Labor Struggles in the Deep South
And Other Writings
Edited and with an introduction by David Roediger.
In the half-century since it was written, Covington Hall's Labor Struggles in the Deep South, published here for the first time, has become an
underground classic among activist historians writing on the South and on working people. Hall—journalist, organizer, rebel, professor
and above all poet—brings to life the dramatic early twentieth-century struggles of the waterfront workers of New Orleans and the militant
timber workers of Louisiana and East Texas. Writing about events in which he played a central role and about the broader history of Southern labor,
Hall describes many of the finest hours of integrated industrial unionism in the U.S. and the role of the Industrial Workers of the World in creating
fragile unity across racial lines. The always lively narrative is heightened by dozens of rare IWW cartoons and other period illustrations.
Also included is a sampling of Hall's articles on labor history and education as well as his editorial opinions, poems and “factful fables,”
revealing other aspects of Hall's remarkable creativity, humor, imagination, and lifelong dedication to libertarian socialism.
David Roediger's introduction expands our knowledge of Hall and his influence, and assesses his legacy in the light of current-day
struggles against white supremacy and wage slavery.
Chicago: Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company, 1999.
ISBN-10: 0882862448
ISBN-13: 978-0882862446