Labor Fest: Mother Jones Video; 1847 Irish Potato Famine-Book Reading

There are 2 parts to this evening's LaborFest event:
(1) Reading and presentation by Margaret Cooley
Margaret went to Ireland and found the story of her family a portrait of working class oppression. Hear through the personal story of one family’s struggle to hold onto their land tenancy, how the potato economy forced the immigration of the tenant workers of Ireland to make way for capitalist enterprise.
(2) Video: "Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America" by Rosemary Feurer, Laura Vasquez
Mother Jones, one of the most famous Irish born labor activists in the US had a brutal life. Her 5 children died in a yellow fever epidemic in Memphis, Tennessee. She then moved to Chicago and during the Chicago fire she lost her home, shop and all her belongings. In her late 50’s she began to struggle for workers rights with the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and helped organize strikes and marches including marches to protest child labor. This powerful video tells her story and the fight for rank and file power that she stood for. Rose will also discuss her new book Radical Unionism In the Midwest 1900-1950.