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AFL-CIO Civil Rights Department, Southeastern Office records

 Collection
Identifier: L1985-16

Scope and Content of the Records

The records, 1974-1984, of the AFL-CIO Civil Rights Department, Southeastern Office consist primarily of correspondence and printed material pertaining to E. T. (A1) Kehrer's involvement with such community action groups in Georgia as the American Red Cross, the Children's Foundation, the Georgia Employment and Training Council, the Georgia Council for the Arts and the Humanities, the Joint Council on Economic Education, the Georgia Council on Economic Education, Georgia Citizens for the Arts, the Coalition for a March on Reidsville, the Committee for Survival, and the Committee to Stop Children's Murders. Among the activities documented are the Red Cross' Coastline Disaster Project (1980-1984), the J. P. Stevens Boycott Campaign (1976-1981), the Alliance for Citizen's Education Conference (1978), the Conference on Effective State and Local Leadership in Education (1980), and the Southeastern Dialogue on the Changing World Economy (1980).

Dates

  • Creation: 1974-1984

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research use.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.

Oversized materials stored off-site. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.

Biography of E. T. (Al) Kehrer

Born in 1921 near Brighton, Michigan, Elmer Thomas "Al" Kehrer received his BA degree in 1947 from Olivet College, a liberal arts institution in Olivet, Michigan. In 1948, Kehrer obtained his MA degree in economics from Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Kehrer had apparently interrupted his studies at Olivet to enter the Maritime Service from 1943 to 1946. Before attending Olivet and Yale, Kehrer had been a student organizer for the United Auto Workers (1936) and had done field work for the Ship's Clerk Association in Los Angeles (1944). After completing his master's at Yale, Kehrer worked as a field representative for the American Federation of Labor's Worker's Education Bureau. The employees of the bureau were members of Local 189 of the American Federation of Teachers, and Kehrer served as the Secretary-Treasurer of Local 189. From 1950 to 1953 Kehrer served as the Assistant Director of the Officer's Training Institute of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.

Relocating to Atlanta from New York in 1953, Kehrer became the Southeastern Regional Director of the ILGWU, remaining at that post through 1964. In 1965, Kehrer became the Southern Director for the AFL-CIO's Civil Rights Department, remaining there until his retirement in 1989.

Kehrer's civic and political interests encompassed activity in the Georgia Democratic Party, where he served on the Executive Committee; as a board member of the Southern Regional Council; and on the Southeastern Advisory Council of the American Red Cross. In 1966 Kehrer helped to form and serve as an officer of the Georgia Democratic Party Forum and the Ellis Arnall Write-In Campaign, efforts aimed at electing a slate of Loyalist national Democrats as delegates to the 1968 Democratic National Convention and electing Ellis Arnall Governor of Georgia. Kehrer also participated in activities of the Organized Labor and Workmen's Circle banquet committee, and served as President of the Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger. Kehrer has been a long-time member of Atlanta's Central Presbyterian Church, and has been active in lay organizations in the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA). He died in 1996.

Extent

5 Linear Feet (in 12 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract:

AFL-CIO Civil Rights Department, Southeastern Office records, 1974-1984, consists of correspondence and printed materials pertaining to E.T. Kehrer's involvement with community action groups.

Arrangement

The records are arranged into fourteen series:

  1. Series I: American Red Cross, 1970, 1974-1984
  2. Series II: Children's Foundation, 1975-1982
  3. Series III: Georgia Employment and Training Council, 1975-1983
  4. Series IV: J. P. Stevens Boycott Campaign, 1976-1981
  5. Series V: Georgia Council for the Arts and Humanities, 1976-1982
  6. Series VI: Joint Council on Economic Education, 1977-1984
  7. Series VII: Georgia Council on Economic Education, 1976-1984
  8. Series VIII: Alliance for Citizen's Education Conference, 1978-1979
  9. Series IX: Georgia Citizens for the Arts, 1978-1981
  10. Series X: Coalition for a March on Reidsville, 1979
  11. Series XI: Conference on Effective State and Local Leadership in Education, 1979-1980
  12. Series XII: Southeastern Dialogue, Changing World Economy, 1980
  13. Series XIII: Committee for Survival, 1980
  14. Series XIV: Committee to Stop Children's Murders, 1981

Off-Site Storage

Oversized materials stored off-site. Allow at least 2 working days for retrieval.

