Working Class Calendar

Hiratsuka Raichō (1886 - 1971)

Wed Feb 10, 1886

Hiratsuka Raichō, born on this day in 1886, was an anarchist writer, journalist, political activist, and pioneering Japanese feminist. Her efforts helped legalize Japanese women joining political organizations in 1922.

Upon graduating from university, Hiratsuka founded Japan's first all-women literary magazine, Seitō (青鞜, literally "Bluestocking"), in 1911.

Hiratsuka began the first issue with the words, "In the beginning, woman was the sun", a reference to the Shinto goddess Amaterasu, and to the spiritual independence which women had lost. Adopting the pen name "Raichō" ("Thunderbird"), she began to call for a women's spiritual revolution.

Hiratsuka also founded the New Women's Association with fellow women's rights activist Ichikawa Fusae. It was largely through this group's efforts that the Article 5 of the Police Security Regulations, which barred women from joining political organizations and holding or attending political meetings, was overturned in 1922.

• Date: 1886-02-10
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, unseenjapan.com.
• Tags: #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Yên Bái Mutiny (1930)

Mon Feb 10, 1930

Image: 1930 photo of Nguyen Thai Hoc, leader of the Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng (VNQDD), imprisoned for his role in the Yên Bái Mutiny [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1930, 50 Vietnamese soldiers of the French colonial army mutinied, attempting to take control of the Yên Bái garrison and begin a war of independence against the French. The uprising failed and many of its leaders were executed.

The revolt was planned in advance by the Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng (VNQDD), a socialist party founded by Nguyễn Thái Học (shown) that sought independence from France. The VNQDD had previously attempted to engage in clandestine activities to undermine French rule, but increasing state scrutiny on their activities led to their leadership risking a large scale military attack in the Red River Delta in northern Vietnam.

Multiple uprisings were planned throughout the region, with VNQDD members taking command of forces with specific strategic missions. The uprisings were supposed to be simultaneous, but matters were complicated when a messenger carrying an order from Học to delay the uprising until the 15th was arrested.

Early in the morning of February 10th, 1930, ~50 Vietnamese soldiers stationed at Yên Bái attacked their 29 French officers, aided by 60 civilian members of the VNQDD. Although the French were caught off guard and several officers were killed, the majority of the soldiers present remained loyal to the colonial army and helped suppress the uprising. Three Vietnamese sergeants were awarded the Médaille militaire for their efforts.

Later than evening, another planned VNQDD revolt in the rural district of Sơn Dương was also suppressed. Although insurgents initially succeeded, raising the VNQDD flag over the town, at sunrise they were routed by the colonial army.

The French retaliation was swift and brutal. When VNQDD forces fled into the village of Co Am, the French bombed the entire settlement, killing 200 people, mostly civilians. This was the first time that military air power had been used in Indochina.

In France, the severity of the sentences led to a campaign of solidarity by the French Communist Party and various demonstrations by Vietnamese expatriates. On May 22nd, 1930, more than 1,000 demonstrated outside Élysée Palace against the French reaction to Yên Bái. The police arrested 47 people, deporting 17 back to Vietnam, where most of them engaged in communist anti-colonial activities.

In total, 547 individuals, both soldiers and civilians, were prosecuted for their role in the uprising. Thirty-nine of the surviving leaders of the VNQDD were sentenced to death, although some of these were later granted clemency. Học, along with twelve others, was guillotined on June 17th, 1930. The thirteen shouted "Vietnam!" in unison before being executed.

• Date: 1930-02-10
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, ink.library.smu.edu.sg.
• Tags: #Communism, #Colonialism, #Mutinies, #Independence.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Boeing Employees Strike (2000)

Wed Feb 09, 2000

On this day in 2000, 19,000 of Boeing Company engineering and technical employees walked off the job in what historian Howard Zinn called "the biggest white-collar strike in the [U.S.] history".

The strike was the result of a breakdown in negotiations between Boeing and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEAA). Striking workers said the protest wasn't just about asking for more money, it was also to "improve the culture of the company and chart a new course for organized labor".

When asked if he thought the strike had a lasting impact on the legacy of labor unions, Charlie Bofferding, Executive Director of SPEAA, stated "I'd have to say certainly less than we would have liked...At that time, what SPEEA was going for was an attempt to rebrand the labor movement from the people who beat up bad management to the people who made working in America better for everyone. I don't know that that message stuck."

