Black History Month is a celebration of the legacies, achievements, and fight for justice that has paved the way for future generations of Black individuals across North America.

Amongst the heroes of these movements are those who have fought for workplace equality, fair treatment, and labor rights - figures who have worked tirelessly to create a just world. While many have been instrumental in advocating for workers, unions, and systemic change, others have broken barriers and paved the way for future generations by achieving historic firsts in their various fields. These individuals, whether through activism or innovation, have helped create space for Black voices, leadership, and progress.

With the theme of this Black History Month about Black contributions to labor this year, we are celebrating by featuring some of the most important figures within this movement, both historical and contemporary.

Black History in the Workplace: How Black Professionals Have Shaped Industry

In this blog, you’ll learn about:

The Roots of Labor Activism in the Black Community

Black Americans have been an integral part of the workforce since before the Civil War.

For example, despite living in Maryland, a slave state at the time, Isaac Myers (1835 - 1891) was born to free Black parents and worked as a ship caulker - a critical job - in Baltimore Harbor. After the Civil War ended, Myers attempted to return to work only to find himself blocked by white caulkers. In response, Myers created the Colored Caulkers Trade Union Society, who eventually grew to form their own shipyard and railroad within Baltimore. They employed Black and white workers and successfully led the charge for other Black shipyard workers to create unions.

Isaac Myers’ work was one of bravery and need - a need for fairness, for justice, and for the rights of Black laborers. And he would most definitely not be the last: industrialization and an increase of factory-based work increased the need for workers, for unions, and for further movements towards equity. More Black labor leaders emerged, and their work has continued up until today with modern figures with an increasingly intersectional approach to equity.

*A. Philip Randolph, 1963.* Photo by **John Bottega**, via **Library of Congress**.

1. A. Philip Randolph (1889-1979)

Born in Florida, Randolph was educated by the Cookman Institute (now called Bethune-Cookman University), an all-black institution. Post-graduation he moved into the labor space, fighting for Black economic freedom, including equitable work and wages.

His work continued, branching out to become the first president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, a union first recognized in 1937. Featuring predominantly Black laborers, the porters first connected with Randolph in 1925 after realizing they were being paid lower wages, worked long, grueling hours, and were often placed in harsher conditions. Randolph’s 10-year-long efforts in fighting for them led to the first predominantly Black labor union in America.

But Randolph’s achievements continued across his life, including:

Co-directing the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963), which aimed to end employment discrimination and strengthen federal civil rights. The March was also the site of Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Serving as an important figure in delivering information related to class-consciousness and elitism.
Being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964.

However, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to describe all the ways Randolph worked for Black freedom and labor here. To read an in-depth biography, visit here.

*Hattie Canty and Jim Arnold at the MGM Grand rally, 1990s.*
**Source: UNLV Special Collections & Archives**

2. Hattie Canty (1933-2012)

Born in 1933 in Alabama, Hattie Canty was a champion of organized labor within the Civil Rights movement. She had a number of various jobs, from room attendant to janitor. When her husband passed, Canty took a job at the Maxim Hotel in Las Vegas to help support her and her ten children. There, she joined her first union: the Las Vegas Hotel and Culinary Workers Union (CWU).

Seeing the importance of the union in protecting her rights, equitable wages, and anti-discriminatory policies, she became an integral part of the CWU’s work. Canty organized her coworkers and the union itself, fought for fair contracts and wages, and was outspoken, saying:

“The union taught me how to fight for what I needed and what I had, and if it was something I wanted, how to go after it.”

She eventually became president of the CWU, facing a number of challenges within her activism, including 6 arrests. Throughout her time pushing for worker’s rights, she:

Rose to become the president of the CWU, becoming the first Black woman in the role.
Helped start the Culinary Training Center (now the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas), which facilitates training for the hospitality industry.
Successfully organized a 75-day walkout against Las Vegas casinos in pursuit of better health insurance.

Rooted in the intersection of the Civil Right Movement and labor rights, Canty’s was considered one of the greatest strike leaders and worker’s rights activists across U.S. history. Learn more about her here.

*Bayard Rustin, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left, 1963.* Photo by **Leffler, Warren K,** via **Library of Congress.**

3. Bayard Rustin (1912-1987)

Bayard Rustin was a co-organizer of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and was one of Martin Luther King Jr. 's advisors. He was an influential force in the Civil Rights Movement and considered an expert on nonviolent resistance and confrontation; in fact, he had a lifelong commitment to nonviolence, influenced by his grandmother.

Rustin co-founded the Congress of Racial Equity (CORE), who dedicated themselves to nonviolent resistance within the context of America’s Civil Rights movement. Included in his work with CORE he was known for the creation of the first Freedom Rides - a movement aimed to challenge segregation on buses where they rode interstate buses across the Southern United States.

