ETTA FURLOW:
An Inventory of Her Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Furlow, Etta, creator. | |
| Title: | Etta Furlow papers. | |
| Dates: | 1930-1989. | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Correspondence (1930, 1943-1988), miscellaneous printed matter, photographs, and certificates giving brief glimpses into the life and career of an African-American community and civil rights activist from St. Paul (Minn.). | |
| Quantity: | 0.9 cubic feet (2 boxes, and 1 oversize folder, unboxed). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Etta Furlow was raised in Chicago, Illinois, where she became a licensed practical nurse and worked as a labor organizer and civil rights activist. Along with her husband James, Furlow moved to St. Paul in 1960 to find work in a non-segregated hospital. In the early 1960s Furlow worked to integrate the Minnesota Practical Nurses Association, the predecessor of the Minnesota Licensed Practical Nurses Association (MLPNA).
Furlow was recognized by the NAACP and AFL-CIO for her work in the labor movement. In addition, Furlow received a community service award from the St. Paul Urban League. In March, 1982 the city of St. Paul declared "Etta Furlow Day" in her honor. Furlow served on the Metropolitan Council's Minority Issues Advisory Committee and its Advisory Commission for the Aging. In the early 1970s Furlow chaired the MLPNA's education committee. "Etta," a play based on Furlow's life, was performed at the Guthrie Theatre (Minneapolis) in the early 1980s.
Biographical data taken from Marilee Jackson, "Outstanding Senior Puts Love Into Action," Lillie Suburban Newspapers, August 18, 1986, and from the collection.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
Papers giving brief glimpses into the life and career of an African-American community and civil rights activist. The papers consist of correspondence from friends and family members, including letters, postcards, telegrams, and greeting cards; papers relating to education, employment, and nursing organizations; various publications; legal papers; photographs; certificates; and a newspaper clipping featuring Furlow.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Etta Furlow Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 14,840
Processing Information:
Processed by: Craig Conway, July 1993.
Catalog ID number: 990017299760104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1978 | 1 | Correspondence and related papers, undated, 1930, 1943-1965. 6 folders. | |||||||||
| Earlier folders (1943-1960) contain correspondence from family members, including Myrtle Crouch (mother), John McCauley (father), Helen Currin (sister), Florence Essex (sister), John Crouch (brother), Geraldine Pang (sister), and Gussie Morrison (cousin). Topics relate largely to family events, including illnesses, visits, and daily affairs. These folders also contain correspondence relating to union activities; an insurance policy (1945); a loan agreement (1952); a letter from an attorney regarding a rent dispute (1956); papers regarding disability claims; a stock certificate; correspondence relating to the illness and death of Myrtle Crouch; and papers regarding the Chicago Public Schools' Practical Nursing Program. | |||||||||||
| Later folders (1961-1969) include correspondence from family members and friends, including letters from nephews and nieces of Furlow; a foster parents' agreement (1961); an employee handbook from St. Paul Children's Hospital (1962); papers related to nursing conventions (1964-1966); MLPNA pamphlets (1965) and meeting announcements (1964-1970); letters and drawings from children; loan agreements (1964-1966); NAACP newsletters (Feb., Sept. 1965); pamphlets from Unity Church (1965, 1966); newspaper clipping relating to nursing strike (1965?); a probation order for James Furlow (1966); various police statements related to James Furlow; letters related to marital problems (1966); a program from a deliverance convention (1966); and papers related to the illness and death of John McCauley (1968). | |||||||||||
| Two final folders (1970-1988) include correspondence from younger family members and friends; a bulletin produced by Minnesotans to Free Angela Davis (1970); correspondence related to the death of James Furlow (1977); postcards from friends; correspondence from Little Brothers of Minnesota; papers from the Wilder Foundation; a newspaper article featuring Furlow (1986); the agenda from a Minority Issues Advisory Committee meeting (1987); and correspondence from members of the Urban League and the Minnesota Communist Party. | |||||||||||
| Box | |||||||||||
| P1978 | 2 | Correspondence and related papers, 1966-1988. 4 folders. | |||||||||
| Photographs and certificates, undated and 1947, 1958, 1981-1989. | |||||||||||
| Includes two photographs, one of Furlow in her later years (approximately 1986); her nursing school certificate of graduation (1958); AFL-CIO Award of Appreciation (1981); the Rosa Parks Award (1983); photocopies made from three plaques awarded to Furlow; and photocopies of materials filed in the oversize collection. | |||||||||||
| Folder | |||||||||||
| +212 | 1 | Photographs, 1947, 1958-1959, 1986. | |||||||||
| The oversize items consist of four photographs, one of Furlow's nursing school class (1958) and three of Furlow in 1986; high school diploma (1947); and an L.P.N. licensure certificate (1959). | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- African American families -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
- African American nurses -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
- African Americans -- Civil rights -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
- African Americans -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul -- Social conditions -- 1964-1975.
- Community organization -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.
- Labor unions -- Minnesota -- Nurses.
- Persons:
- Crouch, Myrtle, author.
- Furlow, James, -1977.
- McCauley, John, -1968, author.
- Organizations:
- Minnesota Licensed Practical Nurses Association.
- Places:
- Saint Paul (Minn.)
- Document Types:
- Photographs.
- Occupations:
- Practical nurses.
Collapse
All