All Labor Has Dignity: A Community Study of the Black Worker, Deindustrialization, and the Crisis of Democracy

Scholar W.E.B. Du Bois considered "the Black Worker” to be the central force in American history whose empowerment could make democracy real for all. Chicago is a city where the Black Worker connected the fight for workers' rights to the Civil Rights movement, electoral power, and peace while striving for a new democratic vision of citizenship.This fall reading group, co-facilitated by CPL Renaissance Project Scholar Jahan Choudhry, with Meghna Chandra, engages community members in the study of Chicago’s Black labor and civil rights history using archival materials from the CPL's Vivian G. Harsh Research Collections.Together, participants will read aloud speeches by Charles Hayes, Addie Wyatt, and Harold Washington, and other related texts by Du Bois, Martin Luther King Jr., and James Baldwin.No advance preparation is required, materials will be provided. The readings will be followed by a facilitated discussion that will foster a better understanding of issues and solutions related to crises of democracy.Accessibility Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.