Today in Labor History November 26, 1883: Abolitionist, women’s rights activist and former slave Sojourner Truth died on this date in Battle Creek, Michigan. She escaped slavery in 1826 and then sued her former master in 1828 to win the freedom of her son. She won the lawsuit, making her the first black woman to win such a case against a white man.
Today in Labor History November 26, 1911: Paul Lafargue, Cuban-French revolutionary and son-in-law of Karl Marx, died. Lafargue wrote “The Right to Be Lazy” in 1893 while in prison. Lafargue had Jewish, French, Indian, Creole and African ancestry. When IWW cofounder Daniel De Leon asked him about his origins, he replied that he was proudest of his “negro” ancestry. In his youth, Lefargue participated in the International Students Congress in 1865. Consequently, the government banned him from all French universities. So, he moved to London, where he became a frequent visitor to Marx’s house, ultimately marrying his daughter, Laura. Lafargue was a member of the General Council of the First International. He also participated in the Paris Commune.