Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Robert Talbot Civil Rights Speaker Series Flyer_2021, University Of Maine Alumni Association, Greater Bangor Area Branch Naacp

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Flyer for the inauguration of The Robert Talbot Civil Rights Speaker Series featuring "Fighting Times" coauthors Amy Banks and Isaac Knapper.

“Did Emmett Till Die In Vain? Organized Labor Says No!”: The United Packinghouse Workers And Civil Rights Unionism In The Mid-1950s, Matthew Nichter

Faculty Publications

Emmett Till’s mangled face is seared into our collective memory, a tragic epitome of the brutal violence that upheld white supremacy in the Jim Crow South. But Till's murder was more than just a tragedy: it also inspired an outpouring of determined protest, in which labor unions played a prominent role. The United Packinghouse Workers of America (UPWA) campaigned energetically on behalf of Emmett Till, from the stockyards of Chicago to the sugar refineries of Louisiana. Packinghouse workers petitioned, marched, and rallied to demand justice; the UPWA organized the first mass meeting addressed by Till’s mother, Mamie Bradley; and an …

Blacks In Oregon, Darrell Millner

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Periodically, newspaper or magazine articles appear proclaiming amazement at how white the population of Oregon and the City of Portland is compared to other parts of the country. It is not possible to argue with the figures—in 2017, there were an estimated 91,000 Blacks in Oregon, about 2 percent of the population—but it is a profound mistake to think that these stories and statistics tell the story of the state's racial past. In fact, issues of race and the status and circumstances of Black life in Oregon are central to understanding the history of the state, and perhaps its future …

50th Anniversary Of The Assassination Of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ceremony Poster, University Of Maine Office Of Multiculture Student Life

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Poster for the 50th Anniversary of The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ceremony organized by the University of Maine's Office of Multicultural Student Life in 2018.

Intersectionality And The Constitution Of Family Status, Serena Mayeri

All Faculty Scholarship

Marital supremacy—the legal privileging of marriage—is, and always has been, deeply intertwined with inequalities of race, class, gender, and region. Many if not most of the plaintiffs who challenged legal discrimination based on family status in the 1960s and 1970s were impoverished women, men, and children of color who made constitutional equality claims. Yet the constitutional law of the family is largely silent about the status-based impact of laws that prefer marriage and disadvantage non-marital families. While some lower courts engaged with race-, sex-, and wealth-based discrimination arguments in family status cases, the Supreme Court largely avoided recognizing, much less …

Martin Luther King Jr. In Dialogue With The Ancient Greeks, Timothy Joseph Ph.D.

Classics Department Faculty Scholarship

To mark the start of Black History Month, a Classicist reflects on the inspiration King drew from ancient Greek culture.

Interview With Reverend H. Kris Ronnow, Sarah Moore

Chicago 1968

Length: 74 minutes

Interview with Rev. H. Kris Ronnow by Sarah Moore

Rev. Ronnow describes his childhood in Saint Paul, Minnesota, raised in a working-class Presbyterian family, attending a desegregated high school and later, Macalester College. He explains his move to Chicago, earning a master in social work and attending seminary simultaneously, while also marrying and starting a family. He tells of how he decided to become a priest and what led to his involvement in community organizing, including the Interreligious Counsel of Urban Affairs. He recounts his activism work and marching with Martin Luther King, Jr. He recalls the …

Interview With Reverend Dr. Stan Davis, Dawn Butler

Chicago 1968

Length: 116 minutes

Interview with Reverend Stan Davis by Dawn Butler

Rev. Davis begins by sharing details about himself, his family, and his early years in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, and his religious community, the Church of the Brethren. He talks about growing up during World War II and how he first became aware of prejudice, witnessing the internment of the Japanese-American community. He recalls his studies at Juniata College and his decision to attend Bethany Theological. He describes moving to North Lawndale, a diverse immigrant community that underwent drastic demographic changes as a result of unscrupulous lending practices designed to move …

Interview With Reverend Dr. Larry Greenfield, Lauren Kostiuk

Chicago 1968

Length: 76 minutes

Interview with Larry Greenfield by Lauren Kostiuk

Rev. Greenfield begins by describing organizations he’s been involved with, devoted to religious ethics and social justice, protecting the rights of women, gender and sexual minorities, economic justice, and other related causes. He recounts his early years in Sioux Falls with his parents and how his religious involvement prompted questions about equality and social justice. He then recounts his time at the University of Chicago, where he began his involvement in political activism and civil rights. He recalls in detail his experiences at the Democratic National Convention, serving as a …

