Freedom Train

Black Politics and the Story of Interracial Labor Solidarity

Cedric De Leon

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English

University of California Press
15 April 2025

Ethnic studies; Ethnic minorities & multicultural studies; Sociology: work & labour; Labour economics; Trade unions

Revealing the central role of Black activists in spurring interracial solidarity in the US labor movement.

Most accounts of interracial solidarity focus on white union activists. In Freedom Train, Cedric de Leon, a former organizer and elected leader in the US labor movement, argues that we can't comprehend the history of workers' triumphs in the United States without investigating the role of Black liberation. This book shows that, from the early twentieth century to the years immediately following the March on Washington and beyond, independent Black labor organizations have pushed the white labor movement toward a fierce and effective interracial solidarity.

Drawing on the minutes, correspondence, and speeches of Black labor activists and organizations from 1917 to 1968, de Leon reveals that Black people have been the most ardent and consistent proponents of racial inclusion, leadership representation, and programs linking economic and racial justice. He also demonstrates how conflict and consensus among Black labor groups fueled the fight for solidarity, as different factions split and consolidated to form successive and sometimes competing Black labor organizations. Freedom Train centers the contributions of Black people to the multiracial unions we have today and demonstrates that internal conflict can be a source of strategic innovation and social movement success.

By: Cedric De Leon
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 499g
ISBN: 9780520410251
ISBN 10: 0520410254
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 15 April 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Cedric de Leon is Professor of Sociology and Labor Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.