- Title Pages
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Awakenings
- Part II In Struggle
- 6 “Strong, Firm, and Correct Propaganda” (1886)
- 7 “Socialism Is Not a Dream” (1888)
- 8 The Birth of the Knee-Pants Makers’ Union (memoir; 1924)
- 9 “The Whole City Seethed” (1892)
- 10 Working Women Unite (1893–1894)
- 11 The Attempted Assassination of Henry Clay Frick (memoir; 1912)
- 12 The Prophet Karl Marx (c. 1910s)
- 13 “Our Mecca” (memoir; n.d.)
- 14 “The Right to Control Birth” (1916)
- 15 A Personal and Confidential Letter to Louis Marshall (1917)
- 16 Gangsters and Socialists on Election Day (memoir; 1944)
- 17 “If I Were a Colored Man What Would I Do?” (1919)
- 18 The Meaning of Labor Day (1921)
- 19 An Encounter with a Klansman (memoir; n.d.)
- 20 Communist “Criminals” in Los Angeles (1929)
- 21 “Unions with Brains” (1930)
- 22 In Defense of the Kentucky Miners (1932)
- 23 “The Obligations of Youth Today” (1932)
- 24 “Some Vital Problems of Negro Labor” (1935)
- 25 “Charlatans and Gangsters and Pompous Racketeers” (1938)
- 26 “With Nazism We All Are at War” (1942)
- Part III Life of the Mind
- Part IV The Russian Revolution
- Part V The Question of Zionism
- Recommended Reading on Jewish Radicals
- Index
- About the Editor
“Some Vital Problems of Negro Labor” (1935)
“Some Vital Problems of Negro Labor” (1935)
- Chapter:
- (p.140) 24 “Some Vital Problems of Negro Labor” (1935)
- Source:
- Jewish Radicals
- Author(s):
Frank Crosswaith
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
This chapter argues that labor unions do not necessarily serve as obstacles to employment and economic advancement for the black community. As a matter of fact, while there have indeed been cases of prejudice against blacks in some labor unions, many organized labor movements—particularly the socialist unions—place the blacks on equal footing with the rest of their memberships. Some organizations, such as the ILGWU, even go so far as to extend education, empowerment—and even leadership roles—to their black members. Furthermore, the chapter emphasizes that joining labor unions is generally advantageous for the working class, and that the existence of racial prejudice in some unions should not discourage black labor organizing in its entirety.
Keywords: labor unions, working class, racial prejudice, black community, black labor movements, Frank Crosswaith
NYU Press Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
- Title Pages
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Awakenings
- Part II In Struggle
- 6 “Strong, Firm, and Correct Propaganda” (1886)
- 7 “Socialism Is Not a Dream” (1888)
- 8 The Birth of the Knee-Pants Makers’ Union (memoir; 1924)
- 9 “The Whole City Seethed” (1892)
- 10 Working Women Unite (1893–1894)
- 11 The Attempted Assassination of Henry Clay Frick (memoir; 1912)
- 12 The Prophet Karl Marx (c. 1910s)
- 13 “Our Mecca” (memoir; n.d.)
- 14 “The Right to Control Birth” (1916)
- 15 A Personal and Confidential Letter to Louis Marshall (1917)
- 16 Gangsters and Socialists on Election Day (memoir; 1944)
- 17 “If I Were a Colored Man What Would I Do?” (1919)
- 18 The Meaning of Labor Day (1921)
- 19 An Encounter with a Klansman (memoir; n.d.)
- 20 Communist “Criminals” in Los Angeles (1929)
- 21 “Unions with Brains” (1930)
- 22 In Defense of the Kentucky Miners (1932)
- 23 “The Obligations of Youth Today” (1932)
- 24 “Some Vital Problems of Negro Labor” (1935)
- 25 “Charlatans and Gangsters and Pompous Racketeers” (1938)
- 26 “With Nazism We All Are at War” (1942)
- Part III Life of the Mind
- Part IV The Russian Revolution
- Part V The Question of Zionism
- Recommended Reading on Jewish Radicals
- Index
- About the Editor