Interview With James A. "Jim" Aull, Jeremiah Morales

Chicago 1968

Length: 120 minutes

Interview with James A. "Jim" Aull by Jeremiah Morales

Mr. Aull begins by describing his childhood in a rural community outside of Philadelphia, living with his parents, sister, and paternal grandmother. He describes his experiences in school, including the required church attendance and his first social service activities through the boarding school programs serving poor communities. While at Princeton, he says he became involved with the YCMA and Christian student organizations, leading to his involvement in civil rights. He recalls his travels through the Soviet Union and Turkey. He recalls his time at the Chicago Theological Seminary …

Interview With Father Dominic Grassi, Paul Brennan

Chicago 1968

Length: 105 minutes

Interview with Father Dominic Grassi by Paul Brennan

Fr. Dominic Grassi begins his interview by detailing his childhood, growing up the youngest of five to Italian immigrant parents on the North side of Chicago, He credits his high school work with the children at Cabrini Greens for introducing him to the community service aspect of religious life and recalls the significant role the priests played in his early years. He describes daily life at the college seminary and the formation of his religious vocation amidst “almost a tsunami” of worlds events: the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights …

Interview With Reverend Dr. B. Herbert Martin Sr., Matthew Kevin Robinson

Chicago 1968

Length: 84 minutes

Interview with Reverend B. Herbert Martin, Sr. by Matthew Kevin Robinson

Rev. Martin begins by describing his childhood in Mound Bayou, Mississippi, the oldest all-Black community in America, with his parents, grandparents, and nine siblings. He describes his strong religious upbringing and how he was called to ministry at the age of nine. He recounts being attacked and severely beaten by a group of “vigilante” white men for trying to register Black people to vote. He talks of his time at Philander Smith College, working for a wealthy retired counsel general, and the first churches he pastored …

Interview With William "Bill" Southwick, Nancy Salto

Chicago 1968

Length: 50 minutes

Interview with William Southwick by Nancy Salto

Rev. Southwick begins by recalling the start of his activism work, running Northside Cooperative Ministry coffeehouse while serving as a minister. He explains how he first became involved in the anti-war protests through acquaintances in the Japanese-American community. He recalls the impact that both the DNC and Dr. King’s assassination had on Chicago and the effect it had on the more militant elements in the movement, like the Weather Underground. He compares the student protests in Chicago to other demonstrations and anti-war movements around the country. He describes the kind …

Interview With Reverend Dr. Michael Pfleger, Jesse Betend

Chicago 1968

Length: 76 minutes

Interview with Reverend Michael Pfleger by Jesse Betend.

In his interview with Jesse Betend, Reverend Michael Pfleger discusses his life leading up to his involvement with the Civil Rights Movement in 1968. He recalls how his childhood and early experiences affected his later work, his religious yet very progressively outspoken family and attending a highly diverse high school (Quigley Preparatory Seminary South). He recalls his first exposures to racism and segregation through family friends, classmates, and work with Native American and Black communities. He describes the violence perpetrated by his own community during a speech by Dr. …

Chelf, Frank Leslie, 1907-1982 (Mss 492), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 492. Correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, audiotapes, film and miscellaneous material relating primarily to the political career of Democrat Frank L. Chelf, who represented Kentucky’s Fourth District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1944-1966. Includes Chelf’s voting record and bills, research and speeches related to his legislative interests.

Introduction To The Workplace Constitution From The New Deal To The New Right, Sophia Z. Lee

All Faculty Scholarship

Today, most American workers do not have constitutional rights on the job. As The Workplace Constitution shows, this outcome was far from inevitable. Instead, American workers have a long history of fighting for such rights. Beginning in the 1930s, civil rights advocates sought constitutional protections against racial discrimination by employers and unions. At the same time, a conservative right-to-work movement argued that the Constitution protected workers from having to join or support unions. Those two movements, with their shared aim of extending constitutional protections to American workers, were a potentially powerful combination. But they sought to use those protections to …

Onyekwuluje, Anne B. (Sc 2473), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2473. Interviews conducted by Anne B. Onyekwuluje with seven individuals about the life and influence of Georgia Montgomery Davis Powers, the first woman elected to the Kentucky state Senate in 1963. They discuss their political relationships with Powers and her influence in politics and the Civil Rights movement.

15th Annual Mlk Day Breakfast Draws 300, Heather Pilling

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Article from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus regarding the 15th annual Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast held at the University.

