Search Results

Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Interviewer:

Centeno-Meléndez, José  Search this

Interviewee:

Arteaga, Stefania  Search this

Barrios Chay, Elver Udiel  Search this

Kim, Jung Woo  Search this

Merino, Oliver  Search this

Morales, Jairo Javier  Search this

Serrano, Moises  Search this

Siliceo Perez, Carolina  Search this

Extent:

21.34 Gigabytes (7 .wav files, 14 .pdf files)

Culture:

Asian American  Search this

Black American  Search this

Central Americans -- United States  Search this

Korean Americans  Search this

Latinos  Search this

Southern California  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Born digital

Identity cards

Transcripts

Place:

Chicago (Ill.)

Los Angeles (Calif.)

Mexico City (Mexico)

Nebraska

North Carolina

Washington (D.C.) -- Washington

Date:

2019-2020

Summary:

Collection documents through born-digital oral histories the lives and experiences of undocumented community organizers and activists.

History of the Collecting Process:

The Undocumented Organizing Collecting Initiative is a multi-year effort to preserve histories of undocumented organizing in the United States. Collecting oral histories and objects from undocumented organizers in Southern California, Chicago, Nebraska, North Carolina, Washington, D.C. and Mexico City, the Initiative was the first collective research initiative to provide a national perspective on the multi-focal, multi-vocal undocumented organizing movement.

The Initiative is based out of the National Museum of American History's Center for Restorative History (CRH). The CRH works to redress exclusions in United States history using the principles of restorative justice. This project therefore centers the knowledge of undocumented organizers to address and document historical harms, present needs, and obligations in an effort to make history more accurate and inclusive.

The project's core team includes Patty Arteaga (Project Lead), Dr. Nancy Bercaw (Curator, Political History; Deputy Director, Center for Restorative History), José Centeno-Meléndez (Oral Historian), and Delia Beristain Noriega (Assistant Oral Historian).

Scope and Contents:

This collection contains oral history interviews, interview transcripts, and indexes with timestamps and descriptions documenting the lives and experiences of undocumented organizers. In some cases, the original recordings and transcripts have been redacted upon request of the interviewee.

The oral histories cover immigration to the United States, community organizing work, and such topics as deportation, mass incarceration, anti-Black violence, family separation, and food insecurity.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into three series, each organized alphabetically by last name of interviewee.

Series 1: Transcripts, 2019-2020

Series 2: Born-Digital Interviews, 2019-2020

Series 3: Indexes, 2019-2020

Historical:

Undocumented organizers have played a crucial role in U.S. politics over the last 20 years, most notably by securing the first significant piece of immigration reform since the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. The announcement of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2012 broke a logjam by securing a limited immigrant right, the first granted in 26 years. This achievement represented a signature moment in U.S. history echoing Emancipation, Women's Suffrage and the Civil Rights movements, where people without citizenship or the right to vote changed government policy.

The origins of undocumented organizing in the 21st century can be traced back to 2001, when undocumented youth pushed for access to higher education. Up to the moment of high school graduation, undocumented youth, then and today, are guaranteed access to a K-12 public education by the landmark Supreme Court decision in Plyer v. Doe (1982). Yet upon graduation, their futures are foreclosed without protected access to higher education. They face the choice of silently slipping into wage work or returning to their home country. In 2001, Senators Dick Durbin (IL) and Orrin Hatch (UT) responded to the crisis and introduced the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, otherwise known as the DREAM Act.

What had seemed like an easy bill to pass became implausible after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Anti-immigrant sentiment spiked, encouraging Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) to introduce highly restrictive immigration legislation in the Border Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. Using the only tool available to them, hundreds of thousands of immigrants across the United States took to the streets in May 2006. Many undocumented youth organizers remember this moment as a potent lesson, introducing them to the power of people's movements.

With strong training and support from immigrant rights organizations, such as CHIRLA, NILC, National Council of La Raza, UCLA Labor Center, Casa de Maryland, NAKASEC, Latin American Coalition, Community Change, and Make the Road New York, among others, young activists formed undocumented-led organizations such as United We Dream (UWD), Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL), LA DREAM Team, and the New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC). As directly-impacted people, undocumented youth set their own agenda and developed innovative mass mobilization tactics.

