African American labor leaders

Scope and Contents The papers of labor activist Maida Springer Kemp consist of correspondence and reports written or collected by Springer-Kemp along with photographs and ephemera organized into five series: correspondence; labor and trade union files; speeches; ephemera, news clippings, and publications; and photographs. The bulk of the papers cover her professional life as a representative and consultant with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) from 1956 to...

Scope and Contents The William Lombard papers contains correspondence, minutes, financial records, bank statements, constitutions, membership applications, collected printed items, and newspapers clippings related to the Longshoreman’s Protective Union Benevolent Association. It also includes photocopies of records of incorporation and liquidation, property transactions, and other matters pertaining to the early history of the union as well as three photographs of William Lombard. Of particular interest are...

Content Description The addition to the papers primarily documents the career of Maida Springer Kemp, and significantly highlights the contributions of an African American woman involved with national and international labor movements. The collection is extremely rich on the subjects of trade unions, international labor laws and projects, women’s labor rights and civil rights. It features Springer Kemp’s work and speaking engagements in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the United States and includes ample...

Content Description

Henry B. White was a union leader, who served as president of Local 801 in Memphis, Tennessee. His papers include correspondence, memos, resolutions, speeches, programs and other printed items regarding his labor work. Also present are weekly reports of the AFL-CIO and items generated by the U.S. Transport Service Employees, and the Tennessee State Labor Council's COPE (Code of Ethical Practices) Program. Names in the collection include George Weaver and Willard Townsend.

Content Description This collection pertaining to New Orleans activist Ernest J. Wright documents his work in the area of labor unionism and civil rights issues, particularly voter registration during the 1930s through the 1970s. Materials include correspondence, publications and printed ephemera, news clippings and photocopies of photographs. The correspondence is small, numbering only four letters from 1955 to 1973. The earliest letter is an inivitation to John G. Lewis to speak at a Peoples Defense League...