An ongoing illustrative history study
This piece originally posted on 09/07/2026 (Labor Day)
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"It's hard; organizing is one of the hardest, most thankless jobs. But you keep on plugging. Nothing is ever lost. Never give up, knowing that this is a part of the struggle. Because it's planned that workers should be as tired as they can be so that all they have enough nerve for is to go home and try to get up and go back to work tomorrow. If you're dedicated, you've got to be in there plugging. And it's not easy."
Everybody take a moment to silently thank union organizer and community activist Sylvia Woods, who came to Chicago in the 1930s at the height (depth?) of The Great Depression. Born in 1909 New Orleans to parents who were themselves trade unionists, Sylvia picked up on the family's priorities and at the age of 16 organized Chicago's first Laundry Workers Union, which included sit-down strikes and other forms of protest. At the outset of World War II she established Bendix Local 330 of the United Auto Workers (UAW), and eventually was elected its secretary-treasurer --a significant achievement for a Black woman in those days.
In 1946 she ran for Illinois State Representative, and though she did not win she accumulated 25,000 votes... clearly her message was resonating. Later Woods would be one of the organizers/founders of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO). She protested the murder of Emmett Till (see Lesson #110 in this series), and publicly advocated for Paul Robeson (see Lesson #18), all of which of course landed her in Joseph McCarthy's crosshairs. In her later years she took up the cause of defending Angela Davis, alongside journalists such as Marvel Cooke (see Lesson #214).
Through her efforts (and certainly through plenty of firsthand experience!), Woods understood that ultimately, racism was (and still is) a tool used to divide the working class. Literally a Communist (as in, a dues-paying member and so very much on the receiving end of all the scorn and threats that such a membership entailed), she nevertheless pushed for Black and white workers to unite to defend their collective rights, an ideology which remained her north star through a lifetime of behind-the-scenes organizing work.
Dive deeper into Ms. Woods' story at: https://www.blackagendareport.com/interview-talk-sylvia-woods-1974
Watch a fascinating dramatization of an interview with Woods, where she recounts her disdain for being made to sing the Star-Spangled Banner at the age of ten, as its lofty words meant so little to people like her - https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/sylvia-woods-fight-for-freedom/
Next lesson - Watch this space