Acquisition Information

Donated by E. T. (Al) Kehrer on April 15, 1985.

Related Archival Materials

Related Materials in This Repository

  1. E. T. Kehrer Papers, 1940-1989 (L1989-22)
  2. AFL-CIO Civil Rights Department, Southern Region records, 1963-1972 (L1973-05)
  3. AFL-CIO Civil Rights Department, Southern Office records, 1964-1979 (L1983-26)
  4. AFL-CIO Civil Rights Department, Southeastern Region records, 1966-1986 (L1988-22)
  5. AFL-CIO Southern Area Civil Rights Department records, 1962-1988 (L1989-17)

The Southern Labor Archives holds numerous AFL-CIO collections. These collections include State level organizations (Virginia State AFL-CIO, Mississippi AFL-CIO, Florida State AFL-CIO, Georgia State AFL-CIO, South Carolina State AFL-CIO, and North Carolina State AFL-CIO). In addition, the SLA has a number of regional office collections (the designations and locations have changed over time) including: AFL-CIO. Region 5, AFL-CIO. Region 6, AFL-CIO. Region 8 (Knoxville, Tenn.), and AFL-CIO. Region 10 (Nashville, Tenn.) as well as the AFL-CIO. Civil Rights Department. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Separated Materials

During processing, materials were separated to other Southern Labor Archives Collections. For pamphlets, see the Southern Labor Archives Pamphlet Collection finding aid (note that this collection has been weeded over time). For periodicals, see the Southern Labor Archives Periodicals Collection finding aid or catalog. For oversized materials, consult Special Collections for access.

Separated to Southern Labor Archives Pamphlet Collection

  1. (2) AFL-CIO: Department of Community Services; AFL-CIO Union Label and Service Trades Department, undated [L1985-16]
  2. (3) Crime: Atlanta Child Murders, circa 1981 [L1985-16]
  3. (3) Food Stamp Program, 1981 [L1985-16]
  4. Georgia Employment and Training Council, undated [L1985-16]
  5. Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Bill, 1976 [L1985-16]
  6. (12) J. P. Stevens Boycott, 1978, 1979 [L1985-16]

Separated to Southern Labor Archives Periodicals Collection

  1. Fair Measure, 1978, 1979
  2. Georgia Employment and Training Council Newsletter, 1978-1983
  3. Social Justice, 1976-1980
  4. Stevens People, 1980

Separated to Southern Labor Archives Oversize Location

  1. Eight (8) items including three (3) posters that describe the development of the federal budget, two (2) newspaper articles on ACTWU organizer Crystal Lee Sutton, a newspaper advertisement concerning the Stevens boycott, a poster concerning the Stevens boycott, and a poster announcing the showing of the film "Norma Rae" at Georgia State University. Oversize located in 16th drawer from top. [L1985-16, DH OS map-case, drawer 16]

Processing Information

Inventoried by James B. Murray at the file level, June 25, 1985.

Subject

Title
AFL-CIO Civil Rights Department, Southeastern Office [L1985-16]:
Subtitle
A Guide to Its Records at Georgia State University Library
Status
Completed
Author
Georgia State University Library
Date
1985
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • June 2001: EAD finding aid created by Apex Data Services.
  • 2005, 2007: EAD edited by William Hardesty.
  • 2023-11: Links to digitized materials added.

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
100 Decatur St., S.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404-413-2880
404-413-2881 (Fax)