Arthur Osman is the Former president of the District 65 Distributive Workers of America. In this interview Osman recalls the conditions in the dry goods industry in New York in the early 1930’s, the AFL-CIO split in later 30’s, and the organizing of…
Jack Raskin was the former executive secretary of the Civil Rights Congress of Michigan. In this interview Raskin recalls his involvement with the Civil Rights Congress and its predecessor organizations in 1940’s and early 1950’s. Raskin describes…
Zeline Richard was a member and former Vice-President of the Detroit Board of Education and was prominent in leadership of the New Caucus of AFT-American Federation of Teachers. In this interview she recalls her involvement with the growth of Detroit…
Oral history interview with George Robertson, President of the UAW Local 235 Detroit. In this interview Robertson describes his experiences as production worker at Chevrolet Gear and Axle in the late 1940’s and discusses the attitude of local union…
In this interview Horace Sheffield, an administrative assistant with the UAW discusses his involvement with the organizing campaign at Ford, the involvement of NAACP on union’s side, and black and left wing political activities. Sheffield recalls…
C. LeBron Simmons was a practicing Detroit attorney at the time of this interview. Simmons recalls the events of the Sojourner Truth housing project and police brutality in the 1930’s. Simmons describes his presidency with the Detroit Chapter of the…
Bernie Smith was a retired Juvenile Court probation officer. In this interview Smith recalls black life in Detroit in early the 1900’s, the organization of Detroit Urban League, and black politics at the turn of the century. Mr. Smith discusses the…
Shelton Tappes was the Assistant Director for the UAW Fair Practices Department. In this interview Tappes recalls the Automobile industry before unionization, “Negro” jobs in the auto industry, and the Ford Organizing Drive. Tappes describes the role…
Beulah Whitby was a social worker and former assistant director of the Detroit Commission on Community Relations. In this interview Whitby recalls her employment as the Assistant Executive Secretary with the then segregated YWCA and casework with the…