News & Updates

EDITOR'S NOTE: Donald Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center and criticism of the Smithsonian reveal that even non-partisan cultural icons are not immune from his attacks. As with his efforts to defund libraries and museums (see stories below), these moves aren’t just about budgets — they’re about reshaping public spaces, silencing dissent, and controlling the stories we tell about ourselves. Here at LHF we are committed to lifting up those who are telling those stories; we will not be silenced or controlled but we desperately need your financial support to ensure that we can continue doing so.

If you’re already an LHF member, Thank You and please consider making a donation to the Straus Matching Grant, which will double your contribution.

If you’re not yet a member, please consider joining; membership not only support LHF’s work, but will get you discounts to events like the May 3 DC Labor Chorus concert and the DC Labor FilmFest.

Thanks for supporting “The art and soul of the American labor movement”!

- Chris

LABOR ARTS NEWS BRIEFS

AFSCME to Trump: Don’t Close the Book on Libraries

AFSCME and the American Library Association filed a lawsuit this week challenging a Trump administration executive order dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent agency that supports museums and libraries in every state. Read more.

No Robots in the Stacks: Austin Bookstore Staff Win AI Protections

Staff at an independent bookstore in Austin, Texas, represented by Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 277, are celebrating new critical artificial intelligence (AI) safeguards in their collective bargaining agreement. Read more.

Readers Write: Remember the Reel Work Labor Film Festival

“Greetings,” writes Aileen Vance. “Just wanted to let you know that that your sister film fest over here on the West Coast, the Reel Work Labor Film Festival in Santa Cruz CA has a great lineup of films and cultural events this season, too. Here’s the schedule, complete with trailers, speakers, and there are some virtual events as well. All events are free and open to the public.”

Thanks, Aileen! Note that we’ve also added the Reel Work line-up to the LHF calendar as well.

“Thanks for another great newsletter,” writes Joe Jencks. “Is this – ‘The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too’ (at the bottom of the LHF newsletter) a quote from Mark Twain?”

Thanks, Joe! Great question—“Bread and Roses” comes from a 1911 poem by James Oppenheim, inspired by labor activist Rose Schneiderman. It became a rallying cry during the 1912 Lawrence textile strike.

At this past Wednesday’s picket by workers forming the Washington Post Tech Guild, seeking recognition to fight for equity, fair pay, job security, and a stronger voice at work. Support them by signing their petition requesting voluntary recognition, visiting their website for more information, and following them on Twitter/X and BlueSky.

photo by Chris Garlock

Like this newsletter? Help us spread labor art by passing it along!

Clockwatchers (Monday, May 05 at the DC Labor FilmFest)

Check out the full line-up here!

BONUS VIDEO: CLICK HERE to hear young Starbucks workers in Wilkes-Barre talking frankly about their working conditions. 

"All You Fonies"- Dropkick Murphys

History prof Nick Juravich’s almost-favorite labor song; hear him talk about it on this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour.

“Men have been in power for thousands of years and we fucked it up. And now we have to give it over to women.”

Ted Turner, as told by Jane Fonda on the SAG-AFTRA podcast.

Cleota Proctor Wilbekin’s The Unbalanced Scales of Justice (2012) is a visually striking and deeply symbolic work that offers a powerful critique of the American justice system. The piece addresses racial injustice but also, for me, evokes labor inequality as well. By Mircy Coca Soriano; Read more here.

LHF intern Mircy Coca Soriano is a junior at Union College in Schenectady, NY. The Unbalanced Scales of Justice is part of the Renwick’s exhibit We Gather at the Edge: Contemporary Quilts by Black Women Artists.

GOT LABOR ART? Email us at info@laborheritage.org

Working Class Blue

You have to work all

week to pay for the

concession of being

nickel and dimed, man-

ufacturing thoughts of

violence for above and

beyond simply punching

some goddamed time-

clock sixty hours

a week, dying to

live paycheck to paycheck…

Dan Grote, Waymart PA, in The Blue Collar Review, from Partisan Press

Read the whole poem here.

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

WEEKEND LABOR ARTS CALENDAR

Power & Light: Russell Lee's Coal Survey

Historic photographs of Yakima Valley farmworkers

April 11, 1947

Jackie Robinson, first black ballplayer hired by a major league team, plays his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbetts Field. 

A Chance to Harmonize. How FDR used folk music to build community and lift spirits during the Great Depression, from Sheryl Kaskowitz’s A Chance to Harmonize. Plus: Rose Schneiderman is born.

“Now is the time to mobilize” (4/4)

Trump's EO “The very definition of union-busting” (3/28)

Celebrating Mother Jones’ Irish heritage (3/21)

Jeff Bezos has a Rocketship Called: New Shepard (3/14)

The Communist Folk Singers Who Shaped Bob Dylan (3/7)

Contest: Songs and Chants for the Strike Line (2/28)

Free Black History Month Virtual Screenings (2/21)