• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • BUSINESS
  • SCIENCE
  • LIFESTYLE
  • TECH
The Hidden Work of Everyday People in the Afro-American Patrolmen’s League

The Hidden Work of Everyday People in the Afro-American Patrolmen’s League

August 5, 2022
Sessions to Hold Hearing with U.S. Postmaster General on Postal … – House Committee on Oversight and Reform |

Rural America a focus for bipartisan health caucus formed in U.S. … – Iowa Capital Dispatch

October 1, 2023
The Labor Day Sales Our Plus Size Editors Are Shopping (And What They’re Looking For)

The Labor Day Sales Our Plus Size Editors Are Shopping (And What They’re Looking For)

October 1, 2023
Thinking about the legacy of ‘Team Ted,’ as Vatican insiders talk about the next pope — GetReligion

Thinking about the legacy of ‘Team Ted,’ as Vatican insiders talk about the next pope — GetReligion

October 1, 2023
Early Retirement, Private Lending, & The $10,000 “Guru” Trap

Early Retirement, Private Lending, & The $10,000 “Guru” Trap

October 1, 2023
Negative Performance Review? 7 Tips for Moving Forward

Negative Performance Review? 7 Tips for Moving Forward

October 1, 2023
Inside the Operation Theatre 🇮🇳 |😷 ORTHO Surgeon at work #shorts #viral #shortsvideo

Inside the Operation Theatre 🇮🇳 |😷 ORTHO Surgeon at work #shorts #viral #shortsvideo

October 1, 2023
Cousin Loving, She Stole My Man! | Jerry Springer Show

Cousin Loving, She Stole My Man! | Jerry Springer Show

October 1, 2023
Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce, other high profile athlete-celebrity romances

Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce, other high profile athlete-celebrity romances

September 30, 2023
Optimizing The Workplace Experience Of Your Frontline Employees

Optimizing The Workplace Experience Of Your Frontline Employees

September 30, 2023
chicken rice with buttered onions – smitten kitchen

chicken rice with buttered onions – smitten kitchen

September 30, 2023
Foods of the 1893 World’s Fair

Foods of the 1893 World’s Fair

September 30, 2023
Fat Bear Campaign Poster Winners – 2023

Fat Bear Campaign Poster Winners – 2023

September 30, 2023
  • Home
  • News
    • PRESS RELEASE
  • Shop
  • BUSINESS
    • CRYPTO
    • ECONOMY
    • FINANCE
    • MARKET
    • MONEY
  • TECH
    • APPS
    • GADGET
    • MOBILE
    • SCIENCE
  • SOCIAL MEDIA
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS & THEATER
    • GAMING
    • GAMBLING
    • MOVIE
    • MUSIC
    • SHOWS
    • SPORTS
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CELEBRITY
    • CULTURE
    • Education
    • FASHION
    • FOOD
    • HEALTH
    • HISTORY
    • Nature
    • Religion
    • Shopping
    • TRAVEL
  • REAL ESTATE
  • Blog
  • Classifieds
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home HISTORY

The Hidden Work of Everyday People in the Afro-American Patrolmen’s League

by Minnesota Digital News
August 5, 2022
in HISTORY
0
The Hidden Work of Everyday People in the Afro-American Patrolmen’s League
491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


In this blog post, CHM intern Kirsten Lopez shares what she learned while preparing to interview a retired Afro-American Patrolmen’s League member as part of an ongoing CHM oral history project.

During my summer 2021 internship, I had the opportunity to work on CHM’s ongoing Afro-American Patrolmen’s League (AAPL) Oral History Project, which is focused on collecting the stories of former AAPL members to create a more diverse collection. In preparation for the culminating interview with a retired AAPL member, I spent the first few weeks of the internship learning about the organization and acquainting myself with the digitally available material from the AAPL archive housed at CHM. While I became familiar with the names of AAPL founders and Chicago political players, I did not come across the name Wylola Evans, the civilian member I would be interviewing. I wondered how she was connected and what type of work she did.

As it turns out, Evans was not only the League’s first full-time employee, but she also supervised the entire AAPL office and was the primary point of contact for “League membership, activities, views, etc.” according to the League newsletter, The Grapevine. “Etcetera,” I came to learn, meant anything from attending National Black Police Association conferences to printing and distributing event posters around the city; from securing sponsors to answering citizens’ calls to the AAPL’s Police Brutality and Legal Referral Service. The “long, crazy hours” and “little to no pay” were worth it, Evans told me, “Because we were interacting with the community.”

I went back into the archive and started looking for Wylola Evans.


Instructions to “ask for Miss Evans” at the AAPL office. The Grapevine, 1972. African American Police League (Chicago, IL) records, 1961–88. Box 164.8.


Announcement for the 3rd Annual National Black Police Association (NBPA) convention in Boston, Oct. 10–14, 1975, with a reminder to “ask for Miss Evans.” African American Police League (Chicago, IL) records, 1961–88. Box 64.8.

Among the newsletters and editorials, I found two occasions in which members were directed to “ask for Miss Evans” when they called the office. Evans, it became clear, was at the very center of AAPL activity, but she was largely absent from the literature and archival materials that are currently publicly available.

It seems timely to think about all the work that goes into achieving historical change and how it is mostly done without fanfare and out of the public eye. Indeed, during my time at CHM I witnessed firsthand how much time and consideration is taken by Museum staff to maintain its collections and ensure a continuous offering of events and exhibitions for the public.

