Research Catalog

Title

Oral history interview with Constance Woodruff/ conducted by Joseph Wilson.

Author

Woodruff, Constance, -1996

Publication

New York, N.Y : Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 1985.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Wilson, Joseph, 1951-
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Description

2 videodiscs (96 min.) : sound, color; 1/2 in.

Summary

In this oral history interview she recounts growing up in a very political environment at home. Her mother was active in the suffragette movement. She was born in New York, but her family resided in New Jersey, which is where she grew up. Her first involvement with labor unions came about after deciding to make a change from her career as a journalist. In 1958 she answered an ad for a secretary with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. Although she was overqualified for the job, she was hired. She had been working for the ILGWU as a secretary for four years before she became an organizer and business agent. She describes what it took to make that leap. She rose through the ranks of the ILGWU. She describes her activities with the ILGWU in the garment industry and the labor movement in general. She describes racism in the garment industry. As she rose through the ranks of the ILGWU she became a well-known spokesperson on the issue of including more Blacks in the upper levels of the labor movement. She recounts her involvement and the union's involvement in the civil rights movement of the 1960's. She met Martin Luther King, Jr. during this period. She coordinated all the union activities from New Jersey during the March on Washington. She also met Malcolm X during this period. Her initial impression of Malcolm X was influenced by his portrayal in the media, but once she met him, she warmed to him and came to respect him. As she says, "it was a time of awakening" for her.

Subjects

• Labor unions > Officials and employees
• Clothing workers
• African American labor leaders
• International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
• Women in the labor movement
• Woodruff, Constance, -1996 > Interviews

Biography (note)

• In her career, Constance Woodruff as the International Staff Representative for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, a position she held when few black people or women were on the staff of the ILGWU. She was the founder of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. Currently, Chairperson of the New Jersey Commission on the Status of Women. She has the distinction of having been reappointed by both a Democratic and a Republican governor. In 1984 she was elected President of the National Association of Commissions for Women, which has over 250 groups in 38 states affiliated with it. She has a long career as a civil rights activist, she has taught labor studies, and she is currently the Director of Public Relations at Essex College Community College. She is also seen frequently on radio and television.

Call Number

Sc Visual DVD-1501

OCLC

84672572

Author

Woodruff, Constance, -1996, interviewee.

Title

Oral history interview with Constance Woodruff/ conducted by Joseph Wilson.

Publisher

New York, N.Y : Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 1985.

Country of Producing Entity

United States.

Type of Content

two-dimensional moving image

Type of Medium

video

Type of Carrier

videodisc

Digital File Characteristics

video file DVD

Event

Recorded April 29, 1985. New York.

Biography

In her career, Constance Woodruff as the International Staff Representative for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, a position she held when few black people or women were on the staff of the ILGWU. She was the founder of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. Currently, Chairperson of the New Jersey Commission on the Status of Women. She has the distinction of having been reappointed by both a Democratic and a Republican governor. In 1984 she was elected President of the National Association of Commissions for Women, which has over 250 groups in 38 states affiliated with it. She has a long career as a civil rights activist, she has taught labor studies, and she is currently the Director of Public Relations at Essex College Community College. She is also seen frequently on radio and television.

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Added Author

Wilson, Joseph, 1951- interviewer.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Research Call Number

Sc Visual DVD-1501

Sc Visual VRA-790