the National Negro Labor Council (NNLC) is documented in the proceedings of the founding convention in 1951, news clippings, flyers, and her reminiscences.
Also included are teaching materials from China, such as speeches, lessons plans, and lectures in which she stated her support for Mao Tse-Tung and compared the liberation struggles of African Americans with those of the Chinese people and the South Vietnamese. In her diaries of the 1970s, she summarized her personal experiences teaching in Shanghai and discussed the Gang of Four. The collection contains texts for Garvin's speeches and presentations regarding her personal achievements and background, her ideas for change, and tributes to Black leaders. Her writings discuss the history of Black workers' struggles in the United States in the 1950s and the Chinese Communist Party in the 1960s, among other topics. Of interest in the Organizational and individual files are Garvin's speeches and writings about Malcolm X; her experiences with him as his translator when he visited Ghana in 1964; and her remembrances of the statements he made while in Ghana.
The Vicki Garvin papers are arranged in six series:
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1923-1998
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1949-1998
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1944-1996
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1930s-1998
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1940s-1998
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1977-1997