The work of cataloging, moving boxes, fighting mold, and updating metadata that allows institutions like CHM to preserve and shed light on the everyday stories that make history relevant is unglamorous but, like the work of AAPL’s civilian staffers, essential. And, in keeping with AAPL’s stated commitment to being “available to many individuals and community organizations, giving them advice on their legal rights, and in participating in solving community problems,” it feels only right to show appreciation for the invisible work that made such a transformative relationship between police and citizens possible. As the very first AAPL newsletter urges members, “REMEMBER: THE LEAGUE IS YOU.” The practice of oral history aims to capture the lived experiences that might otherwise remain overshadowed. And so, let us take this lesson from Wylola Evans that history is in the hidden work of everyday people.


Guest editorial in the February 1974 issue of The Grapevine. The bold text between segments reads “AAPL Thanks to you it’s working.” This issue featured the transcript of CPD Deputy Chief of Patrol George T. Sims’s testimony regarding discriminatory practices under Superintendent James M. Rochford. African American Police League (Chicago, IL) records, 1961–88. Box 64.8.


Excerpt from the AAPL’s Newsletter #1, published November 14, 1968. African American Police League (Chicago, IL) records, 1961–88. Box 164.8.

If you were a former member of the African American Patrolmen’s League and would be interested in sharing your story, please contact us at 312-642-4600 or through our Collection Donation Form.

Additional Resources



Source link

Share196Tweet123Share49
Minnesota Digital News

Minnesota Digital News

Saint Paul
◉
88°
Fair
7:11 am6:51 pm CDT
Feels like: 88°F
Wind: 13mph SSW
Humidity: 37%
Pressure: 29.96"Hg
UV index: 3
TueWedThuFri
86/63°F
66/55°F
63/45°F
52/41°F
Weather forecast Saint Paul, Minnesota ▸
Sessions to Hold Hearing with U.S. Postmaster General on Postal … – House Committee on Oversight and Reform |
PRESS RELEASE

Rural America a focus for bipartisan health caucus formed in U.S. … – Iowa Capital Dispatch

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
The Labor Day Sales Our Plus Size Editors Are Shopping (And What They’re Looking For)
FASHION

The Labor Day Sales Our Plus Size Editors Are Shopping (And What They’re Looking For)

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Thinking about the legacy of ‘Team Ted,’ as Vatican insiders talk about the next pope — GetReligion
Religion

Thinking about the legacy of ‘Team Ted,’ as Vatican insiders talk about the next pope — GetReligion

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Early Retirement, Private Lending, & The $10,000 “Guru” Trap
REAL ESTATE

Early Retirement, Private Lending, & The $10,000 “Guru” Trap

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Negative Performance Review? 7 Tips for Moving Forward
MONEY

Negative Performance Review? 7 Tips for Moving Forward

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Inside the Operation Theatre 🇮🇳 |😷 ORTHO Surgeon at work #shorts #viral #shortsvideo
ARTS & THEATER

Inside the Operation Theatre 🇮🇳 |😷 ORTHO Surgeon at work #shorts #viral #shortsvideo

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Cousin Loving, She Stole My Man! | Jerry Springer Show
SHOWS

Cousin Loving, She Stole My Man! | Jerry Springer Show

by Minnesota Digital News
October 1, 2023
Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce, other high profile athlete-celebrity romances
SPORTS

Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce, other high profile athlete-celebrity romances

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Optimizing The Workplace Experience Of Your Frontline Employees
Education

Optimizing The Workplace Experience Of Your Frontline Employees

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
chicken rice with buttered onions – smitten kitchen
FOOD

chicken rice with buttered onions – smitten kitchen

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Foods of the 1893 World’s Fair
HISTORY

Foods of the 1893 World’s Fair

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Fat Bear Campaign Poster Winners – 2023
Nature

Fat Bear Campaign Poster Winners – 2023

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
The Mall of America – The Largest Shopping Mall in the United States | SGK Urdu
Shopping

The Mall of America – The Largest Shopping Mall in the United States | SGK Urdu

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Fashion historian explains Senate dress code, John Fetterman’s hoodie and shorts
BUSINESS

Fashion historian explains Senate dress code, John Fetterman’s hoodie and shorts

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Talks ‘Yellowstone’ and High School Graduation – Hollywood Life
ENTERTAINMENT

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Talks ‘Yellowstone’ and High School Graduation – Hollywood Life

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Have a Lovely Weekend. | Cup of Jo
LIFESTYLE

Have a Lovely Weekend. | Cup of Jo

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My: The Download
SCIENCE

Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My: The Download

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Letterboxd sells a majority stake after explosive pandemic-fueled growth
GADGET

Letterboxd sells a majority stake after explosive pandemic-fueled growth

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
How to move and rearrange Apps on your TV | Samsung US
APPS

How to move and rearrange Apps on your TV | Samsung US

by Minnesota Digital News
September 30, 2023
Minnesota Digital News

Copyright © 2023 Minnesota Digital News

Navigate Site

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright Notice
  • Anti Spam Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • DMCA Compliance
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Social Media Disclaimer
  • Amazon Affiliate disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • PRESS RELEASE
  • Shop
  • BUSINESS
    • CRYPTO
    • ECONOMY
    • FINANCE
    • MARKET
    • MONEY
  • TECH
    • APPS
    • GADGET
    • MOBILE
    • SCIENCE
  • SOCIAL MEDIA
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS & THEATER
    • GAMING
    • GAMBLING
    • MOVIE
    • MUSIC
    • SHOWS
    • SPORTS
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CELEBRITY
    • CULTURE
    • Education
    • FASHION
    • FOOD
    • HEALTH
    • HISTORY
    • Nature
    • Religion
    • Shopping
    • TRAVEL
  • REAL ESTATE
  • Blog
  • Classifieds

Copyright © 2023 Minnesota Digital News