Inspired by the May 2006 marches, undocumented youth began to focus on direct-action campaigns which peaked in 2009-10. Wearing high school graduation robes, they traveled to the U.S. Capitol and conducted sit-ins in congressional offices to push the passage of the DREAM Act. Others built upon Black organizing traditions and walked 1,500 miles from Florida to Washington, D.C. Paying homage to Civil Rights activism, this march, known as the Trail of DREAMs, wound its way through the U.S. South facing Ku Klux Klan activity along the way. Early organizers also borrowed from LGBTQ+ organizing tactics by "coming out of the shadows" and declaring themselves "undocumented and unafraid," thereby risking deportation. Strategically, they announced their status through scripted narratives emphasizing their "Americanness" as high-achieving, English-speaking students raised on the American Dream. These strategies paid off. Anti-immigration sentiment still ran high, but popular opinion swung in favor of the DREAMers as "Americans" despite their legal status.

To take advantage of this political opening, undocumented organizers fiercely advocated that the DREAM Act be placed at the top of the immigration rights agenda. As DREAMers, they had a strong chance of success in creating the first pathway to citizenship since the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. They argued that the DREAM Act could serve as a wedge, widening the door for other immigrants to gain legal status. Immigrant rights organizations disagreed, unwilling to shift attention away from comprehensive immigration reform. This caused a rupture that resulted in undocumented activists breaking away from the immigrant rights platform and trusting their own knowledge and experience over those in established systems of power.

Lacking a large national organization to direct and mobilize campaigns, undocumented activists used the internet to create new systems for organizing. They constructed DREAMActivist.org to coordinate events nationwide, held synchronous Coming Out of the Shadows events, and ran online forums to share up-to-date information with chat rooms on how to navigate daily life as an undocumented person.

They pushed for the DREAM Act coordinating nationwide events to rally support for their cause including marches, demonstrations, sit-ins, fasting campaigns, and walkouts. Yet after nine years of gridlock, in 2010 Congress failed to pass the DREAM Act by five votes. Suddenly, the youth and students who had stepped forward faced an even greater risk of deportation.

In the wake of the DREAM Act's failure, undocumented organizers regrouped. A dedicated legal team investigated a largely-unknown administrative practice called "deferred action" from deportation. Presidents employed deferred action on a case-by-case basis to protect immigrants from deportation. What if this could be implemented more broadly? Working with immigration attorneys, organizers presented their case to the Obama administration requesting action on temporary relief. When the White House failed to act, they took to the streets. Undocumented people demonstrated, marched and even took over President Obama's re-election campaign offices. By applying pressure to the presidency, undocumented youth were once again putting forward all their energy to stop their own deportation and arrive at a solution, even if a temporary one.

On June 15, 2012, President Obama announced an executive action, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The program offered some undocumented youth a two-year, renewable protected status to pursue employment if they could prove the following: that they arrived before their 16th birthday; could demonstrate living continuously in the United States since June 15, 2007; had not committed a felony; and were under 31 years of age.

DACA was in effect for five years when the Trump administration rescinded the program on September 5, 2017. Challenging the administration in court, undocumented organizers eventually took their case to the Supreme Court and won. Yet the June 18, 2020, Supreme Court majority opinion ruled based on a technicality and made no judgement on the validity of deferred action. At the time of this writing (March 31, 2023), legal statuses such as DACA, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and Deferred Enforced Department (DED) face intense challenges in the courts, the U.S. Congress, and state and local legislatures.

After securing DACA in 2012, the movement shifted. Recognizing that DACA only protected youth, and only a fraction of that population, undocumented organizers expanded their action to advocate for all 12 million undocumented U.S. residents. While some continue to organize nationally, successfully swinging presidential and U.S. Congressional elections and aggressively pursuing action in the courts, others explore goals aimed at relieving systematic oppression. Daily deportations separated families, leaving infants without parents and grandparents without loved ones. Building upon political practices from their home countries and combining them with lessons learned from Black freedom struggle, the Chicano movement, indigenous claims to sovereignty and LGBTQ+ liberation, undocumented activists organize for liberation. Moving beyond a civil rights/ immigrant rights paradigm, undocumented organizers are reconfiguring fundamentals of U.S. democracy by calling out the exclusionary nature of "rights" and "citizenship." Likewise, they actively wrestle with identity-based politics through coalition building across Black, (Afro)Latinx, Asian and queer communities against deportation, incarceration, and state surveillance. Grounded in community needs, they take a holistic approach that refuses to focus on one issue, one identity, over another.

