1881 Atlanta washerwomen strike
The Atlanta washerwomen strike of 1881 was a labor strike in Atlanta, Georgia involving African American washerwomen. It began on July 19, 1881, and lasted into August 1881.[1] The strike began as an effort to establish better pay, more respect and autonomy, and a uniform base salary for their work.
Background
In
In July 1881, several washerwomen in the city founded the Washing Society.[5][6] At the first meeting, held in a local black church, officials were elected and a uniform rate for washerwomen was decided.[6] While initially consisting of only 20 washerwomen, within three weeks the Washing Society boasted 3,000 members.[2] Society members engaged in door-to-door canvassing and garnered support from several of the black churches in the city.[2][7] On July 19, the Washing Society declared a strike, demanding higher wages.[5][7] Additionally, they wanted a flat rate of $1 per twelve pounds of laundry and greater work autonomy.[3][4]
Course of the strike
The strike began several weeks before the start of the
Aftermath
The strike is one of several organized by domestic workers in the Southern United States during this time, being preceded by strikes in Galveston, Texas in 1877 and Jackson, Mississippi in 1866, though neither was larger than the Atlanta strike.[9]
In analyzing the success of the strike, Hunter cited that while some washerwomen saw wage increases, many did not, and low wages would continue to be an issue between washerwomen and their employers.
References
- ^ "July 19, 1881: Atlanta Washerwomen's Strike". Zinn Education Project. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Aronoff 2017.
- ^ a b c d Weber 2018a.
- ^ a b Weber 2018b.
- ^ a b c d e Kelley & Lewis 2005.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hunter 2007, p. 135.
- ^ a b c d Hunter 1998, p. 50.
- ^ Brattain 2001, p. 24.
- ^ Hunter 2007, p. 134.
Bibliography
- Aronoff, Kate (March 9, 2017). "Strikes Aren't for the Privileged". Jacobin. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- Brattain, Michelle (2001). Eskew, Glenn T. (ed.). Labor in the Modern South. ISBN 978-0-8203-2260-5 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 978-0-618-00182-8 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 978-0-415-96826-3 – via Google Books.
- Kelley, Robin D. G.; Lewis, Earl, eds. (2005). To Make Our World Anew: A History of African Americans. Vol. II. ISBN 978-0-19-983901-8 – via Google Books.
- Weber, Brandon (February 6, 2018a). "'We Mean Business or No Washing': The Atlanta Washerwomen Strike of 1881". The Progressive. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- Weber, Brandon (2018b). Class War, USA: Dispatches from Workers' Struggles in American History. ISBN 978-1-60846-871-3 – via Google Books.
Further reading
- "Atlanta's Washerwomen Strike". AFL–CIO. Archivedfrom the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
- Bentley, Rosalind (February 11, 2019). "Black Woman Magic: The Atlanta Laundry Workers' Strike of 1881". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- Phillips-Cunningham, Danielle (December 10, 2020). "The long history of Black women organizing in Georgia might decide Senate control". ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- St. Julien, Jahdziah (February 21, 2020). "The Atlanta Washerwomen Strike of 1881". New America. Retrieved August 4, 2020.