Oct. 31, 1891: Coal Creek War
A labor uprising to protest convict leasing led to the Coal Creek War.
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Theme: Labor
Labor
Nov. 8, 1892: Massive Labor Strike in New Orleans
Thirty thousand factory and dock workers staged the 1892 New Orleans general strike.
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Sept. 5, 1917: Federal Raids on IWW
Federal agents seized records, destroyed equipment and books, and arrested hundreds of activists involved with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).
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From the New Deal to the Green New Deal: Stories of Crisis and Possibility
Teaching Activity. By Suzanna Kassouf, Matt Reed, Tim Swinehart, Ursula Wolfe-Rocca, and Bill Bigelow.
The stories of twenty people whose lives were touched by the New Deal of the 1930s come to life in this classroom activity, intended to open students' minds to the possibilities of a Green New Deal.
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The stories of twenty people whose lives were touched by the New Deal of the 1930s come to life in this classroom activity, intended to open students' minds to the possibilities of a Green New Deal.
Oct. 17, 1950: Empire Zinc Strike
The local chapter of the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers went on strike to protest their segregated housing and unfair wages and living conditions.
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March 7, 1932: Hunger March Against Ford Motors
A hunger march by unemployed workers against Ford Motors.
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Ben Fletcher: The Life and Times of a Black Wobbly
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Peter Cole. 2021. 352 pages.
This biography details the life of Black IWW organizer Ben Fletcher and the working class struggles he took part in.
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This biography details the life of Black IWW organizer Ben Fletcher and the working class struggles he took part in.
Still Dreaming / Seguimos soñando
Picture book. Written by Claudia Guadalupe Martínez, illustrated by Magdalena Mora, and translated by Luis Humberto Crosthwaite. 2022. 40 pages.
The story of a boy and his family who leave their beloved home to avoid being separated by the government during the Mexican Repatriation.
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The story of a boy and his family who leave their beloved home to avoid being separated by the government during the Mexican Repatriation.
Dec. 30, 1936: First Sit-Down Strike Begins in Flint
The Flint sit-down strike represented a shift in union organizing strategies from craft unionism (organizing white male skilled workers) to industrial unionism (organizing all the workers in an industry). The sit-down strike changed the balance of power between employers and workers.
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March 21, 1919: Associated Negro Press Launched
Entrepreneur Claude Albert Barnett launched the Associated Negro Press, or ANP, a nationwide and international news service that focused on current events, feature stories, opinions and other information important to African Americans but usually ignored by or unknown to white-owned mainstream media.
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Standing Up
Book — Fiction. By Ellen Bravo and Larry Miller. 2021. 284 pages.
This collection of stories highlights the importance of collective struggle, both in the workplace and in the community.
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This collection of stories highlights the importance of collective struggle, both in the workplace and in the community.
Anne Braden Speaks: Selected Writings and Speeches, 1947-1999
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Ben Wilkins. 2022. 216 pages.
A representative collection of Anne Braden's writings, speeches, and letters, from the relationship between race and capitalism, to the role of the South in U.S. society, to the function of anti-communism.
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A representative collection of Anne Braden's writings, speeches, and letters, from the relationship between race and capitalism, to the role of the South in U.S. society, to the function of anti-communism.
July 11, 1947: Anguilla Prison Massacre
A camp warden and guards shot dead seven prisoners being held at the Anguilla Prison in Georgia. The Anguilla Prison Massacre Quilt Project tells that story, drawing on records from the NAACP.
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Harlan County USA
Film. Directed and produced by Barbara Kopple. 1976. 103 minutes.
This documentary tells the story of a Kentucky coal miners' strike and the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.
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This documentary tells the story of a Kentucky coal miners' strike and the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.
Daniel Shays’s Honorable Rebellion: An American Story
Book — Non-fiction. By Daniel Bullen. 2021. 320 pages.
A history of Shays’ Rebellion, where farmers challenged the state’s authority to seize their farms for flagrantly unjust taxes, told from the protesters’ perspective.
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A history of Shays’ Rebellion, where farmers challenged the state’s authority to seize their farms for flagrantly unjust taxes, told from the protesters’ perspective.
21st Century Voices of a People’s History of the United States: Documents of Resistance and Hope, 2000-2023
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Anthony Arnove and Haley Pessin. 2023. 352 pages.
Speeches, essays, songs, and documents from a range of movements offering hope for those seeking to understand our recent history so they can better understand how to change it.
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Speeches, essays, songs, and documents from a range of movements offering hope for those seeking to understand our recent history so they can better understand how to change it.
May 14, 1913: Longshore Strike in Philadelphia
More than four thousand Philadelphia longshoremen, organized by African American IWW leader Ben Fletcher, went on strike and shut down one of the busiest ports in the United States.
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Jan. 28, 1948: Plane Wreck at Los Gatos
A plane crash near Coalinga, California, causing the death of 28 Mexican laborers and others, led to a popular song and belated recognition.
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Three Strikes: Miners, Musicians, Salesgirls, and the Fighting Spirit of Labor’s Last Century
Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn, Dana Frank, and Robin D. G. Kelley. 2002. 184 pages.
Three renowned historians present stirring tales of labor and the effectiveness of strikes and organized labor.
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Three renowned historians present stirring tales of labor and the effectiveness of strikes and organized labor.
June 19, 2015: Stop Sugar Field Burning Campaign Begins
The Sierra Club launched the Stop Sugar Field Burning Campaign to bring an end to the practice of sugarcane field burning which is harmful to the environmental and the health of local residents.
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Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class
Book — Non-fiction. By Blair L. M. Kelley. 2023. 352 pages.
This book uses personal narratives to highlight the community and networks of resistance that Black laborers built in the face of racism and segregation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
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This book uses personal narratives to highlight the community and networks of resistance that Black laborers built in the face of racism and segregation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
La historia del pueblo de Estados Unidos para jóvenes
Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff with additions by Ed Morales. Translated by Hugo García Manríquez. 2023. 608 pages.
A Spanish translation of the young adult version of the best-selling A People’s History of the United States.
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A Spanish translation of the young adult version of the best-selling A People’s History of the United States.
Sept. 1, 1946: Hawaiian Sugar Plantation Workers Stage Mass Strike
Led by the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union (ILWU), sugar workers on 33 of Hawai’i’s 34 plantations went on strike, which lasted almost three months and led to substantial improvements in pay, housing, and working conditions.
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May 1, 1970: D.C. Sanitation Worker Strike Begins
Amidst a looming “garbage crisis” in Washington, D.C., on May 1, 1970, 1,700 sanitation workers went on strike to demand an end to racial discrimination, unsafe working conditions, low pay, and unequal pick-up routes.
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Until We’re Seen: Public College Students Expose the Hidden Inequalities of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Book — Non-fiction. 2024. Edited by Jeanne Theoharis and Joseph Entin. 320 pages.
Firsthand accounts of COVID-19’s devastating effects on working-class communities of color.
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Firsthand accounts of COVID-19’s devastating effects on working-class communities of color.