The East Side Freedom Library invites you to our monthly Labor History Discussion, The Labor Movement and the Struggle for Racial Justice: The United Packinghouse Workers and the Murder of Emmett Till.

Register here to join this event on Zoom.

The impact of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 echoes the impact of the murder of Emmett Till in 1955. Awareness of institutionalized racism—and protest against it—reached new levels. Institutions of all sorts were—and are—put to the test. How would they use their resources and their access to power and public platforms to educate, organize, and promote change? At the East Side Freedom Library we believe that a conversation between the past and the present, grounded in a careful study of history, can help us chart our way through a troubling present and towards a better future.

Matt Nichter, a Professor of Sociology at Rollins College, has unearthed and narrated the inspiring story of how one union, the United Packinghouse Workers of America, responded to the murder of Emmett Till. His article appeared in LABOR: STUDIES IN WORKING-CLASS HISTORY, which is the journal of the Labor and Working Class History Association. You can find the article here. Or, if you have any difficulty with the link, email us and we will email you a pdf of it. Matt has generously not only provided us with free access to his article, but he will be joining us for our conversation. Please plan to join us yourselves and spread the word to your friends and fellow workers.

Free and open to all