First in a double podcast episode about Ben Fletcher, a very important but
little-known dock worker and labour organiser in the US with the Industrial
Workers of the World union.
In these episodes, we speak with historian Peter Cole, author and editor of
Ben Fletcher: The Life And Times Of A Black
Wobbly. We also hear words written by
Fletcher, voiced by fellow Wobbly, Alki.
In part 1 we learn about his early life, as well as his union branch, Local 8,
which in the early 20th-century organised thousands of workers on the
Philadelphia docks and was the most powerful multiracial union in the country
at the time.
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Acknowledgements
- Thanks to our patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands and Jamison D. Saltsman.
- Words of Ben Fletcher voiced by Alki. Check out his YouTube channel here, or follow him on Twitter here.
- Episode graphic: Ben Fletcher in 1918, enhanced by WCH. Courtesy US National Archives and Records Administration/Wikimedia Commons.
- Theme music: “Solidarity (Forever)”, written by Ralph Chaplin, performed by The Nightwatchman, Tom Morello. Buy or stream it here.
- Edited by Louise Barry
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