Tales from the Reuther Library
Latest Episodes
Polish American Women and Detroit’s 1938 Federal Screw Works Strike
Dr. Martin Hershock recounts the violent three-day strike against General Motors supplier Federal Screw Works in 1938, when women from Detroits Polish community led the fight to preserve both their r
Talking History with AFA President Sara Nelson
In celebration of the Reuther Librarys 50th anniversary, Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO discusses the importance of understanding labor and
The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North
Professor Michelle Adams describes the struggles to integrate Detroits highly segregated neighborhoods and schools in the 1960s, a federal judges ruling to alleviate that segregation by bussing stud
Remembering the Detroit Feminist Women’s Health Center
Dr. Beth Widmaier Capo discusses the Detroit Feminist Womens Health Center and the role health practitioners thereincluding her motherplayed in empowering women to understand their bodies and take
Union Exemption: Nonprofit Work and the Boundaries of the Commercial Economy, 1951–1976
John Miles Branch discusses the National Labor Relations Boards policy to dismiss union petitions at charitable organizations in the decades following the Second World War, and the policys reversal
Talking Archives with AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride
In celebration of the Reuther Librarys 50th anniversary, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Elissa McBride reflects on the role the unions history and archives play in current and future labor actions and o
Coach of Champions: D.L. Holmes and the Making of Detroit’s Track Stars
Dr. Keith Wunderlich shares the life and legacy of D.L. Holmes, athletic director of what is now Wayne State University from 1917 though 1958. With a meager budget and outdated equipment, Coach Holmes
Para Power: How Paraprofessional Labor Changed Education
Dr. Nick Juravich discusses the experiences of the first-generation of paraprofessional educators in New York City in the 1960s-1980s and their impact on the citys educational system, community relat
Oil Can Eddie and the Battle for the Steelworkers’ Union
Roger Biles and Mark Rose discuss the legacy of Eddie Sadlowski, a charismatic and progressive Chicago steelworker who, unhappy with the United Steelworker of Americas closed-rank authoritarian leade
Seeking “Self-Determination” in Detroit: Housing, Race, and the Activism of the West Central Organization, 1964-1971
Dr. Anna E. Lindner discusses the rise and subsequent downfall of the West Central Organization in Detroit, a coalition of civil rights organizations, community groups, and church congregations that s





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