February 14, 1817: Anti-slavery activist Frederick Douglass was born on this date. (Check out the graphic novel about Frederick Douglass by comic book artist extraordinaire, David Walker)
February 14, 1903: President Theodore Roosevelt signed a law creating the Department of Commerce and Labor.
February 14, 1903: The Western Federation of Miners (WFM) went on strike for the 8-hour working day. Big Bill Hayward was the secretary-treasurer at the time. He left WFM in 1905 to co-found the Industrial Workers of the World. (See The Eye That Never Sleeps for a reference to the Pinkerton’s attempt to frame him).
February 14, 1903: Composer Abel Meeropol was born on this date in the Bronx, NY. Meeropol wrote the anti-lynching song “Strange Fruit,” was active in the defense of the Rosenbergs, and ended adopting their son after their execution.
February 14, 1915: 8,000 to 10,000 unemployed workers rallied at Gateway Park, Minneapolis, in sleet and slush.
February 14, 1949: Canadian asbestos workers began a six-month strike.
February 14, 1997: Detroit newspaper strike ends after six months, but a court ruling, one year later, ordered the reinstatement of more than 1,000 of the scabs who had worked during the strike.
Loved the Billie Holiday video! Didn’t know Meeropol adopted the Rosenberg’s kid. Very cool!
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