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Illinois has a deep history of working people standing up for fair wages, decent working conditions, and dignity on the job. Labor strikes in Illinois have had lasting impacts not just on our state, but on the nation, and even the labor movements of other countries. This talk will tell some of those stories—including the fight for the eight-hour work day in the 1880s, to the 1890s strike of the Pullman Company, and its role in the passage of Labor Day as a national holiday. It will also cover some significant strikes right here in Champaign County. We will talk about what does it take for workers to put everything on the picket line—and why these past struggles matter for working people today.
Stephanie Fortado is a social and cultural historian of the modern United States, with a focus on African American working class and social movement history. She is especially interested in Civil Rights and Black Power history and in labor history, especially as it relates to women’s history, environmental history, and urban history.
Conveniently located at the corner of Race and Green in downtown Urbana.
