News & Updates

2025 Joe Hill Award Honorees: Rosemary Feurer & Mark Dimondstein

The Labor Heritage Foundation is proud to present 2025 Joe Hill Awards to Rosemary Feurer and Mark Dimondstein, two lifelong champions of labor history, culture, and justice. They’ll receive the awards tonight at 7:30 at McGinty’s; all are welcome to join us in celebrating their achievements.  

A historian, filmmaker, and organizer, Rosemary Feurer has worked tirelessly to preserve and elevate the legacy of labor activist Mother Jones—through films, festivals, a museum, and a forthcoming public statue in Chicago. She brings labor history to life through art, storytelling, and public engagement.

Mark Dimondstein, longtime president of the American Postal Workers Union, has led bold national campaigns to defend the public Postal Service while fostering cultural expression inside the labor movement. From launching the APWU History Center to amplifying worker voices through union publications, he has made labor history a living, organizing tool.

Together, Rosemary and Mark embody the spirit of Joe Hill: educating, agitating, and inspiring through the arts and the enduring power of worker solidarity. 

Protest Art Returns to the Mall

A new 8-foot sculpture titled Dictator Approved has appeared on the National Mall, showing a gold thumbs-up crushing the Statue of Liberty’s crown. Created by anonymous artists, the provocative piece is a follow-up to last year’s infamous poop statue and critiques global authoritarian praise for Donald Trump. Read more.

Interning at the Intersection of Art and Labor

During her Spring internship with the Labor Heritage Foundation, Mircy Coca Soriano explored how art, music, and storytelling fuel labor activism and solidarity. “I learned that songs about work, protest signs, and spoken-word pieces are more than just creative expressions: they are acts of resistance and solidarity,” she writes. From curating digital content to helping organize events like the 2025 Solidarity Forever Award, the Union College junior witnessed firsthand how culture empowers working people. Her reflections highlight the enduring power of labor arts to educate, inspire, and drive change. Read the full story.

photo: Mircy at the June 6 Union Veterans’ rally; photo by Chris Garlock

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CLICK HERE for our complete labor arts calendar; look for our Labor Arts Calendar edition on Monday

June 20, 1893

The American Railway Union, headed by Eugene Debs, is founded. In the Pullman strike a year later, the union was defeated by federal injunctions and troops, and Debs was imprisoned for violating the injunctions.

Tony Mazzocchi, Cowboy Strikes, and the Power of Solidarity

On this week’s Labor History Today: We remember legendary union leader Tony Mazzocchi—his fight for worker safety, his role in founding the Labor Party, and his lasting impact on labor arts.

Plus, Seth Newton Patel’s song about the untold story of the multiracial cowboy strike of 1883, and a look back at the 1937 miners’ solidarity strike.

LAST WEEK’S QUIZ: Miners' Union Day on June 14 featured free General Admission to Butte's World Museum of Mining, reduced rate underground tours, kids activities and "Honoring Miners" by David Armstrong. 

"We Got to Move It, Move It!" (6/13)

Dropkick Murphys: “Who’ll Stand With Us?” (6/6)

Trump Fires National Portrait Gallery director; Arts Advocates Push Back (5/31)

AFM Defends Springsteen and Swift After Trump Attacks (5/23)

Make Art. Build Power. (5/16)

Shawn Fain: “Telling workers’ stories is revolutionary” (5/9)