May 18, 1928 founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World

[yallerdawg]

1. Big Bill Haywood!

An icon of labor history and the socialist movement.

In 1912, Haywood was a leader of the IWW’s Lawrence, Massachusetts strike of textile workers, mainly immigrants from many different countries. It was also a strike in which women workers played an active role.

Haywood made a speech to the workers about the need for unity. He demonstrated this by explaining the difference in power between the fingers of an open hand versus a clenched fist that could really strike a blow.

He helped work out a way for each nationality to have separate strike meetings in their own language to discuss and participate in decisions for the strike. Haywood and the IWW were actively opposed to any form of racism, sexism or discrimination of any kind.

http://speakout-now.org/big-bill-haywood-a-giant-in-the-struggles-of-the-working-class/