With attacks against recognizing diversity coming from the highest office in the United States, State Representative Natalie Manley, (D-Joliet), recognizes that this year is more important than ever to recognize Black Americans’ early leadership in Illinois, including forming the first Black union.
The national theme for this year’s Black History Month is “African Americans and Labor.” The month of recognition has its origin in Chicago. The city was also instrumental in introducing Black Americans into the national labor movement.
Carter G. Woodson was a scholar whose dedication to celebrating the historical contributions of Black people led to the establishment of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), which became instrumental in the movement to establish Black History Month.
Woodson founded ASNLH after attending Chicago’s Lincoln Jubilee in 1915, an event celebrating 50 years of emancipation from slavery sponsored by the State of Illinois. Woodson believed African American contributions were overlooked and ignored by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who used them.
This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the creation of Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids by labor organizer and civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph, which was the first Black union to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor. Randolph organized workers of Illinois’ Pullman Company, a railcar manufacturer that relied heavily on Black labor.
“Illinois is great because of its people, and diversity continues to be our strength,” said Manley. “I encourage everyone to take a moment this month to reflect on our actual history and the contributions that so many Illinoisans from all walks of life have made.”
