Film footage of a Harlem Trade Union Council convention

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A 16mm, black-and-white, silent film showing part of a Harlem Trade Union Council (HTUC) convention held on April 2, 1949. The footage includes shots of the speakers on stage as well as the audience. The second to last speaker appears to be Ferdinand Smith, chairman of the HTUC. There are a variety of camera angles that capture the stage from the audience floor, close-ups of audience members, and different shots of the speakers on stage. The film opens with a shot of the stage, where a woman is addressing the audience. A large sign reading "Welcome delegates to HTUC convention \ Build a fighting mass organization of negro workers" hangs above the speaker. The camera angle/view then shifts from the front of the stage to a position just behind the left side of the speakers, showing the audience seated in about 12 horizontal rows extending from the stage to the back of the room.

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