Union organizer and balladeer Ella May became a martyr for workers nationwide when she was murdered on her way to a union meeting in Gastonia, North Carolina, at age 28. A mother of nine and bookkeeper for the communist-led National Textile Workers Union, May worked to organize fellow mill workers in Gaston County. Her efforts to organize black workers--along with her brash, outspoken manner--incensed the local community and she was shot by an anti-union vigilante group on September 14, 1929.
Written by her great-granddaughter, this book tells Ella May's story, including her involvement in the Loray Mill Strike, the largest communist-led strike on American soil. Her most famous ballad, ""Mill Mother's Lament,"" reveals her motivation: ""It is for our little children.""
By:
Kristina Horton Imprint: McFarland & Co Inc Country of Publication: United States Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 12mm
Weight: 322g ISBN:9780786499649 ISBN 10: 0786499648 Pages: 232 Publication Date:15 July 2015 Recommended Age: From 18 years Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Kristina Horton, the great-granddaughter of Ella May, is a public elementary teacher in Asheville, North Carolina.
Reviews for Martyr of Loray Mill: Ella May and the 1929 Textile Workers' Strike in Gastonia, North Carolina
“excellent”—Appalachian Journal; “fascinating and recommend[ed]”—Northern Review of Books.