• Date: 2000-02-09
• Learn More: www.knkx.org, money.cnn.com.
• Tags: #Labor.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Marianne Baum (1912 - 1942)

Fri Feb 09, 1912

Image: The image shows a portrait of Marianne's husband, Herbert Baum

Marianne Baum, born on this day in 1912, was a German communist who was executed by the Nazis after the Baum Gruppe, co-founded by her husband, Herbert (shown), set fire to an anti-communist propaganda exhibition in Berlin.

Marianne Baum, born Marianne Cohen, was born on February 9th, 1912, in Saarburg, Germany, later moving to Berlin. She was active in left-wing political groups as a teen, joining a communist youth organization in 1931.

Alongside her husband Herbert Baum, she co-founded the anti-fascist Baum Gruppe in 1938-39. The organization, almost entirely composed of young Jewish people, produced anti-Nazi propaganda and sometimes engaged in direct action against the Third Reich.

On May 18th, 1942, the group set fire to an anti-communist exhibition held in Berlin, temporarily closing it. The high profile attack caught the attention of senior Nazi officials and many Baum Gruppe members, including Marianne and Herbert, were arrested in the following days.

On August 18th, 1942, Marianne was executed via guillotine by the Nazi state. Her husband Herbert had died a few months earlier, tortured to death in Moabit Prison on June 11th, 1942. Today, there is a plaque in the Weißensee Cemetery in Berlin commemorating the Herbert Baum Group.

• Date: 1912-02-09
• Learn More: jwa.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Communism, #Birthdays, #Fascism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

San Diego Free Speech Fight (1912)

Thu Feb 08, 1912

On this day in 1912, the city of San Diego banned giving speeches on the street in an attempt to suppress labor organizing efforts by the IWW, leading to a "Free Speech Fight" involving more than 5,000 IWW members.

Free Speech Fights were struggles over free speech involving the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in the early 20th century, usually involving civil disobedience and direct action. The IWW members, along with other radical labor groups, were often met with suppression (sometimes violent) from local governments and business leaders when trying to give speeches.

The San Diego ordinance directly targeted IWW members, whose street "preaching" was explicitly made illegal. The law was met with immediate civil disobedience by labor activists, and several were immediately arrested. Over five thousand IWW members came to San Diego to protest the free speech limitation, and the city's jail capacity was strained.

Vigilantes began transporting arrested IWW members to the county border and beating them. One city official who opposed the ordinance was threatened with lynching.

Police indiscriminately used fire hoses on crowds of protesters, including women and children. By the fall of 1912, the protest movement petered out and the Free Speech Fight in San Diego was lost.

• Date: 1912-02-08
• Learn More: libcom.org, archive.iww.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #IWW, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

The Dawes Act (1887)

Tue Feb 08, 1887

Image: U.S. Department of the Interior advertisement offering 'Indian Land for Sale'. The man pictured is a Yankton Sioux named Not Afraid Of Pawnee. [Wikipedia]

The Dawes Act, passed on this day in 1887, authorized the U.S. to divide indigenous tribal land into allotments for heads of families and individuals, leading to a loss of 2/3rds of land (~100 million acres) over the next 50 years.

The law converted traditional systems of land tenure into a state-imposed system of private property by forcing Native Americans to "assume a capitalist and proprietary relationship with property" that did not previously exist in their cultures, according to historian Kent Blansett. The act declared remaining lands after allotment as "surplus" and available for sale, including to non-Natives.

Between 1887 and 1934, indigenous people lost control of about 100 million acres of land, or about two-thirds of the land base they held in 1887, as a result of the act.

The loss of land and the break-up of traditional leadership of tribes had such devastating consequences that many scholars refer to the Dawes Act as one of the most destructive U.S. policies for indigenous people in history.

• Date: 1887-02-08
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.history.com.
• Tags: #Indigenous.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Miguel García Death Sentence (1949)

Mon Feb 07, 1949

On this day in 1949, anti-Francoist anarchist writer Miguel García, along with eight others, was sentenced to death by the fascist Spanish government. Five of the nine anti-fascists were executed by Franco's government.

