| Other author/creator | Matthews, John, 1910-2013, interviewee. |
| Other author/creator | Wilson, Shawn, interviewer. |
| Other author/creator | Burghelea, Neculai, director of photography. |
| Other author/creator | HistoryMakers (Video oral history collection), production company. |
| Variant title |
History Makers video oral history with John Matthews |
| Portion of title |
John Matthews |
| Abstract |
Salesman and community activist John A. Matthews, Sr. was born on March 3, 1910 in Panama. He grew up in Kingston, Jamaica. After high school, Matthews moved to New York City where he became active as a civil rights worker in 1935 when he co-formed the first picket line against the Transport Workers Union and became a founding member of the Harlem Labor Union. After serving in World War II, Matthews founded a restaurant workers' union that broke open employment barriers in Harlem and New York in the mid-1950s. In 1963, he worked as campaign secretary to Adam Clayton Powell. From 1964 to 1966, Matthews helped end discriminatory hiring or membership practices by retailers, hospitals and unions. This work culminated in Matthews being named chairman of the NAACP Labor and Industry department. Matthews continued to organize community, tenants and youth organizations. Matthews passed away on March 28, 2013 at age 103. |
| Credits | Videographer, Neculai Burghelea. |
| Performer |
Shawn Wilson, interviewer. |
| Date/time/place of a event note | Recorded New York, New York 2006 December 17. |
| Source of description | Vendor-supplied metadata. |
| Genre/form | Internet videos. |
| Genre/form | Interviews. |
| Genre/form | Nonfiction films. |
| Genre/form | Oral histories. |
| Genre/form | Oral histories. |
| Genre/form | Internet videos. |
| Genre/form | Nonfiction films. |
| Stock number | A2006.176 HistoryMakers |
