The AFL-CIO headquarters was filled with love, laughter, and support on Friday June 24th, as a spirited crowd welcomed a panel to “Please Don’t Touch My Hair: A Conversation on Black Hair in the Workplace.” This event, hosted by the department of Civil, Human and Women’s Rights, focused on how and why black people still face enormous levels of discrimination on the job due to their hair, and what can be done to change it. With passion and humor, panelists gave advice on self-confidence and self-care, as well as guidance on confronting and changing hostile workplaces. But, to quote Panelist Michele Jawando from the Center for American Progress, “we are just starting the conversation, this is not the period.” - Christian Berk - photo: panelists and attendees take group photo shouting "black hair matters." Pride at Work “focuses primarily on educating labor, LGBT issues and educating the LGBT community about labor issues,” said executive director Jerame Davis. Now there is a new way to learn about the issues and the organization. Last summer Pride at Work donated a collection of records and objects to the Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Maryland. After months of hard work the collection is now complete, and just in time for Pride at Work's 22nd anniversary on June 24th. Dive into this collection and follow the organization’s development from a network of LGBT labor activists to the organization that exists today. Contact the the University of Maryland here for details on how to access the collection. - Christian Berk - Adapted from Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Maryland blog post - photo: examples of archived Pride at Work photos Emma Goldman (left), women's rights activist and radical, born in Lithuania. She came to the U.S. at age 17 - 1869 The Industrial Workers of the World, also known as the "Wobblies," is founded at a 12-day-long convention in Chicago. The Wobbly motto: "An injury to one is an injury to all." - 1905 Congress passes the National Labor Relations Act, creating the structure for collective bargaining in the United States - 1935 (The Labor Law Source Book: Texts of 20 Federal Labor Laws: A very handy collection that puts the full texts of all the major U.S. labor laws into one book. Includes the National Labor Relations Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Occupational Safety and Health Act, Family and Medical Leave Act and 15 more. The full, actual language of each law is presented—without elaboration by the editor—and a helpful topic finder at the back of the book tells you which laws apply to basic concerns and classes of workers.) A 26-day strike of New York City hotels by 26,000 workers—the first such walkout in 50 years—ends with a 5-year contract calling for big wage and benefit gains - 1985 A.E. Staley locks out 763 workers in Decatur, Ill. The lockout was to last two and one-half years - 1993 |