AfricaNow! June 28, 2023 Ben Fletcher & the IWW: International Labor Organizing & The Vital Role of Dockworkers

Topic and Guest: Today the show features a discussion that not only contextualizes labor as a broader category but also how it leads to specific radical movements.   Professor Peter Cole also focuses on the role of African American labor organizer Ben Fletcher of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) (a.k.a. Wobblies) in mobilizing workers in the early 20th century, connecting that movement's similarities to the new wave of unionizing that bypasses mainstream organizations.  In his most recent book Ben Fletcher: The Life & Writings of a Black Wobbly (PM Press, 2021), Dr. Peter Cole tells the story of a hero of the American working class.  As noted in book’s synopsis “In the early twentieth century, when many US unions disgracefully excluded black and Asian workers, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) warmly welcomed people of color, in keeping with their emphasis on class solidarity and their bold motto: “An Injury to One Is an Injury to All!” …A brilliant union organizer and a humorous orator, Benjamin Fletcher (1890–1949) was a tremendously important and well-loved African American member of the IWW during its heyday. Fletcher helped found and lead Local 8 of the IWW’s Marine Transport Workers Industrial Union, unquestionably the most powerful interracial union of its era, taking a principled stand against all forms of xenophobia and exclusion.” (From: https://www.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1144) 

Dr. Peter Cole, Professor and Graduate Director, Department of History, Western Illinois University.  Professor Cole researches the history of social movements, especially how workers and labor unions organize in ethnically and racially diverse societies. He also maintains scholarly interests in the history of African Americans, deindustrialization, South Africa, cities, technology, popular culture, historical memory, and the maritime world.  He is a Research Associate in the Society, Work and Development Institute (SWOP) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Cole is the founder and co-director of the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project (CRR19).  Cole’s most recent book, Ben Fletcher: The Life & Writings of a Black Wobbly (PM Press, 2021), is a much revised and greatly expanded version of one first published in 2006.  Other books and publications include:  Dockworker Power: Race & Activism in Durban and the San Francisco Bay Area won the Philip Taft Labor History Book Award; his chapter “Durban Dockers, Labour Internationalism, and Pan-Africanism,” published in Choke Points: Logistics Workers and Solidarity Movements Disrupting the Global Capitalist Supply Chain; Wobblies on the Waterfront: Interracial Unionism in Progressive-Era Philadelphia; co-editor of Wobblies of the World: A Global History of the IWW.  Dr. Cole has won multiple awards and grants at WIU such as College of Arts & Science Scholar of the Year, President’s Excellence in Diversity Award (for Teaching) and more.

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--YOU’RE PLAYING US TOO CLOSE” BY THIRD WORLD WITH STEVIE WONDER commemorating Caribbean American Heritage Month and Black Music Month in the U.S.; break--“JAZZ BATÁ 2” (Live) BY CHUCHO VALDÉS commemorating Caribbean American Heritage Month; sign-off--“KURIMA” BY CHIWONISO MARAIRE; closing--“FLYING BIRD (ANOMA)” BY OSIBISA remembering our WPFW colleague Donnie McKethan.

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW.  Donate online visit https://pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFW write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

AfricaNow! Jun. 28, 2023 Ben Fletcher & the IWW

If you're not a patron you can get the full episode by visiting patreon.com/workstoppage and support us with $5 a month.

Episode 1 - Communism vs. Corruption

One of the peculiarities of the US labor movement is the existence of two different unions for longshore workers, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) on the West Coast, and the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) on the East Coast. Originally, the ILA represented members on both coasts, bringing all longshore workers in the country under one union. But after the refusal of the national leadership to support the 1934 San Francisco General Strike or to support the move to expand the union to warehouse workers, the West Coast workers seceded and formed their own union. 

In this series we will examine the history of the ILA and dig into why West Coast longshore workers felt they had no choice but to form their own union. We will examine the key factors that have prevented the rise of a democratic reform movement within the ILA, and how collusion between shipping companies, the federal government, and the mafia played a critical role in suppressing reform. We will discuss the long fight by the rank and file for reform, and how the federal government time and time again stepped in to squash it. 