García (1909 - 1980) was a member of the Tallion Action Group who militantly opposed Francisco Franco's fascism. His capture came during a brutal crackdown on political dissidents by Spanish security forces in October 1949.

Well known writers and intellectuals, including Andre Breton, Albert Camus, Rene Char, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Ignazio Silone protested the planned executions. There was also support for the nine prisoners from the British Labour Party.

For unknown reasons, four of the condemned men, including García, had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. The other five were executed on March 14th, 1952, in Barcelona.

Here are the names and a brief description of the five executed men:

Pedro Adrover Font, aged 44, was a major figure in the Barcelona anarchist resistance who had once placed a bomb under a cathedral in order to assassinate Franco.

Santiago Amir Gruanas ("El Sheriff"), aged 38, was a guide and member of the anarchist resistance who had helped shot-down British airmen, Jews, and French Resistance members from France into Spain.

Gines Urrea Pina, aged 56, was a veteran of the Spanish Civil War and advocated for launching a new period of armed resistance against Franco.

Jose Perez Pedrero, nicknamed "Tragapanes" ("bread swallower") because he was always hungry, was a miner and had been involved in many guerrilla operations with the anarchist resistance.

Jorge Pons Argiles, known as "Tarantula", was a farmer and, like Tragapanes, was involved with the guerrilla activities of the resistance.

• Date: 1949-02-07
• Learn More: www.katesharpleylibrary.net, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Anarchism, #Fascism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

France Anti-CPE Protests (2006)

Tue Feb 07, 2006

On this day in 2006, 400,000 people in France took the streets to protest the "First Employment Contract" (CPE), Prime Minister Villepin's new labor law which eroded worker protections for young people.

Claiming that "urgent" action was needed to "bring the French labour market into the modern era", Villepin's CPE package would allow employers to hire 18-26 year-olds on two year contracts and fire them without notice or explanation.

In response, student unions called for a week of meetings and mobilization, and for a national day of protest on February 7th. The national protest continued beyond February 7th, however, and a national strike was called on March 28th (incidentally, the same day a million workers in the UK struck to defend their pensions).

Hundreds of thousands of workers went on strike, and three million people took to the streets all across the country. Unions were prepared to call another general strike when the French government finally gave in and withdrew the law.

A similar law (the CNE) which applied to small businesses of fewer than 25 people was eventually overturned by the courts in 2007.

• Date: 2006-02-07
• Learn More: libcom.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Seattle General Strike (1919)

Thu Feb 06, 1919

Image: Seattle General Strike participants leaving the shipyard after going on strike, 1919. [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1919, a general strike involving ~100,000 workers in Seattle began. Workers, vilified as "Bolsheviki", set up an alternative government that distributed 30,000 meals daily and a police force that did not carry weapons.

Dissatisfied workers in several unions began the strike to gain higher wages after two years of World War I wage controls. Government officials, the press, and much of the public viewed the strike as a radical attempt to subvert American institutions.

During the strike, a cooperative body made up of rank and file workers from all the striking locals was formed, called the General Strike Committee. It acted as a "virtual counter-government for the city", according to labor historian Jeremy Brecher.

The committee organized to provide essential services for the people of Seattle during the work stoppage. A system of food distribution was also established, which distributed as many as 30,000 meals each day.

Army veterans created an alternative to the police in order to maintain order. A group called the "Labor War Veteran's Guard" forbade the use of force and did not carry weapons, using "persuasion only". Major General John F. Morrison, stationed in Seattle, claimed that he had never seen "a city so quiet and orderly."

On February 7th, Mayor Ole Hanson threatened to use 1,500 police and 1,500 troops to replace striking workers the next day, but the strikers assumed this was an empty threat and were proved correct. A few days later, Hanson stated the "sympathetic strike was called in the exact manner as was the revolution in Petrograd."

Union leadership, including the American Federation of Labor (AFL), began to exert pressure on the General Strike Committee and individual unions to end the strike, causing some locals to return to work.

The executive committee of the General Strike Committee, pressured by the AFL and international labor organizations, proposed ending the general strike at midnight on February 8th, but their recommendation was voted down by the General Strike Committee.

On February 10th, the General Strike Committee voted to end the general strike the following day, listing the following reasons: "Pressure from international officers of unions, from executive committees of unions, from the 'leaders' in the labor movement, even from those very leaders who are still called 'Bolsheviki' by the undiscriminating press. And, added to all these, the pressure upon the workers themselves, not of the loss of their own jobs, but of living in a city so tightly closed."

