#local1199

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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.

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Images of Labor

"We were nervous and we didn't know we could do it. Those machines had kept going as long as we could remember. When we finally pulled the switch and there was some quiet, I finally remembered something: that I was a human being, that I could stop those machines, that I was better than those machines anytime." - Sit-down striker 1936

Bread and Roses, one of the sponsors of the poster featured here, is the nonprofit arm of Local 1199/SEIU. It was founded in 1979 as a cultural resource for union members in NYC to increase their exposure to the arts.

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Happy Birthday to James Baldwin! Recently found in the archives is this image of James Baldwin in a folder in our Local 1199 photo collection in a folder from 1199's annual Bread And Roses events. The image was vaguely titled 'Bread and Roses - People'. Can you name the other individuals in the photo? #KheelCenter #CornellRAD #JamesBaldwin #Local1199 #FoundInTheArchives https://www.instagram.com/p/CSFILK7M5-o/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Happy Birthday Angela Davis! #OnThisDay Angela turns 77 years old. Angela is a political activist, philosopher, academic, and author. Davis was a member of the Black Panthers, an all-Black branch of the Communist Party USA, and a founding member of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism. A supporter of the Soledad Brothers, she was charged with aiding the botched escape attempt of imprisoned George Jackson, and served roughly 18 months in jail before her acquittal in 1972. Since then she has a remained a prominent figure, speaking out against injustice, racism, imperialism, and exploitation. In the Local 1199 Collection at Kheel there is a photo of Cornell’s own Eric Acree, Director of the John Henrik Clarke Africana Library, as an 11-year old in 1971 with his mother, sisters, and friends in their apartment in Brooklyn, NY after gathering petitions to free Angela Davis. Eric and Kim Isaacs, a young girl in the group, teamed up to collect more than 1,000 signatures, and Eric has stated that it was his entry point into activism. To learn more about Eric Acree and some other extraordinary people, read the full article here: https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2020/10/family-ties-abound-cornell-university-library-archives. The photos include correspondence from Davis to 1199 president Leon Davis and Gloria Steinem, as well as a letter Davis penned from jail. Scroll all the way over to see the photo of Eric Acree and family. #Cornell #CornellRAD #AngelaDavis #Local1199 #KheelCenter #Activism https://www.instagram.com/p/CKhPcSpM5G5/?igshid=u4d2a3csjrfy

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#OnThisDay August 6, 1965 the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law prohibiting racial discrimination in voting practices. Many southern states created obstacles preventing African American citizens from voting, such as enforcing literary tests. Local 1199 Drug and Hospital Union members joined hundreds of others in Mississippi marching in support of minority voter registration. These demonstrations gained national attention prompting President Johnson and Congress to create national voting rights legislation. By the end of 1965, 250,000 new African Americans were registered to vote. . 1. A large group of children gather around a sign encouraging people to register to vote. Photographer: Unknown . 2. Local 1199 members helped register newly-enfranchised voters. Photographer: Unknown . [#5933P #Local1199 #Photograph Collection #KheelCenter #ILRSchool #CornellRAD] #laborarchives #laborhistory #labor #unions #fromthearchives #history #tdih #otd #local1199 #seiu1199 #seiu #hospitalworkers #votingrightsact #1965 #votingrights #LBJ (at Brooklyn, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDiugOvJQsR/?igshid=rnro39e4r9jw

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Happy Birthday Harry Belafonte! #OnThisDay March 1, 1927 singer Harry Belafonte was born! Known as the “King of Calypso” for his music, Belafonte is also a prominent activist. He was an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, becoming close to Martin Luther King Jr., is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, and advocated for the Anti-Apartheid Movement as well as against U.S. foreign policy. Swipe through for photos of Belafonte performing at a Local 1199 event at Avery Fischer Hall on April 18, 1979. #CornellRAD #ILR #KheelCenter #local1199 #harrybelafonte #laborarchives https://www.instagram.com/p/CL4jWHZJpb2/?igshid=xz09jz6gtgge

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Happy #ShirleyChisholmDay! #OnThisDay Shirley Anita Chisholm was born on November 30, 1924 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn! This year marks the 51st anniversary of her historic election win as the first black woman to serve in the House of Representatives. To honor her legacy of fighting for the working class, a statue will be placed outside the Parkside entrance to Prospect Park, Brooklyn, which has been delayed due to the COVID pandemic. These images depict Chisholm speaking to members of Local 1199 Drug and Hospital Union @seiu1199 at their Brooklyn office and on the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant a few weeks before her historic win in Congress. . 1. Chisholm at Local 1199's Brooklyn headquarters, October 1968. 2-3. William O'Dwyer/Chisholm Campaign at Nostrand Ave and Fulton Street, Brooklyn, 1968. . [#5933P #Local1199 Photograph Files, #KheelCenter, #ILR, #CornellRAD #Cornell] (at Bedford-Stuyvesant) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIO178dJiQu/?igshid=yjdt35y2lnps