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

Overtime Episode 44 PREVIEW - Unions and The Mob: The ILA - Pt 1

If you're not a patron you can get the full episode by visiting patreon.com/workstoppage and support us with $5 a month.

Episode 3 - Operation Underworld

Joe Ryan's two and a half decades of leadership of the International Longshoremen's Association could be most charitably described as "stable." His focus on labor peace at nearly any cost and his cozy relationship with the shipping companies, gangsters, and the federal government created a series of strange relationships as the country entered World War 2. Finding mobsters useful in keeping radical organizers off the docks, the federal government struck a deal with the same criminal forces they would later condemn union officials for working with. However, even with strongarm goons and redbaiting as his go-to tactics, Ryan could not totally keep a lid on post-war discontent by workers returning to find low wages and inhuman treatment while shipping bosses made millions. The Rank and File made their voice heard, by whatever means they could find.

Main sources for this series include: Reds or Rackets by Howard Kimeldorf, Strife on the Waterfront by Vernon Jensen, New York Longshoremen: Class and Power on the Docks by William Mello, and Mobsters, Unions, and Feds by James Jacobs. Clips from YouTube.

Join the discord: discord.gg/tDvmNzX 

Follow the pod at instagram.com/workstoppage, @WorkStoppagePod on Twitter,  John @facebookvillain, and Lina @solidaritybee

Overtime Episode 46 PREVIEW - Unions and The Mob: The ILA - Pt 3

AfricaNow! September 4, 2024 Ben Fletcher & the IWW: International Labor Organizing & The Vital Role of Dockworkers

Topic and Guest: As we commemorate Labor Day this week here in the U.S., the show today features a discussion from our archives that not only contextualizes labor as a broader category but also how it leads to specific radical movements.   Professor Peter Cole also focuses on the role of African American labor organizer Ben Fletcher of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) (a.k.a. Wobblies) in mobilizing workers in the early 20th century, connecting that movement's similarities to the new wave of unionizing that bypasses mainstream organizations.  In his most recent book Ben Fletcher: The Life & Writings of a Black Wobbly (PM Press, 2021), Dr. Peter Cole tells the story of a hero of the American working class.  As noted in book’s synopsis “In the early twentieth century, when many US unions disgracefully excluded black and Asian workers, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) warmly welcomed people of color, in keeping with their emphasis on class solidarity and their bold motto: “An Injury to One Is an Injury to All!” …A brilliant union organizer and a humorous orator, Benjamin Fletcher (1890–1949) was a tremendously important and well-loved African American member of the IWW during its heyday. Fletcher helped found and lead Local 8 of the IWW’s Marine Transport Workers Industrial Union,....” (From: https://www.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1144) 

Dr. Peter Cole, Professor and Graduate Director, Department of History, Western Illinois University.  Professor Cole researches the history of social movements, especially how workers and labor unions organize in ethnically and racially diverse societies. He also maintains scholarly interests in the history of African Americans, deindustrialization, South Africa, cities, technology, popular culture, historical memory, and the maritime world.  He is a Research Associate in the Society, Work and Development Institute (SWOP) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Cole is the founder and co-director of the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project (CRR19).  Cole’s most recent book, Ben Fletcher: The Life & Writings of a Black Wobbly (PM Press, 2021), is a much revised and greatly expanded version of one first published in 2006 (Charles H. Kerr Press).  Other books and publications include:  Dockworker Power: Race & Activism in Durban and the San Francisco Bay Area (University of Illinois Press, 2018) won the Philip Taft Labor History Book Award; his chapter “Durban Dockers, Labour Internationalism, and Pan-Africanism,” published in Choke Points: Logistics Workers and Solidarity Movements Disrupting the Global Capitalist Supply Chain (Pluto Press, 2018); Wobblies on the Waterfront: Interracial Unionism in Progressive-Era Philadelphia   (University of Illinois Press, 2007); co-editor of Wobblies of the World: A Global History of the IWW (Pluto Press, 2017).  Dr. Cole has won multiple awards and grants at WIU such as College of Arts & Science Scholar of the Year, President’s Excellence in Diversity Award (for Teaching) and more.

