front cover of Black Detroit and the Rise of the UAW
Black Detroit and the Rise of the UAW
August Meier and Elliott Rudwick
University of Michigan Press, 2007

"For almost two decades, August Meier and Elliott Rudwick have roamed the frontier of Afro-American history, blazing trails that others have followed. This book forges a solid link between race and class conflict in the twentieth century."
---Ira Berlin, The Nation

"This fact-filled study is essential to students of the labor and civil rights movements."
---David Kusnet, The New Republic

"A fascinating slice of history illustrating important race and class issues that are still with us."
---Library Journal

"By ignoring the conventional lines between labor and black history, Meier and Rudwick have found an unexplored middle ground---the net of relations between the black community and white economic institutions---that shaped the working life of blacks in Detroit's auto plants. This is a major achievement."
---David Brody, Professor Emeritus of History, University of California, Davis

". . . an important work . . . one of the first to apply the nitty-gritty of social and institutional history to 20th century African American and labor history."
---Eric Arnesen, University of Illinois at Chicago

Black Detroit and the Rise of the UAW is essential reading for historians of labor and race in America, as well those interested in Detroit's importance as a crucible for American urban history.

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front cover of Race against Liberalism
Race against Liberalism
Black Workers and the UAW in Detroit
David M. Lewis-Colman
University of Illinois Press, 2007

Race against Liberalism examines how black worker activism in Detroit shaped the racial politics of the labor movement and the white working class. David M. Lewis-Colman traces the substantive, long-standing disagreements between liberals and the black workers who embraced autonomous race-based action. As he shows, black autoworkers placed themselves at the center of Detroit's working-class politics and sought to forge a kind of working class unity that accommodated their interests as African Americans. The book covers the independent caucuses in the 1940s and the Trade Union Leadership Council in the 1950s; the black power movement and Revolutionary Union Movements of the mid-1960s; and the independent race-based activism of the 1970s that resulted in Coleman Young's 1973 election as the city's first black mayor.

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front cover of Roy Reuther and the UAW
Roy Reuther and the UAW
Fighting for Workers and Civil Rights
Alan Reuther
Michigan State University Press, 2025
This biography of Roy Reuther examines his tumultuous life, including the triumphs and tragedies in the labor and civil rights movements. It also serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers activists may face as they confront entrenched societal powers. As the brother of famed labor leader Walter Reuther, Roy was a key figure in the historic Flint sit-down strike that gave birth to the United Auto Workers (UAW). He became the political director of the UAW and was deeply involved in struggles to pass civil rights legislation. This book explores his passion for increasing voter participation and his vow to help downtrodden farmworkers. 

Many of the injustices that Reuther fought continue to plague America today. This book provides important context for the current efforts of workers to organize, for the Black Lives Matter movement, and for efforts to reform the filibuster rule and stop voter suppression. It shows how dedicated individuals can overcome enormous odds to win great victories for social justice and emphasizes the potential connections between the labor and civil rights movements, offering hope for a more just future.
 
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