audiobook Introduction to African Civilizations by John G. Jackson in History

Description

Telling the stories of African American domestic workers; this book resurrects a little-known history of domestic worker activism in the 1960s and 1970s; offering new perspectives on race; labor; feminism; and organizing. In this groundbreaking history of African American domestic-worker organizing; scholar and activist Premilla Nadasen shatters countless myths and misconceptions about an historically misunderstood workforce. Resurrecting a little-known history of domestic-worker activism from the 1950s to the 1970s; Nadasen shows how these women were a far cry from the stereotyped passive and powerless victims; they were innovative labor organizers who tirelessly organized on buses and streets across the United States to bring dignity and legal recognition to their occupation.Dismissed by mainstream labor as “unorganizable;” African American household workers developed unique strategies for social change and formed unprecedented alliances with activists in both the women’s rights and the black freedom movements. Using storytelling as a form of activism and as means of establishing a collective identity as workers; these women proudly declared; “We refuse to be your mammies; nannies; aunties; uncles; girls; handmaidens any longer.”With compelling personal stories of the leaders and participants on the front lines; Household Workers Unite gives voice to the poor women of color whose dedicated struggle for higher wages; better working conditions; and respect on the job created a sustained political movement that endures today.Winner of the 2016 Sara A. Whaley Book PrizeFrom the Hardcover edition.