Working History

Professor Chad Pearson of Collin College, author of "Reform or Repression," traces the roots of modern anti-unionism in the U.S. to the early 20th century open shop movement and a push by business interests nationwide to break unions and stall the momentum of organized labor.

Scott Nelson, Legum Professor of History at the College of William & Mary and SLSA’s immediate past president, presents the lecture, “The White Whale: Why Moby Dick Is a Story about the Fate of Southern Labor in the Age of Slavery.” The lecture and Q&A session were recorded at the SLSA luncheon at the 2015 Southern Historical Association meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Professor Michael Honey of the University of Washington, Tacoma, discusses the documentary that he directed and co-produced, "Love and Solidarity: The Story of Rev. James Lawson," and Lawson's work of building solidarity and movements for social justice from the Civil Rights Era to today.

Professor Michelle Haberland of Georgia Southern University, author of "Striking Beauties: Women Apparel Workers in the U.S. South," discusses the dynamics of gender, class, race and globalization in the southern apparel industry from the 1930s to today.

Professor Kenneth Fones-Wolf of West Virginia University discusses his book, co-authored with Elizabeth Fones-Wolf, "Struggle for the Soul of the Postwar South," the role of religion in the CIO's Operation Dixie, and provides perspective on the participation of faith communities in the modern labor movement.

Professor Jacob Remes of SUNY Empire State College discusses his book, "Disaster Citizenship," and challenges prevailing assumptions about how ordinary people, governments, and institutions act in the wake of natural disasters.

Professor Talitha LeFlouria, a fellow at the Carter G. Woodson Institute at the University of Virginia, discusses her book, "Chained in Silence," and the lives, labors, and legacies of incarcerated black women and the convict lease system in the early 20th century South.

Julie Greene, Professor of History at the University of Maryland and author of the forthcoming book, “Box 25: The World of Caribbean Workers,” discusses the men who built the Panama Canal, working and living conditions in the Canal Zone, and how U.S. expansionism at the turn of the twentieth century fueled the growth of a transnational working class.

Activist and grassroots organizer Anton Flores of Alterna discusses immigrant rights, federal immigration policy, and the detention of undocumented immigrants at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. Guest hosted by Professor Jennifer Brooks of Auburn University.

Professor Evan Bennett of Florida Atlantic University, author of "When Tobacco Was King," discusses the development and demise of family tobacco farms, tobacco farming culture, and the New Deal's Federal Tobacco Program.

Professor Elizabeth Shermer of Loyola University Chicago explores the impacts of corporate influence and the politics shaping higher education, past and present.

Professor Jay Driskell of Hood College, author of "Schooling Jim Crow," traces the roots of black protest politics to early 20th century Atlanta and the fight for equal education.