minewar.org documenting the 1930's Illinois Mine War
Posts Tagged ‘Women’s Auxiliary’
“Dare You Fail Us Now?”
The current protests in Madison, Wisconsin echo another mass demonstration in Springfield, Illinois held almost eighty years ago. On January 26, 1933, 10,000 members of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Progressive Miners of America assembled at the Illinois state capitol to protest the wanton violence in the coal fields and to demand the restoration of […]
Mill Shadows: “Organize our strength as a working class.”
Initially, an important part of the Progressive Miners’ program was to raise the class consciousness of its members and the broader community. Tom Tippett, formally of the Brookwood Labor College was hired to head the PMA’s first Education Department. In a letter to the membership and auxiliaries Tippet wrote; “Our notion of an education activity […]
“To Our Militant Leader…From Militant Admirers”
I had the great fortune to interview Sean Burns this week. Sean is a descendant of Agnes Burns Wieck, the first president of the Illinois Women’s Auxiliary of the Progressive Miners of America. Agnes was a legendary organizer, gifted leader and political visionary. In addition to providing a thoughtful and heart-felt interview, Sean was kind […]