Souther Tenant Farmers Union.

The Southern Tenant Farmers' Union (STFU), a multi-racial union of sharecroppers, tenant farmers and small landowners, was founded in Arkansas in 1934 by a group of socialists. Its operations extended throughout the South, the Southwest, and California and came to include migrant farm workers, cannery workers, rice and sugar mill workers and fishermen.

Harry Leland Mitchell was a founding member and first executive secretary of the Southern Tenant Farmers' Union from 1934 to 1939. During this time, he was also an officer of the Socialist Party of Arkansas. After serving as a consultant and special assistant to the National Youth Administration and as an organizer for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, Mitchell was re-elected secretary of the STFU from 1941 to 1944 and served as president of its successor, the National Farm Labor Union. During the 1950's, Mitchell served on Dept. of Labor Committees and participated in various international labor activities, as well as helping to form the AFL-CIO's Agricultural Workers' Organizing Committee. During the 1960's, Mitchell continued to organize southern agricultural workers, as well as rice and sugar mill workers and fishermen. He also helped to found the Southern Mutual Help Association, Inc. of Louisiana (1969) and the Southern Rural Welfare Association (1971).

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