When February came to a close we wrapped up the official – if one goes by the calendar and Presidential Proclamations – Black History Month.
I, for one, love that over my lifetime the month has evolved. February continues to be about celebrating the achievements of Black Americans as we recognize individuals; ordinary folks and those a bit more well-known. More importantly though, we now use the month to propel conversations about the work that still needs to be done in areas such as voting rights and ensuring equal access to the voting box, infrastructure issues (Flint! Jackson!) and the disparity in healthcare outcomes for Black women.
This February (my first in my new gig!!), our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Recruiting Teams shared a presentation and opened a discussion (at our weekly All-Team meeting) about “Black History & The Labor Movement.” (yes; we wear our HR badges proudly on our sleeves). Here are a few things I learned:
The Navy Strike of 1835
Caulking was essential to the building of Naval ships — and freed Black people were almost 70% of caulkers. In 1835, they organized a strike to protest unfair practices, demanding lunch/rest breaks and a workday of 10-hours max. This was the first recorded strike of any civilian military and federal employees. The strike was unsuccessful because its demands were not met — but shipyard owners did increase base wages for the protesting caulkers to get them to return to work.
The ideas from this group contributed to the successful labor demands that gave us the required lunch/rest breaks and 40-hour work week that we enjoy today.
The CNLU of 1869
Black workers established the Colored National Labor Union in 1869 after being denied membership in the National Labor Union for many years. The group petitioned Congress to alleviate the “condition of the colored workers of the southern states” by subdividing the public lands of the South into forty-acre farms and providing low-interest loans to black farmers. This is from where the term “40 acres and a mule” and the continued push for reparations to ADOEA comes.
Office of the Director of Negro Economics
During the Great Migration (1916 – 1930), Black people made significant gains in industrial employment, particularly in the steel, automobile, shipbuilding, and meatpacking industries. Between 1910 and 1920 the number of blacks employed in these industries grew from 500k to over 900k.
This led to the establishment of the Office of the Director of Negro Economics by President Wilson in 1918 which was the 2nd office created by the government to monitor and advocate for fair treatment of Black workers in the US. In its first year, the office received over 1000 complaints of unfair practices but less than 10% were reportedly addressed and resolved. The President disbanded the office at the end of 1919.
The EEOC was modeled in part after this office’s structure when established in 1965.
In addition to the history discussion we also talked about legislation to watch such as the PRO Act, H.R. 40, the Freedom to Vote Act, and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
And the Team shared podcasts, movies, documentaries, and books that we can – and SHOULD – read, watch, and listen to all year long. A few mentioned:
- Leading in Color (Sarah Morgan) – podcast
- Mississippi Burning – movie
- The 1619 Project – documentary (Hulu)
- Slavery by Another Name – documentary (PBS)
- The Warmth of Other Suns (Isabel Wilkerson) – book
- The Color of Law (Richard Rothstein) – book
Good stuff. GREAT stuff. I am so thankful to work for an organization where we not only take the time to have these discussions but encourage thoughtful dialogue and reflection.
And NOT just during the designated month but every month. Every day. For all.
Because Black History is American History. Every day. For all.
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