Immediately following the general strike's end, the Socialist Party headquarters was raided by police, and thirty-nine IWW members were arrested as "ringleaders of anarchy" despite playing a marginal role in the strike's development.

• Date: 1919-02-06
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, depts.washington.edu.
• Tags: #Labor, #General Strikes, #IWW.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Fugitive Slave Act (1793)

Mon Feb 04, 1793

The Fugitive Slave Act, passed on this day in 1793, was a federal law that guaranteed the right of a slaver to recover an escaped enslaved person and acquire their children as property.

Founding U.S. President George Washington used the Fugitive Slave Act twice to try and kidnap a 19 year old woman who escaped his bondage, Oney Judge. According to an 1845 article from The Liberator, first Washington sent a man by the name of Bassett to persuade her to return. They told her they would set her free when she arrived at Mount Vernon, to which she replied "I am free now, and choose to remain so."

Bassett would be sent a second time by Washington, with orders to bring her and her infant child by force. New Hampshire Governor John Langdon entertained Bassett while sending word to Judge to flee before midnight. In this way, she successfully evaded Bassett. Washington died soon after, and no subsequent attempts were made to kidnap Judge or her family.

Oney later gave an interview in the 1840s, stating that, even fifty years after escaping bondage, she and her child could still be claimed as the legal property of Washington's descendants due to the Fugitive Slave Act. The law also resulted in many black people who had never been enslaved illegally claimed as such, kidnapped, and sold into slavery.

On June 28th, 1864, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, alongside a similar law in 1850, were repealed by an act of Congress.

• Date: 1793-02-04
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.history.com, encyclopediavirginia.org.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Camilo Cienfuegos (1932 - 1959)

Sat Feb 06, 1932

Image: Camilo Cienfuegos, in Cuba in the 1950s [Wikipedia]

Camilo Cienfuegos, born on this day in 1932, was a Cuban revolutionary who served as one of Fidel Castro's top guerilla commanders, known as the "Hero of Yaguajay" after winning a key battle of the Cuban Revolution.

In 1954, Cienfuegos became an active member of the underground student movement against U.S.-aligned dictator Fulgencio Batista. On December 5th, 1955, the eve of the anniversary of the death of 19th-century Cuban independence figure Antonio Maceo, soldiers opened fire on Cienfuegos and other students who were returning to Havana university after placing a wreath on Maceo's monument.

Cienfuegos credited this incident with his political awakening and decision to dedicate his life to freeing Cuba from Batista's government. Along with Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Juan Almeida Bosque, and Raúl Castro, he was a member of the 1956 Granma expedition, which launched Fidel Castro's armed insurgency to establish Cuban independence.

On the evening of October 28th, 1959, Cienfuegos' Cessna 310 ('FAR-53') disappeared over the Straits of Florida during a night flight, returning from Camagüey to Havana. Despite several days of searching, his plane was not found. By mid-November, Cienfuegos was presumed lost at sea. In 1979, the Cuban government established the "Order of Cienfuegos" in his honor.

In October 1958, when a Cuban Masonic organization expressed concern that someone captured by the rebels might be tortured and killed, Cienfuegos replied:

"Your petition is unnecessary, because under no condition would we put ourselves at the same moral level as those we are fighting...We cannot torture and assassinate prisoners in the manner of our opponents; we cannot as men of honor and as dignified Cubans use the low and undignified procedures that our opponents use against us."

• Date: 1932-02-06
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.cndh.org.mx.
• Tags: #Birthdays, #Independence.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

J.W. Loguen (1813 - 1872)

Fri Feb 05, 1813

Jermain Wesley Loguen, born into slavery on this day in 1813, was an abolitionist, bishop of the AME Church, and author of "The Reverend J. W. Loguen, as a Slave and as a Freeman, a Narrative of Real Life".

At the age of 21, he escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad, and his home as a free man went on to become a major stop in the railroad. He also founded schools for black children in Utica and his city of resident, Syracuse, New York.

On October 1st, 1851, an enslaved man he was harboring known as "Jerry" was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The anti-slavery Liberty Party was holding its state convention in the city and, when word of the arrest spread, several hundred abolitionists broke into the city jail and freed Jerry. The event came to be widely known as the "Jerry Rescue".

