#ilrschool

[kheelcenter]

On This Day, Emma Goldman

"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution." - Emma Goldman

Goldman (1869-1940) died on this day in Toronto, Canada. Goldman was an anarchist known for her political activism, writing, and speeches. She was born in the Russian Empire, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1885, she lived in New York City, where she joined the burgeoning anarchist movement in 1889.

She became a writer and a renowned lecturer on anarchist philosophy, women's rights, and social issues.

[kheelcenter]

Happy International Cat Day! 😺

Enjoy this adorable cat stationery found in the archives in Collection /3012 Alice Cook Papers! Alice Cook came to Cornell in 1952 and worked as a well-respected academic and teacher in the ILR School until her retirement in 1972.

These items were found during a year-long survey that the Kheel Center is conducting to better document and describe their collections.

[kheelcenter]

Scabiversary

Today, November 20th, is the anniversary of the first use of the word “scab” in print in 1816. The term was coined 200+ years ago by the Albany Typographical Society, referring to individuals who cross a picket line while workers strike. Here's some examples of the word "scab" mentioned in our collections.

[kheelcenter]

Happy Halloween! 🍬🍭🍫

As you eat your Halloween candy, maybe consider... what was it really like working in a candy factory? And in the 1920s, they didn't know either! This study, published in a pamphlet titled "Behind the Scenes in Candy Factories" was produced by The Consumers' League of New York and set out to uncover the true conditions behind the production process of the food the public consumes. To learn more about the Consumers' League of New York and the Candy White List standards, explore Collection 5307.

[kheelcenter]

Alice Hanson Cook

Alice Hanson Cook (1903-1998) was a labor educator first, through her work with the YWCA industrial department, Textile Workers Union, and Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union Joint Board in Philadelphia. She continued by contributing to research at Cornell through the ILR Extension working on a project titled "Integrating of Unions and Community", where she was then recruited by ILR to teach Labor History and Union Administration courses. Beyond teaching and research, she supported local Ithaca women's groups such as the Ithaca American Association of University Women, Professional Skills Roster, and Tompkins County Chapter of National Organization for Women.

While she retired in 1973, she was far from done with labor rights activism: she continued on to write several amicus briefs for discrimination cases worldwide, worked for the Ford Foundation on a study about working women worldwide, and published "Women and Trade Unions in Eleven Industrialized Countries", among other publications. She also wrote an autobiography, "A Lifetime of Labor", where she describes her self-proclaimed "patchwork career". Now, a dorm on West Campus is named in her honor, Alice Cook House.

📸 Collection 4354/009

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Malcolm X and Rosa Parks were two of the civil rights leaders assembled by A. Philip Randolph for a 1962 rally supporting poorly-paid Black, Hispanic, and Caribbean hospital workers in their bid for union recognition as part of the Local 1199 Drug and Hospital Union in what is now Brookdale Medical Center in New York City. This was the only time Malcolm X identified himself with a labor union.

Above, Malcolm X addresses the crowd in front of a sign reading “Negro and Puerto Rican Communities Support Local 1199’s Fight to End Exploitation …” Joining him on the platform are A. Philip Randolph, Rosa Parks, and other labor leaders. Photographer unknown.

[kheelcenter]

Found in the Archives Friday

Today’s Found In The Archives is a 1978 exposé on union-busting tactics written by an undercover @1199seiu reporter!

Check out the Kheel Center’s guide to other anti-union campaign materials here:

This guide is a comprehensive resource of all the Kheel Center’s digital collections.

This item was found during a year-long survey that the Kheel Center is conducting to better document and describe their collections.

[kheelcenter]

Voter Education

Are you registered to vote? Here is just one example of many posters put out by different unions' campaign committees and education departments. The one below was, like the others, designed to increase union members' awareness of their right to vote, but also of the necessary steps they need to take before doing so.

📸 Collection 6227 G Kheel Center Poster Collection