These actions include (but are not limited to):

287(g): To protect residents from deportation, many successfully swing local elections to elect anti-287(g) candidates. 287(g) is a small clause in the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act that permits sheriffs to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) whenever they detain a person. In many places, 287g means that a random traffic stop, a broken taillight, jaywalking, or simply looking "foreign" can trigger a deportation pipeline—regardless of whether a person has broken the law.

Anti-Deportation Measures: As deportations spike, undocumented organizers employ a variety of tactics to protect families and communities. Many work on educating community members, organizing "Know Your Rights" campaigns. Others coordinate with abolition groups to halt the militarization of local police by federal agencies through direct action campaigns and court filings. Since September 11, 2001, the federal presence in local communities has spiked. Undocumented organizers closely monitor these agencies to block new policies that otherwise fly under the radar in the national political arena. (Also see 287(g))

Citizenship for All: After DACA (2012), many organizers began to question the tactic of emphasizing "Americanness" and "worthiness" to gain citizenship. Only an estimated 800,000 undocumented people applied for and qualified for DACA, leaving over 11 million without protection. Undocumented organizers shifted focus to campaign for citizenship that was not exclusionary, advocating for citizenship for all.

Economic Empowerment: To immediately address limited economic and homeownership opportunities for undocumented individuals without social security numbers, many organizers across the country devised innovative economic empowerment programs to support or create businesses owned by undocumented people. Others have formed economic cooperatives to acquire property.

Cultural Activism: The threat of deportation leaves many undocumented people living in isolation with limited access to community. By organizing around culture — festivals, music production, artistic expression — activists provide spaces, both virtually and in-person, for undocumented people to celebrate the richness of who they are as individuals and as a collective.

Beyond Citizenship: Those deported or voluntarily returned to their home country quickly recognize that they were misunderstood and stigmatized in both countries. Both "nation" and "citizenship", they argue, perpetuate exclusion, removing acceptance, services, belonging, and a life free from persecution. Emphasizing trans-local organizing, activists work to connect people on both sides of the border to provide the resources they need. They advocate for normalizing and decriminalizing migration to permit families to see friends and loved ones regardless of where they live.

Definitions

Undocumented refers to an individual's status who reside in the United States without a pathway to U.S. citizenship. Whether migrating to the United States as minors or adults, these residents are not granted permanent legal status by the U.S. government. Those who identify as undocumented have unfixed (or liminal) legal statuses including those 1) who are stateless (without citizenship in any country); 2) who are without U.S. citizenship or U.S. visas; and 3) who have temporary legal status such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Deferred Enforced Department (DED), or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Without the protection of U.S. citizenship, undocumented individuals live and work with the constant threat of surveillance and deportation. Moreover, they are blocked from national programs providing access to fair housing, healthcare, and workers' rights, among others.

Undocumented organizing refers to political mobilizing led by undocumented individuals from 2001 to the present. The essential feature separating undocumented organizing from earlier forms of activism is the public declaration of legal status by movement leaders. Risking deportation, family separation, and loss of community, they choose to openly declare themselves "undocumented." This action provides the opportunity to speak freely about the conditions that they and their communities face. By "coming out of the shadows," they step into leadership positions and form their own organizations. By directly representing their communities, undocumented organizers have created a new sphere of highly effective immigrant rights organizing.

Related Materials:

Materials at the National Museum of American History

The Division of Political and Military History holds the following materials related to undocumented organizing:

2006.0106; 2006.0211 - Posters, leaflets, and other objects documenting protests and demonstrations, such as the Immigration March (April 10, 2006, Washington D.C.) and the Great American Boycott/Day Without An Immigrant (May 1, 2006)

2018.0073 - Posters and clothing, including monarch butterfly wings, used in the DACA protest on March 5, 2018

2018.0156 - Bracelets

2018.0198 – Poster, "Stand with Immigrant Workers"

2020.0048 – Javier Jairo Morales' graduation cap, gown, stole, and monarch butterfly wings

Materials at the Anacostia Community Museum Archives

Gateway/Portales Exhibition Records (ACMA Acc. 03-102)

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records (ACMA Acc. 03-027)

Provenance:

Made for the National Museum of American History by the Undocumented Organizing Collecting Initiative between 2019-2020.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access and use of born-digital audio materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Access to Higher Education  Search this

