Madison Foster's papers document some of the most important currents of black activism of the 1960s and early 1970s, and provide a unique insight into the history of this period. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Black Action Movement; League of Revolutionary Black Workers; International Black Appeal; and Topical Files.
Madison James Foster was a African-American author, teacher, and activist whose career spanned a wide range of political and intellectual pursuits. Born in Louisiana in 1940, Foster attended Morehouse College, center of early civil rights activity. In 1963 he came to the University of Michigan School of Social Work as a graduate student. After spending several years studying in Europe he returned to Michigan as a faculty member, and involved himself in two highly significant organizations: the League of Revolutionary Black Workers in Detroit, and the Black Action Movement at the University of Michigan.
From 1969 through 1972 Foster was an active member of the League of Revolutionary Black Workers. Organized by a group of Detroit's most dynamic activists, the League challenged the automobile companies and the United Auto Workers union hierarchy with outspoken propaganda and militant wildcat strikes. Though less flamboyant than the Black Panthers, the League was certainly one of the most serious and well-organized political groups of its time.
While involved in the League, Foster also took part in the highly controversial Black Action Movement strike of March, 1970. As a strategist and negotiator, he helped BAM win unprecedented concessions from the University of Michigan administration. In the opinion of many experts, the 13-day BAM strike was one of the most successful student strikes of the Vietnam era.
Foster was also active in 1971 in organizing the Ann Arbor chapter of the International Black Appeal (IBA), a funding organization developed to address the particular needs of the black community.
