Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Today in Labor History—August 23


August 23, 1900 – Folk and protest singer Malvina Reynolds was born in San Francisco, California. Reynolds was denied a diploma by the city’s elite Lowell High School because her parents were opposed to US participation in World War I. She was perhaps best know for her satire of suburbia, "Little Boxes" which was most likely inspired by the tacky sprawl of house in Daly City, just outside of San Francisco.

August 23, 1909 – IWW strikers boarded a streetcar in McKees Rock, Pennsylvania looking for scabs. A deputy sheriff shot at them and was killed in the return fire. A gun battle ensued that killed 11 people.

August 23, 1917 - Black soldiers in Houston who were fed up with Jim Crow laws and ongoing harassment from whites decided to fight back. The gun battle left 17 dead and result in 64 soldiers being tried for murder and mutiny. 13 got death and 40 got life imprisonment. (From Workday Minnesota)

August 23, 1927 - Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were executed on this date in Massachusetts, despite their innocence and the outpouring of international support for their release. (From Workday Minnesota)

August 23, 1933 – Vigilantes assaulted 200 migrant workers in Yakima, Washington. (From the Daily Bleed)

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