One of the very first union strikes in US history was mounted by a group of African American women in the deep South. Listen in and learn all about this little known slice of history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Josh and Chuck discuss the little-known Atlanta Washer Women's Strike of 1881, which was a pivotal event in labor and women's rights history.
The speaker talks about how they missed Yonkor but managed to throw a bag of poop at Chuck's house as a prank while being close to the cemetery. They express their disappointment about their friend not doing it on Stuff You Should Know show.
The story of the washerwomen who provided laundry services for families at extremely low rates, especially for black single moms, allowing them to provide for their families. They managed to run their own businesses and eke out a life despite being paid very little even though they had been slaves just a few years before.
In the mid-19th century, laundresses in the U.S. faced unfair wage and working conditions. However, in 1866, a group of 3,000 women in New York organized and went on strike, eventually forming the Washing Society to demand better treatment and rights for themselves and their profession.
The Atlanta Washerwomen's Strike of 1881 was a pivotal moment in the history of labor and women's rights in the US, where washerwomen fought for better wages and working conditions, eventually leading to the formation of the Association of Washerwomen.