Additionally, he was arrested in 1953 - not for his activism, but because he was gay. He was arrested on a “morals charge” and, after being sentenced for misdemeanor vagrancy, was sentenced to 60 days in jail. This arrest outed him, and was exploited as reasons to discredit his work. He went on to become an integral part of the LGBTQ+ movement in the 80s.

33 years after his death, Rustin was pardoned, and his arrest was acknowledged as an injustice based on bias, ignorance, racism, and homophobia.

4. Nia DaCosta (1989-)

Nia DaCosta is a writer and director born in New York. As a teenager, she became interested in filmmaking, and eventually went on to attend New York’s Tisch School of Arts and earn a Master’s degree before going on to work in a variety of behind-the-scenes television shows. There, she met an assortment of her favorite directors and eventually went on to release her debut crime thriller, Little Woods, in 2017, when she was 29 years old.

Shortly after, she partnered with Jordan Peele for the remake of Candyman. There, she utilized the story to explore the historical injustices faced by Black men, saying:

“It became representative of an unfortunate, repetitive cycle in American history where Black men are brutalized and then become some archetype–the martyr, the saint, the sinner.”

Later, she was chosen as the first Black woman (and youngest person ever) to direct a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, The Marvels.

She is particularly interested in genre films - horrors and thrillers, especially - and utilizing them as a vessel to explore the intersection between Blackness, fear, justice, and society through the lens of creative storytelling. Through DaCosta’s work, Black girls and women are inspired to pursue their creative dreams.

You can find more about her work here.

*Chris Smalls testifying before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, 2022.* Source: **Wikimedia Commons**.

5. Chris Smalls (1988-)

Chris Smalls’ work as an activist began in 2020.

As an Amazon warehouse processing assistant, Smalls noticed the lack of safety protocols for employees during COVID. People were asked to come in ill and, feeling they were not doing enough for their employees, he began to contact politicians, HR, and health authorities to little success.

Eventually, Smalls was fired after organizing a protest in the parking lot. Despite being met with skepticism and doubt, Smalls was empowered. He had lost his job and health care during the pandemic. On top of that, his protest and subsequent firing were televised - that is to say, he was a renowned whistleblower and union organizer, and knew that he had nothing else to lose, so he might as well keep fighting.

Smalls’ firing was criticized just as publicly and, empowered by the support from politicians, he created the Amazon Labor Union (ALU). Much like his predecessors, his work combined his experiences of racism and inequitable treatment, and uplifted the voices of other workers experiencing similar hardships. Now, his work continues across the country where he speaks about unions and organizing protests for racial and economic justice.

6. Aicha Evans (1969-)

Born in Senegal and partially raised in France, Aicha Evans was influenced by her father’s career in telecommunications and a family focused on gaining an education. With that in mind, she went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Engineering from George Washington University. She went on to work for a variety of tech-based companies, including Skyworks and Intel as an engineer and corporate vice president, respectively.

In February of 2019 she joined Zoox and became the first Black woman to head an autonomous vehicle technology company. As its CEO, she went on to lead its eventual acquisition to Amazon for $1.3 billion.

Outside of Evans’ work, she is a trustee for the Anita Borg Institute for Women & Technology, a globally recognized nonprofit that aims to encourage women and girls to pursue their interests in tech with the goal of diversifying the industry. Through her work, she wants to create an environment that is abundant for everyone while creating a meaningful impact wherever she goes.

Find out more about her work and life here.

The Fight for Fairness Continues

Throughout the extensive history of America and the world, the contributions of Black professionals to labor rights, economic and social equity, and innovation within industries is undeniable. However, the fight for fairness is far from over. As we celebrate these trailblazing professionals, we must also ask: How can we continue their work? And how can we ensure that progress is continually made, rather than pushed backwards?

This Black History Month, let’s commit not only to learning from history, but to shaping a future to be proud of together.

Want to learn more ways to honor Black History Month? Check out this blog next!

Image Sources:

Bottega, John, photographer. A. Philip Randolph, half-length portrait, facing front / World Telegram & Sun photo by John Bottega. , 1963. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/97519529/.
UNLV Special Collections & Archives. Photograph of Hattie Canty and Jim Arnold at the MGM Grand rally, Culinary Union, Las Vegas (Nev.), 1990s. Culinary Workers Union Local 226 Las Vegas, Nevada Photographs, PH-00382. University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Accessed [date]. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/d1st7f75v.
Leffler, Warren K, photographer. Bayard Rustin at news briefing on the Civil Rights March on Washington in the Statler Hotel, half-length portrait, seated at table / WKL. Washington D.C, 1963. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2003688133/.
Chris Smalls testifying before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, 2022. Photograph by Senate Budget Committee Democrats. Wikimedia Commons. Accessed [date]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chris_Smalls_Senate_Budget_Committee.png.

Black History in the Workplace: How Black Professionals Have Shaped Industry