Activism  Search this

Black Lives Matter movement  Search this

Black people -- History  Search this

Black people -- Race identity  Search this

Citizenship  Search this

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (U.S.)  Search this

Deportation  Search this

Detention of persons -- United States  Search this

Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act)  Search this

Drivers' licenses  Search this

Immigrants  Search this

Immigrants -- United States  Search this

LGBTQ+  Search this

Oral history  Search this

Personal narratives  Search this

Political activists  Search this

Political campaigns  Search this

Protest and social movements  Search this

Social justice  Search this

Storytelling  Search this

Student movements  Search this

Genre/Form:

Born digital

Identity cards

Transcripts

Citation:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1581

See more items in:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep81623a1a0-ddf7-47ac-84c3-943580558303

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1581

Collection Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Collection Interviewer:

Centeno-Meléndez, José  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

2020-12-16

Scope and Contents:

Jung Woo Kim is an undocumented community organizer who builds coalitions across race and national lines in the fight for citizenship for all. In this oral history, he reflects on the cultural differences between South Korea and the United States, the difficulty of survival as a young undocumented person who had to entirely support themselves, his journey towards securing in-state tuition in California through AB 540, how obtaining DACA affected his personal life, and what it took NAKASEC to organize multiple communities across the U.S. Campaigns mentioned in this interview include 24-hour vigils in front of the White House in response to Trump's plan to cancel the DACA program, the fight for the clean DREAM Act, a Journey to Justice bike trip with NAKASEC members, and building a movement for Citizenship for All.

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access and use of born-digital audio materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection / Series 1: Transcripts

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8af3e9f65-dfe9-4d56-8764-662c43736212

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1581-ref4

Collection Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Collection Interviewer:

Centeno-Meléndez, José  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

2020-01-18

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access and use of born-digital audio materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection / Series 3: Indexes

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8e9650078-af77-473f-9127-29b4d080db4d

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1581-ref19

Collection Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Collection Interviewer:

Centeno-Meléndez, José  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

2020-12-16

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access and use of born-digital audio materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection / Series 3: Indexes

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep85d5191e2-939d-418b-aa8e-d71808010973

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1581-ref20

Collection Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Collection Interviewer:

Centeno-Meléndez, José  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

2020-09-15

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access and use of born-digital audio materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection / Series 3: Indexes

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep862c0812b-342f-49bc-b8c3-f648af0bfe76

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1581-ref21

Collection Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Collection Interviewer:

Centeno-Meléndez, José  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

2020-02-22

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access and use of born-digital audio materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection / Series 3: Indexes

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8e3cecd6d-5917-4958-a4f3-6d4ade4db61f

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1581-ref22

Collection Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Collection Interviewer:

Centeno-Meléndez, José  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

2020-01-19

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access and use of born-digital audio materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection / Series 3: Indexes

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep86dac3505-8a7c-416d-847a-fbd2f3ffc900

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1581-ref23

Collection Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Collection Interviewer:

Centeno-Meléndez, José  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

2019-11-06

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access and use of born-digital audio materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection / Series 3: Indexes

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8aac7fdc2-137d-4311-98ee-3eba8759bf2e

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1581-ref24

Collection Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.)  Search this

Collection Interviewer:

Centeno-Meléndez, José  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

2019-11-05

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Access and use of born-digital audio materials available in the Archives Center reading room or by requesting copies of materials at RightsReproductions@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection

Undocumented Organizing Oral History Collection / Series 3: Indexes

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8385eb02a-2cc5-4150-abe2-1cc51f69241a

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1581-ref18

Inventor:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Names:

Stanley Home Products  Search this

Tupperware Home Parties  Search this

Vivian Woodward Cosmetics  Search this

Extent:

15 Cubic feet (42 boxes, 33 sound recordings)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Personal papers

Business records

Speeches

Audiovisual materials

Photographs

Date:

circa 1928-1968

Summary:

The papers consist of business records documenting the history of Tupperware from 1951-1958, during which Brownie Wise served as vice president of the Tupperware Company. Also, personal papers and business records documenting her marketing activities for Stanley Home Products, Vivian Woodard Cosmetics, and others.

