Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class [Paperback]

Named one of [Blair LM] Kelleys An excellent guide for examining in greater detail (and thus more diversity) the intersections of family, gender, race, work, class and social justice. Admirably sweeping in narrative and scope. In 'Black Folk . . . [is] a groundbreaking account of the Black working class in the generations that have come after Juneteenth . . . Juneteenth recognizes and honors a struggle that continues. Like Labor Day, it recognizes the past successes and undermining of workers as well as the unfinished work left to secure equity for them. Amid increasing efforts to criminalize and erase Black history, what better day to shine a spotlight on what Black labor has endured, and the overdue compensation their descendants are owed? [O]ne of the greatest books I have read about labor in America. The fascinating, revealing, at times heartbreakingyet inspiring319-page volume chronicles the role of the Black working class who contributed mightily to this countrys wealth and development as a global superpower. Remember how totally dry your high school history books were? Yeah, this is nothing like those. Black Folk lets readers get to actually know people who lived a century ago or more. Its like being carefully handed a living, breathing story to hold. Kelley's indictment of the systemic barriers that have affected countless Black families in work, housing, and more begins with her own family history of enslaved ancestors . . . [ [A] poignant and celebratory chronicle of Black labor movements in America. Alongside more well-known stories, such as the unionization of Pullman porters, Kelley also sheds new light on Black womens contributions to labor struggles . . . Full of persuasive insights into Black working-class life and the legacy of communal care spearheaded by Black women, this is a powerful reimagining of the history of labor in the U.S. Award-winning historian Kelley, director of the Center for the Study of the American South and autholƒƒ