February, 1936, 1936

Union activity during February was devoted to obtaining help for evicted tenants from various New Deal agencies. See especially Gardner Jackson's report on his discussions with the WPA (12) and Kester's letters on his negotiations with the Resettlement Administration concerning a projected cooperative farm for displaced tenants (18, 21, 29). Toward the end of the month, a frequent topic in the correspondence is the case of Jim Ball, a black STFU organizer convicted of "intent to kill" a deputy sheriff during the violence at Earle in January; see especially the STFU brief before the Arkansas Supreme Court appealing Ball's case (26).