#workers movements

“May Day is International Workers’ Day, a time of celebration and opposition throughout the world, except in the United States where it began. May Day commemorates the May 1st, 1886 nationwide protest for the eight hour day and the following “Haymarket Affair,” a pivotal event in the history of workers’ and anarchist movements in which four labor organizers were hanged by the State in Chicago. May Day is also the ancient celebration of Spring and rebirth -- the traditional time for planting new seeds in old ground.” 

“Working in the garments industry means that I don’t have to depend on my family,” Bobita said. “Women like me are independent and we don’t have to suffer abuse by our husbands or in laws. But we deserve living wages.”

A 2017 report by Deloitte Access Economics for Oxfam Australia shows that on average, only 2% to 4% of the price of a piece of clothing sold in Australia goes toward factory workers in Bangladesh, Vietnam and other garment production countries. 

“Brands are instructing the factory owners to talk to the workers [to stop the protests] but no one is saying, fine, we’ll increase our rates,” explains Nazma. “Everyone is looking out for themselves, and what the workers are getting is actually not a living wage.”

Written by Zachary Grewe, student employee

The Workers’ Theatre Movement arose in the late 1920s and early 1930s and aimed to use art as a weapon against the forces of fascism, militarism, and capitalism.  The movement was comprised of various theatre troupes around the country that practiced a form of theatre known as “agitprop” (or agitational propaganda).  These various troupes eventually came to form a loose network of leftist theatre organizations that were eventually known as the New Theatre League.  In 1935, the New Theatre League began publishing a monthly magazine known as New Theatre.  

Each issue of New Theatre contained an assortment of articles on the state of the movement; reviews of films, plays, and dance productions with political significance; and some issues even contained entire scripts for one-act plays.  Published in New York City, the magazine also contains advertisements from local theatre organizations and businesses.

Special Collections has ten issues running from February 1936 to November 1936.  Many of the issues feature artistic works in response to U.S. involvement in WWII and many of the articles encourage anti-war activism.  The parallels to later activism in opposition to the war in Vietnam are clear, but this was a completely different time.  Among the most striking differences is the lack of any apparent hostility towards Russian labor movements.  In fact, the agitprop form originated with Soviet theatre troupes.

References

“New Theatre.”  New Theatre, August 1936.  Print.

Shaw, Irwin.  “Bury the Dead.”  New Theatre, April 1936.  Print.

Von Wiegand, Charmion.  “Little Charlie, What Now?”  New Theatre, March 1936.  Print.

“New Theatre.”  New Theatre, April 1936.  Print.