Fleischman, Harry

Harry Fleischman (1914- ) has been a lifelong labor and socialist activist since he joined the Washington Heights "circle" of the Young People's Socialist League as a teenager in the 1930s. For the Socialist Party, he served as National Secretary of the Red Falcons (1936); regional director of the Socialist Party of Indiana-Illinois (1939-42); national secretary of the Socialist Party in New York City (1942-50); and campaign manager for Norman Thomas' presidential campaigns in 1944 and 1948. In 1964 he published "Norman Thomas: A Biography".

From the description of Oral histories [sound recording], 1973-1982. (New York University). WorldCat record id: 477249606

Harry Fleischman, a lifelong labor and socialist activist was born in 1914 and as a teenager joined the Washington Heights "circle" of the Young People's Socialist League. His activities in the Socialist Party included serving as National Chairman of the Red Falcons (1936), regional director of the Indiana-Illinois Socialist Party (1942-50), and campaign manager for Norman Thomas's presidential campaigns in 1944 and 1948. These experiences informed his book, "Norman Thomas: A Biography", published by W.W. Norton in 1964.

He worked as labor and political editor of the Voice of America (1951-53), becoming an authority on Soviet slave labor. As director of labor and race relations at the American Jewish Committee where he worked from 1953-79, he wrote the syndicated column, "Let's Be Human", distributed to over 2,300 union, Black, ethnic, and religious groups.

From 1970 to 1980 (?), Fleischman served as executive director of the National Alliance for Safer Cities, a community crime prevention and criminal justice reform coalition of over 50 national organizations.

Long concerned with full employment and job equality, he conducted a survey of fair contract compliance in 1968 which led to New York Mayor John Lindsay's Executive Order 71, to promote affirmative action for fair employment by city contractors. He has been a board member of the Workers Defense League, a nonprofit worker advocacy organization, since 1963 and its chair since 1981.

From the description of Papers, [ca. 1930-1990]. (New York University). WorldCat record id: 477242982

Harry Fleischman, a lifelong labor and socialist activist was born in 1914 and as a teenager joined the Washington Heights "circle" of the Young People's Socialist League. His activities in the Socialist Party included serving as National Chairman of the Red Falcons (1936), regional director of the Indiana-Illinois Socialist Party (1942-50), and campaign manager for Norman Thomas's presidential campaigns in 1944 and 1948. These experiences informed his book, Norman Thomas: A Biography, published by W.W. Norton in 1964.

He worked as labor and political editor of the Voice of America (1951-53), becoming an authority on Soviet slave labor. As director of labor and race relations at the American Jewish Committee where he worked from 1953-79, he wrote the syndicated column, "Let's Be Human", distributed to over 2,300 union, Black, ethnic, and religious groups.

In the 1970s, Fleischman served as executive director of the National Alliance for Safer Cities, a community crime prevention and criminal justice reform coalition of over 50 national organizations.

Long concerned with full employment and job equality, he conducted a survey of fair contract compliance in 1968 which led to New York Mayor John Lindsay's Executive Order 71, to promote affirmative action for fair employment by city contractors. He was a board member of the Workers Defense League, a nonprofit worker advocacy organization, starting in 1963 and was the chair from 1981 until shortly before his death in 2004.

From the guide to the Harry Fleischman Papers, 1929-1994, (Tamiment Library / Wagner Archives)