Scope and Contents:

The Brownie Wise Papers constitute an essential complement to the Earl Tupper Papers, acquired in 1992, and to the museums rich collections of Tupperware products. Together these collections document not only the founding and early business history of Tupperware, but also significant areas of American history in which the museum has a demonstrated interest. The Brownie Wise Papers illuminate aspects of an American consumer culture which achieved its apex in the post-World War II years; in many ways, Tupperware and the Tupperware party reflect the key defining elements of the fifties. Of special significance is the story these papers tell of a successful woman business executive and working mother, in an era whose women have more often been characterized by June Cleaver and Harriet Nelson. The Tupperware story offers rich insights into the society and culture of the era, illuminating issues of gender, consumerism, and technological development.

There are approximately 15 cubic feet of materials, including photographic and audiovisual materials. The collection is organized into eight series.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into eight series.

Series 1: Personal Papers, circa 1928-1968

Series 2: Stanley Home Products, Patio Parties, circa 1947-1959

Series 3: Tupperware Home Parties, circa 1951-1959

Series 4: Direct Sales consulting, circa 1958-1969

Series 5: Other Direct Sales Consulting, circa 1958-1971

Series 6: Other Business ventures, circa 1958-1967

Series 7: Photographs, 1930-1968

Series 8: Audiovisual Materials, 1953-1957; 1977

Biographical Note:

Brownie Humphrey was born in Buford, Georgia in 1913, the daughter of Rosabelle Stroud Humphrey and Jerome Humphrey, a plumber. According to longtime friend Kay Robinson, Brownie knew that there were few business opportunities for women in the South, and that "unless she wanted to work in sales, she would have to leave the South." After meeting Robert Wise at the Texas Centennial in 1936, where the couple saw an exhibition highlighting a bright future at Ford Motors, Brownie and Robert married and moved to the Detroit area where he worked as a machinist, later opening a small machine shop. The couple divorced in 1941, about three years after the birth of their only child, Jerry. Brownie Wise never remarried.

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Brownie contributed to a correspondence column of the Detroit News under the pen name "Hibiscus." Her columns were largely autobiographical, but used elements of fantasy and romance to address a uniquely female urban community. In Detroit, Wise worked briefly at an ad agency and in a millinery shop. During World War II, Wise got a job as an executive secretary at Bendix. After the war, Brownie and her mother, Rose Stroud Humphrey, began selling Stanley Home Products. When Jerry became ill in 1949, they followed a doctor's advice and moved to Miami where they began a direct selling business they called Patio Parties. Through this business, the mother daughter team distributed Poly-T (Tupperware), Stanley Home Products, West Bend, and other household goods through an innovative home party plan adopted by Brownie.

Thomas Damigella in Massachusetts, and Brownie Wise in South Florida, quickly became among the fastest movers of Tupperware products, attracting the attention of Earl Tupper, who was still searching for a profitable outlet for his plastic containers. Because Americans were still skeptical of plastics and because the Tupper seal required demonstration, early attempts at department store sales had been unsuccessful. Some independent dealers had more success selling through demonstrations at state fairs or door-to-door, but sales and distribution remained low. The experiences of Damigella and Wise convinced Tupper to offer the products on a home party plan. He partnered with Norman Squires, the originator of Hostess Home Parties, to pursue this strategy.

In 1951, Tupper recruited Brownie to develop the Hostess party plan for Tupperware, and named her vice president of the company. She is credited with developing the party plan and sales organization, and with creating the annual Jubilee, a pep-rally and awards ceremony for dealers and distributors; it was her idea to locate company headquarters in Kissimmee, and she oversaw the design and construction of the campus. With the company's meteoric success came national recognition. Her public role was all the greater because Earl Tupper shunned all public exposure; Wise was the public head of the company throughout the 1950s. She was both honored guest and invited speaker at national sales and marketing conferences, where she was often the only woman in attendance. Scores of laudatory articles about her appeared in the sales industry and general business press, and she became the darling of the women's magazines, including features in McCalls, Charm and Companion.

Tupper and Wise clashed over the management and direction of the business in late 1957 and the board of directors forced her out in January, 1958. She filed a $1,600,000 suit against the company for conspiracy and breach of contract, but settled out of court for a year's salary -- about $30,000. Shortly thereafter, Tupper sold the company to Dart/Rexall and relinquished all involvement with it.

