LHRC's blog

September 23, 2013

The Teamsters Labor History Research Center hosted a panel discussion on “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: Labor and Civil Rights” on September 23, 2013.  Professor Eric Arnesen of GW’s History Department organized the program.  Speakers were Professor Arnesen, Norman Hill, an organizer of the 1963 march, and William Jones, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and author of The March on Washington: Jobs, Freedom and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights.

Please join us on Monday, September 23, 2013 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. for The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: Labor and the Civil Rights Movement program. Speakers will include Eric Arnesen, Professor of History, George Washington University, Norman Hill, former Executive Director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute and an organizer of the 1963 March, William Jones, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin Madison and author of The March on Washington: Jobs, Freedom and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights.

The Teamsters History Project has produced a pictorial publication to commemorate the centennial of the birth of James R. Hoffa.  Titled James R. Hoffa Remembered the book depicts Hoffa from his early years as a Teamsters organizer, his rise to prominence as a Central States Conference of Teamsters officer to his time as General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (1957-1971).  The current IBT General President James P. Hoffa provides a poignant preface to the book.  To obtain free copies of James R.

The Teamsters Labor History Research Center hosted the third annual Celebration of the William Taylor Papers on April 18, 2013.  William Taylor (1931-2010) was a civil rights advocate and a pioneer of desegregation.  His papers were donated to Gelman Library’s Special Collections Research Center in 2011.  This year’s celebration featured a panel discussion on “The Struggles to Obtain Diversity in Education.”  Speakers were Cynthia Brown, a former colleague of William Taylor and current Vice President of Education Policy at the Center for American

On April 15, 2013, the Teamsters Labor History Research Center hosted a roundtable discussion titled “The Politics and Culture of Contemporary France.”  Panelists were Herrick Chapman from New York University, Kimberly Morgan and Kathryn Kleppinger, both from George Washington University, and Professor Pierre Birnbaum of the University of Paris.  The program as sponsored by the GW Judaic Studies Program.  Professor Chapman spoke about discrimination, racial differences and affirmative action in France, with comparison to the same topics as they play out in the U.S

The DC Working Class History Seminar met at the Teamsters Labor History Research Center on Saturday, April 6, 2013.  The Seminar is a group of Greater DC area labor, immigration and social historians who meet every other month to discuss draft journal articles or book chapters.  Generally two papers are reviewed by seminar participants who offer suggestions to the authors on how to improve their pieces.  On April 2 topics included A.

The DC Working Class History Seminar met at the Teamsters Labor History Research Center on Saturday, February 2, 2013.  The Seminar is a bi-monthly gathering of historians from the DC area and beyond who meet to discuss and critique drafts of articles or book chapters that participants are working on.  Generally two works are discussed.  Participants have the opportunity to read and reflect on the pieces ahead of time; at the meeting the authors give a general contextual introduction to their work with the participants then asking questions and offering ideas for clarificatio

On Thursday, January 17, 2013, the Teamsters Labor history Research Center welcomed independent scholar Brigid O’Farrell who spoke about her book She Was One of Us: Eleanor Roosevelt and the American Worker (Cornell Press, 2010).  Brigid reviewed Mrs. Roosevelt’s life concentrating on how she translated her commitment to the welfare of American workers into action.  She spoke about Mrs. Roosevelt’s labor friendships, especially with Rose Schneiderman and A.

Brigid O’Farrell, Independent Scholar, discusses her book She Was One of Us: Eleanor Roosevelt and the American Worker: Unions, Politics, and Right-To-Work
THURSDAY, JANUARY 17th, 5:30 - 7:00 pm.

The Teamsters Labor History Research Center held its first Book Talk on November 8, 2012, 5:30-7:00 p.m.  The speaker was Professor Eric Arnesen of the GWU Department of History.  His topic was “The Next Emancipation: A. Philip Randolph’s Life in Labor and Civil Rights.”  Professor Arnesen is currently writing a biography of Randolph (1889-1979), longtime leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and a tireless fighter for civil rights.