During Women’s HerStory (History) Month, courageous women who have contributed to building the country and making it a fairer society are recalled in various ways — from exhibits and events to social media posts, book club readings, and guest speakers.
This year, I had the privilege of addressing a crowd at the United Federation of Teachers’ HerStory Brunch & Celebration, talking about the vision and achievements of ordinary women who did extraordinary things. Their accomplishments set the stage for women like me — the first African American and first female — to lead this great local union.
The origins of Women’s History Month as a national celebration began in 1981 when Congress first authorized the president to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.”
During the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.” It wasn’t until 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project that Congress designated the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”
The impact women have made in labor history is often missing from textbooks and the media despite the numerous roles women have played to organize, unionize, rally, and inspire workers to fight for justice.
As a female labor leader, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least call out a handful of the great women who paved our paths, some of whom came from humble beginnings and fought hard to make a difference in the world by following their hearts.
For example, Ella Baker, a true trailblazer in her time, a community organizer and political activist who brought her skills and principles to bear in the major civil rights organizations of the mid-20th century. She, like my parents, migrated from the south to come to New York City in search of employment for a better life. She found people suffering from poverty and hardship caused by the Great Depression and was introduced to radical political activism that became her life’s work. She was part of the staff of the NAACP and helped form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that was an integral part of the Civil Rights movement working with Dr. Martin Luther King.
We couldn’t speak about amazing women without mentioning Frances Perkins, the first female Secretary of Labor under President Roosevelt in 1933. After graduating from college, Frances felt the need to work with the poor and the unemployed and accepted a position as General Secretary of the Philadelphia Research and Protective Association, a new organization to thwart the diversion of newly arrived immigrant girls, including Black women from the south, into prostitution. Her work in part focused on legislation to limit the working hours of women and children in factories to 54 hours per week.
On March 25, 1911, Frances was having tea in New York City’s Washington Square when she heard fire engines. Running to the scene of the fire, Frances witnessed in horror as 47 workers – mostly young women — jumped to their deaths from the eighth and ninth floors of the building in what later became the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire disaster.
Under her tenure as Secretary of Labor, she advocated for the 40-hour work week, a minimum wage, unemployment relief, social security, and universal health insurance. She believed workers’ rights were civil rights.
Then there is Hattie Canty, legendary African-American unionist who migrated to Las Vegas from rural Alabama. She rose from the ranks of Las Vegas hotel maid to president of the Las Vegas Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Under her leadership, Local 226 emerged as one of the largest unions in southern Nevada. She led one of the longest strikes and this union now represents tens of thousands of workers employed in the hospitality industry.
We cannot talk about female labor leaders without mentioning the contributions of May Chen who in 1982, led the New York City Chinatown Strike, one of the largest Asian-American worker strikes with about 20,000 garment workers marching the streets of lower Manhattan demanding fair work contracts. She helped organize the strike, demanded higher wages, improved working conditions, and that management observe the principles of fairness and respect. That strike paved the way for better working conditions, hiring bilingual staff to interpret for workers and management, initiation of English language classes, and van services for workers.
Then there is Dolores Huerta. Before becoming a labor organizer, Dolores was a grammar school teacher, but quit after she saw children coming to school hungry and without proper clothing. She believed she could do more by organizing farm workers than by trying to teach hungry children.
In 1955, Dolores launched her career in labor organizing by helping Fred Ross train organizers in Stockton, California. Five years later, she founded the Agricultural Workers Association before organizing the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez in 1962.
She was a champion of labor rights, women’s rights, racial equality, and other civil rights causes, who successfully lobbied for voting rights for Mexican-Americans and for the right of every American to take the written driver’s test in a native language.
I also want to mention Mother Jones. After her husband and four children all died of yellow fever in 1867, and her dress shop was destroyed in the great Chicago Fire of 1871, she became an organizer for the Knights of Labor and the United Mine Workers Union. In 1902, she was called the “most dangerous woman in America” for her success in organizing miners and their families against mine owners. She was arrested several times in her plight to protect children and coal miners and served time in prison twice. Upon each release, Mother Jones never stopped supporting labor throughout the country until the day she died.
There are so many unsung sheroes who remain out of the history books, including all of you, who contribute daily to the successful running of one of the largest city governments in this country while at the same time, giving back in your own way to your own communities. If there is only one thing you take away from Women’s HERStory month, it’s that you can make a difference. If you have the compassion in your heart and soul to make change, then find what moves you and make that change.
My road to the presidency of CWA Local 1180 started as a Shop Steward. My passion to help others in the workplace is what set my trajectory to the top. Find what moves you and just do it. It might be uncomfortable at the beginning, but you would be no different than any of the history-making women who came before us.