Beginning in 1958 and through the 1960s, Brownie co-founded three direct sales cosmetics companies, Cinderella (1958-59), Carissa (1963) and Sovera/Trivera (1966-69). She also was president of Viviane Woodard Cosmetics (1960-62), and consulted for Artex and others. In addition, she undertook a real estate development venture in Kissimmee with Charles McBurney and George Reynolds (both former Tupperware executives). She seems never to have achieved the same level of success in these later business ventures. Wise continued to live in the Kissimmee area, moving from Waters' Edge, the spectacular 1920s mansion she occupied during the Tupperware years, to a home George Reynolds designed for her in. She was active in her church and as an artist, working in clay and textiles. During the last eight years of her life she was in declining health. She died in December 1992.

Provenance:

The collection was donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History in March 1994 by Brownie Wise's son, Jerry Wise, of Kissimmee, Florida.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Direct selling  Search this

Women in marketing  Search this

Sales promotion  Search this

Product demonstrations  Search this

Plastics  Search this

Genre/Form:

Personal papers -- 20th century

Business records -- 20th century

Speeches

Audiovisual materials

Photographs -- 20th century

Citation:

Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0509

See more items in:

Brownie Wise Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8cb6c92b9-bbc8-44e3-9570-0d5bd7fede8e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0509

Collection Inventor:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Container:

Box 29A, Folder 2

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Brownie Wise Papers

Brownie Wise Papers / Series 7: Photographs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep817c8fffb-d67d-46fa-83c8-52ef7f37c759

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0509-ref349

Collection Inventor:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Container:

Box 29A, Folder 3

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Brownie Wise Papers

Brownie Wise Papers / Series 7: Photographs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8f0e5b3ba-5c04-4845-b268-9d1700908604

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0509-ref350

Collection Inventor:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Container:

Box 29A, Folder 4

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Brownie Wise Papers

Brownie Wise Papers / Series 7: Photographs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8fffb5946-6e96-4b0a-afe5-d939f7a1668f

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0509-ref351

Collection Inventor:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Container:

Box 37, Cassette RTC 509.21

Type:

Archival materials

Audio

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Brownie Wise Papers

Brownie Wise Papers / Series 8: Audio Recordings / 8.4: Reference Audio Cassettes

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8232c5429-376f-49c6-8832-8909ce965f55

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0509-ref439

Collector:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Names:

Tupperware Home Parties  Search this

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Collection Inventor:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Extent:

1 Item

Type:

Archival materials

Photographs

Place:

Hawaii -- 1950-1960

Date:

circa 1950-1960

Scope and Contents:

Brownie Wise conducting a Tupperware "home party" on the beach; photographer unidentified.

Local Numbers:

AC0509-0000005.tif (AC Scan)

General:

In Box 29a, Folder 4.

Restrictions:

Unrestricted research use on site by appointment. Photographs must be handled with cotton gloves unless protected by sleeves.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Beaches  Search this

Product demonstrations  Search this

Women in marketing  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- 1950-1960 -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin

Collection Citation:

Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Brownie Wise Papers

Brownie Wise Papers / Series 7: Photographs / Tupperware trips

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep85316689b-c873-4c10-b614-cc2fa9581406

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0509-ref973

Collection Inventor:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Container:

Box 18, Folder 4

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Brownie Wise Papers

Brownie Wise Papers / Series 3: Tupperware Home Parties / 3.6: Publicity

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep885943447-8724-43f8-a95b-053ae34eb285

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0509-ref239

Collection Inventor:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Container:

Box 18, Folder 5

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Brownie Wise Papers

Brownie Wise Papers / Series 3: Tupperware Home Parties / 3.6: Publicity

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep810695733-74c7-42bd-8212-54c9b7dbd0fa

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0509-ref240

Collection Inventor:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Container:

Box 18, Folder 6

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Brownie Wise Papers

Brownie Wise Papers / Series 3: Tupperware Home Parties / 3.6: Publicity

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep86c53c17f-98f5-4700-93e6-126d0a4e2a4c

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0509-ref241

Collection Inventor:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Container:

Box 18, Folder 7

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Brownie Wise Papers

Brownie Wise Papers / Series 3: Tupperware Home Parties / 3.6: Publicity

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8205d6f86-a47b-4249-bfef-e4c04b2a40e7

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0509-ref242

Collection Inventor:

Wise, Brownie Humphrey, 1913-1991  Search this

Container:

Box 18, Folder 8

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

Brownie Wise Papers, 1938-1968, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Brownie Wise Papers

Brownie Wise Papers / Series 3: Tupperware Home Parties / 3.6: Publicity

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8d340cd02-986d-4313-aa5d-891f7e54a322

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0509-ref243