Labor History Today

Who gets to tell workers’ history? Artist and “community-taught historian” Shaun Slifer shares how the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum grew from a grassroots vision into a community institution in Matewan. From installing homemade historical markers in Pittsburgh to preserving a red bandana carried toward the Battle of Blair Mountain, Slifer explores how working people reclaim their stories. Along the way, he reflects on listening to coalfield communities, collaborating with union miners, and building trust through the everyday objects families choose to share. Recorded September 5 at the Reuther-Pollack Symposium, “The Art of Labor,” in Wheeling, West Virginia. Our thanks to the organizers, the Wheeling Academy of Law and Science Foundation and the Ohio County Public Library. Patrick Dixon recorded the session. Produced by Chris Garlock. Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at [email protected] Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. #LaborRadioPod #History #WorkingClass #ClassStruggle @GeorgetownKILWP #LaborHistory @UMDMLA @ILLaborHistory @AFLCIO @StrikeHistory #LaborHistory @wrkclasshistory  

Labor History Today: In our first segment, we honor Dolores Huerta, the pioneering organizer and United Farm Workers co-founder who died this week at 96. Then, how did “Solidarity Forever” become labor’s enduring anthem? From the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum’s Mine Wars Forum podcast, historian and museum co-founder Catherine Venable Moore traces Ralph Chaplin’s song to West Virginia’s Paint Creek–Cabin Creek strike. Along the way: socialist newspapers, union-busting violence, and the work of building solidarity across differences. Hosted by Chris Garlock, produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at [email protected] #LaborRadioPod #History #WorkingClass #ClassStruggle @GeorgetownKILWP #LaborHistory @UMDMLA @ILLaborHistory @AFLCIO @StrikeHistory #LaborHistory @wrkclasshistory  

Labor History Today: UMWA Secretary-Treasurer Michael Phillippi connects Mother Jones’ legacy with today’s labor struggles at Miners Day in Mount Olive, Illinois. Then, we remember Jack Metzgar with our 2021 interview about Bridging the Divide and the value of working-class culture. Hosted by Chris Garlock. Thanks to James Goltz of JASE Media Service for the Miners Day recording. Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at [email protected] Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. #LaborRadioPod #History #WorkingClass #ClassStruggle @GeorgetownKILWP #LaborHistory @UMDMLA @ILLaborHistory @AFLCIO @StrikeHistory #LaborHistory @wrkclasshistory 

Labor History Today: LHT producer and host Chris Garlock toured the Reuther Library Archives last week with archivist and Tales from the Reuther Library host Dan Golodner; we'll share that tour in an upcoming episode of LHT. Meanwhile, here's one from our own archives... The legal and civil rights legacy of George W. Crockett Jr., from the Tales from the Reuther Library podcast. Peter Hammer describes the life and legacy of Crockett, a Black lawyer who fought racism and defended constitutional rights in landmark cases from the 1940s through the 1960s. Hammer is an A. Alfred Taubman Endowed Chair in the Wayne State University Law School and director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights. Originally aired October 16, 2022. Labor History Today is produced by the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. Today’s show edited by Patrick Dixon and engineered by Chris Garlock.

On Labor History Today: A Virginia road and a century-old song reveal how workers carry solidarity across generations. Anthony Dominiczak of the Labor Memory Project takes us along Gravel Lick Road in Castlewood, Virginia, where a family memorial and an abandoned coal plant connect the Harlan County Coal War, the Pittston strike and a more recent fight over a landfill. Then, marking Joe Hill’s 147th birthday, we share an episode from Solidarity Works, the United Steelworkers podcast. Chelsea Engle explores the immigrant worker, IWW organizer and songwriter whose songs still speak to working people today. Plus, Rick Smith, with Labor History in 2:00. Hosted by Chris Garlock. Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and Georgetown University’s Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. Explore more labor history and the Labor Landmarks Map at laborheritage.org. Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at [email protected] Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. #LaborRadioPod #History #WorkingClass #ClassStruggle @GeorgetownKILWP #LaborHistory @UMDMLA @ILLaborHistory @AFLCIO @StrikeHistory #LaborHistory @wrkclasshistory