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Charles Bratt Papers,
1933-1952
MSS 034
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Title: Charles Bratt Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1933-1952
Collection number: MSS 034
Creator:
Bratt, Charles
Johnson, Clarence
Johnson, Clarence
Extent:
1 carton and 2 legal boxes
1 2/3 linear feet
1 2/3 linear feet
Repository:
Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research
Los Angeles, CA 90044
Abstract: This collection consists of the papers of Charles Bratt and Clarence Johnson, both employees of the World War II Era United
States Employment Services (USES), part of War Manpower Commission. The documents deal with the work of the Committee on Fair
Employment Practices (Executive Order 9346) to prevent discrimination based on race, creed, color, or national origin. Special
attention is drawn to discrimination within Unions. Also included is material on the internment of Japanese Americans during
the war.
Language:
English.
Unknown (legacy collection)
The collection is available for research only at the Library's facility in Los Angeles. The Library is open from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Researchers are encouraged to call or email the Library indicating the nature of their research
query prior to making a visit.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research. Researchers may make single
copies of any portion of the collection, but publication from the collection will be allowed only with the express written
permission of the Library's director. It is not necessary to obtain written permission to quote from a collection. When the
Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research gives permission for publication, it is as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
[Identification of item], Charles Bratt Papers, Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research, Los Angeles,
California.
As an activist for oppressed people, Charles Bratt has fought for equality for people of all races, creeds, colors, and national
origins.
Charles Bratt was an agricultural activist as Executive Chairman of the Simon J. Lubin Society of California in the late 1930's.
According to the Preamble to the Constitution of the Lubin Society, the goal was to raise the standard of living for the agricultural
wage earner, as well as the working farmer, and to protect their interests.
During the war years, Charles Bratt worked for the War Manpower Commission in Los Angeles. He began as an assistant to Tony
Racine, the War Manpower Commission State Labor Liaison Representative, and then went to work for the United States Employment
Service (USES) in Huntington Park. The USES operated under the War Manpower Commission, which was established in order to
ensure that workers were connected to jobs that suited their highest skill that would help in the production of war materials.
Charles Bratt was later appointed to the position of State Minority Specialist to ensure compliance with Executive Order 9346.
Issued May 27, 1943 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it created a new Committee on Fair Employment Practices. This was
to prevent discrimination based on race, creed, color, or national origin by companies or agencies contracted with the United
States Government.
After the war, Charles Bratt continued to remain active by serving on several committees to prevent discrimination and to
assist in the relocation of the Japanese Americans who had been interned in the war by the United States government.
Clarence Johnson, also employed in the Los Angeles office of the War Manpower Commission, fought to end discrimination in
the workplace. His official title was Field Employment Assistant of the Negro Employment and Training Branch in the Labor
Division of the War Manpower Commission, however he focused mainly on unions. The unions that discriminated against minorities
prevented them from working certain jobs they were qualified for when the job required union membership and the union would
not accept them. Clarence Johnson's job was to fight the union discrimination. Charles Bratt and Clarence Johnson worked together
to fight discrimination in employment.
Ultimately, Charles Bratt wanted equality and dedicated his life and career to the struggle.
This collection consists of correspondence, case files, government documents, legal materials, clippings, and other documents.
The majority of the materials concern the work and interests of Charles Bratt from the 1930s to the 1950s, with the bulk documenting
his work with the Los Angeles Office of the War Manpower Commission during World War II and its immediate aftermath (1941-1946).
Much of the material focuses on the implementation of the decisions of the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) and
various lawsuits and discrimination cases. The "personal" files provide information on Bratt's pre- and post-war activities
and interests, including his education and involvement with the Simon Lubin Society. Also included are documents from Bratt's
co-worker Clarence Johnson, the Field Employment Assistant of the Negro Employment and Training Branch, whose work primarily
dealt with discrimination by various unions in the shipyards and other war industries.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into three series: 1.
War Manpower Commission (Bratt Files), 2.
War Manpower Commission (Johnson Files), and 3.
Charles Bratt: Personal.
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