MUSIC ON THE SHOW: intro--“RAINCHECK” BY SONNY ROLLINS commemorating his birthday (September 7, 1930—); break--“AFRICA, CENTER OF THE WORLD” BY FELA AND ROY AYERS commemorating Roy Ayers’ birthday (September 10, 1940—); sign-off--“KURIMA” BY CHIWONISO MARAIRE; closing song--“AFRICA” BY SALIF KEITA commemorating his birthday (August 25, 1949—).

Support AfricaNow! and your community station WPFW during.  Donate online visit pledge.wpfwfm.org/index.php and then on. Or on our CashApp, which is $WPFWFM write it is for AfricaNow! and include your email address. Thank you.

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC. Tune into AfricaNow! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (U.S. Eastern).

AfricaNow! Sep. 4, 2024 Ben Fletcher & the IWW

This week on Full Circle we turn our attention to Lebanon and we also check in on some local events from the past couple weeks. On tonight’s show, we hear from the “All Out for Lebanon" rally in San Francisco. We’ll also hear from the “Julian Assgage is Free" celebration that was held in Berkeley last week. Later we’ll hear from the ILWU local 6, they have walked off the job at Georgia Pacific in Antioch, one of Antioch’s largest employers. And we’ll close out the show with some sound from the 10 year anniversary memorial  for Pedie Perez, the unarmed young man who was killed by Richmond police in 2014.

Full Circle 09-27-2024 Lebanon Palestine and Local Events

Pass The Tissues

WELCOME!
To our show.
As always, we begin with our intro music
∞›› SUNSHINE SUPERMAN by Jerry Hahn
…and then…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANDY READS A PASSAGE FROM MOTHER’S DIARY
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Next, we played:
∞›› FUNKY MOZART by Pretty Purdie and the Playboys
∞›› CONCERTO IN A MINOR by Mike Hankinson
∞›› LOSFER WORDS by Iron Maiden
and then,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANDY TAKES A CALL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
∞›› ZEBRA by Yma Sumac
∞›› TOTAL ECLIPSE by Klaus Nomi
And then, our favorite new segment,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MOTHER’S COUNTDOWN TO 5 BEST OF!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Followed by some on-theme tunes:
∞›› I NEED SOME MONEY by Eddie Harris
∞›› MONEY by The Flying Lizards
And, ugh, now we’ve got another stupid text message from stupid Father:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BRIEF FROM THE UNDERGROUND
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And another song befitting the theme:
∞›› WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN by The Longshoremen
And then, it’s
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NEWS FROM BEYOND!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And then, with great Humility, we present:
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ANDY’S CORRECTIBLES.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Followed by a related tune:
∞›› ORGASM ADDICT by Buzzcocks
∞›› AMERICA by All The King’s Men
AND THEN we are treated to another chapter from Andy’s forthcoming memoir, The Diary of Foundos and Me, to be illustrated by Wyleta, in our regular and recurring segment:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IF DICKENS, THEN WHY NOT I?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And one last rocker:
∞›› EVERYTHING CHANGES by Bay of Pigs
And, at long last, get out your pencils… it’s Wyleta’s favorite, the:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JAZZ CALENDAR!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And then.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MOTHER CARRIES US OFF TO SLEEP WITH HER GENTLE WORDS OF WISE-DOM.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THANK YOU WXRW 104.1 RIVERWEST RADIO and MOST OF ALL THANK ~YOU~ FOR LISTENING TO OUR SHOW!!!!!!
With love from
A&W

27. Mother's Musical Diaries - Ep. 26 - He Wants Money - April 8, 2024

First Voice Media is building a lasting institution for women, people of color, and under-resourced communities to learn media skills and gain access to radio as a means of empowerment using mass communications and art.

Members of First Voice Media produce, write, host, and engineer Full Circle, a cultural affairs radio magazine which showcases personal views, interviews, feature stories, and live performances from our community. Airing on Friday at 7pm on KPFA 94.1, all content comes from members of First Voice Media and reaches all across northern and central California.

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New tracks tagged #Longshoremen