Tales from the Reuther Library

Latest Episodes
Heard It On the News: Preserving 20th Century Detroit History Through Local Newscasts
Reuther Library audiovisual archivist Mary Wallace discusses the Librarys WWJ / WDIV Film, Video, and Teleprompter Scripts collection, which captures seven decades of news, current events, politics,
No Equal Justice: The Legal and Civil Rights Legacy of George W. Crockett Jr.
Peter Hammer describes the life and legacy of civil rights icon George W. Crockett, Jr. A Black lawyer who fought racism and defended constitutional rights in landmark cases in the 1940s through the 1
A Miasma of Metals: The Steelworkers’ Environmental Call Following the Donora Smog of 1948
Louise Milone recounts how smog produced by the southwestern Pennsylvanian steel industry poisoned the air in the Monongahela Valley town of Donora on November 1, 1948, killing more than 22 people and
A “Most Conscientious and Considerate Method”: Grosse Pointe’s Gross Post-War Housing Point System
Emma Maniere describes how homeowners associations in Grosse Pointe, an affluent suburb bordering Detroit, developed a point system following the Second World War to rank and exclude prospective homeb
Labor’s End: Automation’s Failed Promise of Freedom
Dr. Jason Resnikoff explains that the rise of automation in the mid-20th century workplace was heralded as a way to free workers from manual labor, but resulted instead in the intensification of human
Detroit vs. Everybody: Exploring Race, Place, and Black Superheroes in DC Comics
Dr. Vincent Haddad explains that while Detroit has often served as the inspiration for crime-ridden settings in comics, DC Comics rose above those stereotypes with black superheroes Amazing-Man in the
Detroit Remains: Using Historical Archeology to Connect Detroit’s Past to Its Present
Dr. Krysta Ryzewski explains how historical archaeology digs at famous Detroit locales including the Little Harry speakeasy, the Blue Bird Inn, and the Grande Ballroom have clarified how underrepr
Environmental Activism in Deindustrialized Detroit
Brandon Ward explains how Detroit residents, community organizations, and the labor movement, alarmed by the pollution remaining in Detroits deindustrialized era that mostly heavily impacted Black Am
Bargaining for the Common Good: Milton Tambor Reflects on 50 Years in Labor and Social Activism
Labor leader and social activist Milton Tambor discusses his lifes work in Detroit since the 1950s as a social worker; AFSCME local union president, staff representative and assistant education direc
And Many More: Celebrating SEIU’s Centennial in the Archives
Reuther Library SEIU archivist Sarah Lebovitz shares highlights from the unions first 100 years, and explains how its archives at the Reuther Library have supported labor organizing and centennial ce