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In celebration of labor history month each May, the Untold Stories series presents programs and talks on both local and national topics. This year’s theme is “A World in Turmoil: 1917-2017.” Events start April 26 and are free and open to the public.
Untold Stories is sponsored by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library and co-sponsored by a number of organizations, including the University of Minnesota Labor Education Service.
Here is the schedule:
Worker’s Memorial Event
Wednesday, April 26, 7 p.m.
St. Paul Labor Center, 353 7th St. W.
Panelists explore workplace safety issues in advance of the national commemoration of Worker’s Memorial Day. Presenters include Phil Qualy, a railroad conductor and Director of the United Transportation Union Minnesota Legislative Board; John Sielaff, author of A Workplace Accident: John Anderson’s Fall from the High Bridge, recently published in Ramsey County Historical Society Magazine; and Mike Scully, an attorney from Sieben Carey, knowledgeable about workers’ compensation history and current changes and threats to the system.
David Noble Lecture with Roderick Ferguson
Tuesday, May 2, 7 p.m.
Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, 301 19th Ave S., Minneapolis
The annual Noble Lecture honors a groundbreaking professor of American Studies by offering fresh perspectives on our history and culture. This year’s presenter is Roderick Ferguson, Professor of African American and Gender and Women’s Studies, University of Illinois, speaking on “The Bookshop of Black Queer Diaspora.”
1917 – A Look Back
Wednesday, May 3, 7 p.m.
Rice Street Library, 1011 Rice St., St. Paul
Go back in time to 1917 for a look at politics and labor, from the nonpartisan league to the Twin Cities Streetcar Strike, to women’s suffrage. Panelists include Augsburg College History Department Chair Michael Lansing, author of Insurgent Democracy: The Nonpartisan League in North American Politics; local historian and former engineer Dave Riehle; and Dr. Jill Zahniser, co-author of Alice Paul: Claiming Power.
Nativism and Resistance – Then and Now
Tuesday, May 9, 7 p.m.
East Side Freedom Library, 1105 Greenbrier St., St. Paul
The politicization of anti-immigrant fears is nothing new, nor are grassroots efforts to resist such campaigns. Join East Side Freedom Library co-executive director Peter Rachleff as he discusses the ways that business and political leaders promoted nativism in WWI era Minnesota as a means to squelch the labor movement and its farmer allies. Peter’s presentation will bring us into a conversation between the past and the present as we consider the re-emergence of nativism today.
Racism in our Hometown: The Story of the Arthur and Edith Lee Family
Monday, May 15, 7 p.m.
East Side Freedom Library, 1105 Greenbrier St., St. Paul
Presented by the APWU Solidarity Kids Theater
The multi-media puppet show introduces the Lee Family in the years following WWI. Arthur Lee was an African American, WWI veteran who worked at the Minneapolis Post Office, and moved into an all-white neighborhood. His union coworkers, a majority of whom was white, protected his family when police failed to defend the family against the racist mobs that numbered around 3,000 and tried to force him from his home. The puppet show emphasizes the significance of the Lee family’s courageous struggle and its enduring inspiration in the Twin Cities.
100 Years at the Library
Tuesday, May 16, 7 p.m.
St. Anthony Park Library, 2245 Como Ave., St. Paul
Three speakers present a look at the Saint Paul Public Library 100 years ago, from one of the Carnegie libraries celebrating a centennial. Greg Gaut will discussing the Carnegie Library project in Minnesota; Bill Lindeke focuses on St. Paul’s four libraries celebrating centennials; and Billie Young provides a glimpse into what the library was like 100 years ago.
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids
Thursday, May 18, 6 p.m.
Rondo Community Outreach Library, 461 North Dale St., St. Paul
Professors William Jones, Yuichiro Onishi, and James Robinson will provide a portrait of the early history of the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters and Maids, from the participation of A. Philip Randolph to the presence of the Brotherhood in St. Paul, and how the workers are remembered today.
Payne Avenue Walking Tour & Library Celebration
Sunday, May 21, 10:30 a.m.
Back by popular demand! Tour Payne Avenue with Professor Peter Rachleff and end the walk at the Arlington Hills Library for a celebration of the library’s centennial. Space is limited; reservations required at sppl.org/storyfair