Black History Month

Labor Movements: African Americans have been pivotal in organizing for better working conditions and fair compensation, often facing and challenging systemic discrimination.

• Colored National Labor Union (CNLU) (1869)
  • Established as an alternative to the National Labor Union, which excluded Black workers, the CNLU aimed to improve labor conditions and advocate for African American workers' rights.
• Sharecroppers' Union (1931–1940s)
  • Organized in Alabama, this union fought against exploitative practices by landowners, advocating for better pay and working conditions for Black sharecroppers.
• National Domestic Workers Union (1968)
  • Founded by Dorothy Bolden in Atlanta, this union sought to improve wages and working conditions for domestic workers, many of whom were African American women.
• Steelworkers Organizing Committee (1936)
  • This committee worked to unionize steelworkers, including African Americans, advocating for fair wages and desegregation within the industry.
• Port Chicago Disaster and Mutiny (1944)
  • After a deadly explosion at a naval magazine in California, African American sailors protested unsafe working conditions, leading to a mutiny trial that highlighted racial discrimination in the military.
• Atlanta Washerwomen Strike (1881)
  • African American laundresses in Atlanta organized a strike demanding higher wages and greater autonomy, marking one of the earliest labor movements led by Black women.
• Black Coal Miners in Alabama (19th and 20th Centuries)
  • African American coal miners in Alabama organized to fight against exploitative labor practices and played a significant role in unionizing the mining industry.

Historical Figures:

• C.L. Dellums
  • President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; advocated for transportation industry labor rights.
• Charles Hamilton Houston
  • Legal strategist who dismantled racial barriers in labor through legal advocacy.
• Dorothy Bolden
  • Founder of the National Domestic Workers Union; improved wages and working conditions for Black domestic workers.
• Fannie Lou Hamer
  • Advocate for Black agricultural laborers’ rights; fought for fair wages and humane conditions.
• Frederick Douglass
  • Abolitionist and economic equality advocate; linked labor rights to human rights.
• John Henry "Pop" Lloyd
  • Negro League baseball player; highlighted economic struggles and opportunities for Black athletes.
• Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Civil rights leader; supported labor rights and economic justice, including the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike.
• Paul Robeson
  • Actor, singer, and activist; spoke out against labor discrimination and economic injustice.
• W.E.B. Du Bois
  • Co-founder of the NAACP; emphasized higher education and leadership roles for African Americans.

Contemporary Figures:

• Angela Davis

  • ​​​​​​​Activist and scholar; connects labor exploitation with systemic racism.

• Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta (Allies)

  • ​​​​​​​Collaborated with African American leaders on labor rights for marginalized groups.​​​​​​​

• Terrence Melvin

  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Current president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists; fights for equitable labor practices.