A New E.R.A. Or A New Era? Amendment Advocacy And The Reconstitution Of Feminism, Serena Mayeri

All Faculty Scholarship

Scholars have largely treated the reintroduction of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) after its ratification failure in 1982 as a mere postscript to a long, hard-fought, and ultimately unsuccessful campaign to enshrine women’s legal equality in the federal constitution. This Article argues that “ERA II” was instead an important turning point in the history of legal feminism and of constitutional amendment advocacy. Whereas ERA I had once attracted broad bipartisan support, ERA II was a partisan political weapon exploited by advocates at both ends of the ideological spectrum. But ERA II also became a vehicle for feminist reinvention. Congressional consideration …

In Spite Of Adversity, Woman Still Works To 'Mend The Sacred Hoop', Virginia Sand

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Editorial from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus regarding the dedication of the Martin Luther King plaza and the experiences of the author following a sexual assault and her thoughts on racism.

The Strange Career Of Jane Crow: Sex Segregation And The Transformation Of Anti-Discrimination Discourse, Serena Mayeri

All Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the causes and consequences of a transformation in anti-discrimination discourse between 1970 and 1977 that shapes our constitutional landscape to this day. Fears of cross-racial intimacy leading to interracial marriage galvanized many white Southerners to oppose school desegregation in the 1950s and 1960s. In the wake of Brown v. Board of Education, some commentators, politicians, and ordinary citizens proposed a solution: segregate the newly integrated schools by sex. When court-ordered desegregation became a reality in the late 1960s, a smattering of southern school districts implemented sex separation plans. As late as 1969, no one saw sex-segregated schools …

Where Shall We Live? Class And The Limitations Of Fair Housing Law, Wendell Pritchett

All Faculty Scholarship

This paper examines the effort to secure fair housing laws at the local, state and federal levels in the 1950s, focusing in particular on New York City and state. It will examine the arguments that advocates made regarding the role the law should play in preventing housing discrimination, and the relationship of these views to advocates' understanding of property rights in general. My paper will argue that fair housing advocates had particular conceptions about the importance of housing in American society that both supported and limited their success. By arguing that minorities only sought what others wanted - a single-family …

Um Observes Mlk's Birthday, Paul Livingstone

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Article from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus regarding the University of Maine Faculty Senate agreeing to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday. Also, includes the agenda for the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebrations at the University.

Observing King's Legacy, Kathryn Ritchie

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Article from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus regarding a Faculty Senate vote on the University observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a school holiday.

A Segregationist On The Civil Rights Commission, James R. Sweeney

History Faculty Publications

In 1957 President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed to the newly created Commission on Civil Rights John Stewart Battle, a former longtime Virginia General Assembly member and governor who was also a staunch segregationist. Eisenhower appointed him to represent white Southern opinion and because of his national reputation for deft political conciliation. The article reviews Battle's personal background, political career, racial philosophy, and interactions with other figures prominent in the era's civil rights politics, including Father Theodore Martin Hesburgh, Harry F. Byrd, Sr., and J. Lindsay Almond, Jr. During his service on the commission during 1957-59, Battle's segregationist views kept him …

Martin Luther King Holiday Revisited, Katy Brennan, Maine Campus Staff

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

A column article and editorial from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus regarding observing the Martin Luther Ling Jr.' Holiday at the University.

Panel Discusses Lack Of Black Awareness, Lawrence Veuillet

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Article from the University of Maine student newspaper The Maine Campus regarding a panel discussion on Martin Luther King Jr. as part of a Civil Rights Awareness Program.

Sncc Conference Pt. B. "The Redemptive Community : The Sit-Ins, The Freedom Rides, And The Birth Of S.N.C.C.", Trinity College

We Shall Not Be Moved: videos of a1988 conference on the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee

Featuring Diane Nash, James Forman, Charles McDew, Bob Zellner ; moderator, Julian Bond. Part of a 10 part series of videorecordings of a conference held at Trinity College, Hartford, CT, April 14-16, 1988, titled, "We Shall Not Be moved: The Life and Times of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, 1960-1966"

Sncc Conference Pt. J. "S.N.C.C., The 1960s, And The American Democratic Tradition.", Trinity College

We Shall Not Be Moved: videos of a1988 conference on the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee

Featuring Clayborne Carson, Allen Matusow, Michael Thelwell ; moderator, Jack Chatfield. Part of a 10 part series of videorecordings of a conference held at Trinity College, Hartford, CT, April 14-16, 1988, titled, "We Shall Not Be moved: The Life and Times of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, 1960-1966"

Sncc Conference Pt. H. "Alabama Bound : Selma, And The Lowndes County Black Panther Party, 1964-1966.", Trinity College

We Shall Not Be Moved: videos of a1988 conference on the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee

Featuring Silas Norman, Martha Norman, Robert Mants, Johnny Jackson ; moderator, Cheryl Greenberg. Part of a 10 part series of videorecordings of a conference held at Trinity College, Hartford, CT, April 14-16, 1988, titled, "We Shall Not Be moved: The Life and Times of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, 1960-1966"