Songs, non-violence define racially integrated union
Nearly 400 provocative images documenting the lives of sharecroppers are part of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union (SFTU) Collection at the Kheel Center, Martin P. Catherwood Library’s special collections unit in the ILR School.
In 1937, Ithaca photographer Louise Boyle photographed the living and working conditions of SFTU members in several Arkansas communities. Her images show African-American and white workers in their homes, at union meetings and rallies or with their families picking cotton. They document courageous people linking their futures together despite chronic deprivation, physical hardship and brutal police-endorsed reprisals.
Struggling landless farmers organized the racially-integrated STFU in 1934 in response to displacements caused by long-term drought, agricultural mechanization and pressures on landowners to reduce production. The union was notable for encouraging blacks and women to join and lead integrated union locals, for promoting non-violent tactics and for incorporating songs, prayers and rituals in meetings, which drew on the inspirational power of the Christian cultural patterns to which the majority of its members adhered.
In addition to Boyle’s images, the collection consists of correspondence, chapter drafts and materials supporting her photography, research and publications.