• Date: 1813-02-05
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.nationalabolitionhalloffameandmuseum.org.
• Tags: #Abolitionism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

La Canadenca Strike (1919)

Wed Feb 05, 1919

Image: Military forces patrolled the city during the general strike (23/3/1919), Josep Brangulí Soler, National Archive of Catalonia. [elnacional.cat]

On this day in 1919, a general strike broke out in Catalonia when thousands of workers across multiple industries went out on strike, causing widespread power outages and the Spanish government to declare a state of war.

The strike was initiated after an energy company, La Canadenca, reduced wages and fired over one hundred striking workers who were protesting the pay cuts. This and the curbing of labor rights prompted the rest of the workers at La Canadenca to go on strike and demand the readmission of those sacked and wage increases.

The labor stoppage soon spread to other companies in the sector via the CNT's union for water, gas and electricity workers. The lack of electricity in the city affected transport, hampering the provision of supplies and paralyzing 70% of factories in the province of Barcelona.

A state of war was declared by the government and over 3,000 workers were detained. Despite this, the strike ended after two days on the conditions of no repercussions for participating workers, a wage increase, and an 8 hour work day.

• Date: 1919-02-05
• Learn More: www.barcelona.cat, www.regeneracionlibertaria.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #General Strikes.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Betty Friedan (1921 - 2006)

Fri Feb 04, 1921

Betty Friedan, born on this day in 1921, was an American feminist activist and writer, authoring the widely influential book "The Feminine Mystique" in 1963. "The Feminine Mystique" is often credited with sparking the second wave of American feminism in the 20th century.

In 1966, Friedan co-founded and was elected the first president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), which aimed to bring women "into the mainstream of American society now [in] fully equal partnership with men."

In 1970, Friedan organized the nationwide Women's Strike for Equality on August 26th, the 50th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution granting women the right to vote.

The national strike was successful beyond expectations in broadening the feminist movement; the march led by Friedan in New York City alone attracted over 50,000 people. In 1971, Friedan joined other leading feminists to establish the National Women's Political Caucus.

Friedan's politics around feminism were not always intersectional with respect to class and race. Despite the success NOW achieved under her leadership, Friedan's decision to pressure Equal Employment Opportunity to use Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to enforce more job opportunities among American women met with fierce opposition within the organization.

Siding with arguments from the group's black members, many of NOW's leaders accepted that black people below the povery line, both men and women, needed those opportunities more than predominantly white upper class women.

Friedan stepped down as president in 1969 and founded the "First Women's Bank and Trust Company" a few years later.

"The truth is that I've always been a bad-tempered bitch. Some people say that I have mellowed some. I don't know..."

- Betty Friedan

• Date: 1921-02-04
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.womenshistory.org.
• Tags: #Feminism, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821 - 1910)

Sat Feb 03, 1821

Elizabeth Blackwell, born on this day in 1821, was a physician and social reformer who became the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States and to be registered with the British General Medical Council.

Blackwell played an important role in both the United States and the United Kingdom as a social awareness and moral reformer, and was a pioneer in promoting education for women in medicine.

Blackwell also founded the "New York Dispensary for Indigent Women and Children" to, in her words, "give poor women an opportunity of consulting physicians of their own sex". Her contributions remain celebrated with the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal, awarded annually to women who have made significant contribution to the promotion of women in medicine.

• Date: 1821-02-03
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.womenshistory.org.
• Tags: #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

NYC School Boycott (1964)

Mon Feb 03, 1964

Image: A propaganda poster showing a black child looking through a broken window, urging the viewer to participate in the boycott. From the Queens College Civil Rights Archives [zinnedproject.org]

On this day in 1964, 464,000 New York City school children, about half of the city's student body, boycotted the segregated school system, one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in U.S. history.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, a newspaper at the time, "Though segregation in New York was not codified like the Jim Crow laws in the South, a de facto segregation was evident in the city's school system." The NY Times reported that more than a third of the schools were picketed by parents, students, teachers, and activists.

Bayard Rustin, a chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington and the Freedom Rides, directed the boycott. A flier explaining the reason for the boycott stated the following:

"We have found that one of the quickest ways to destroy inequality and segregation is to hit it in the pocketbook. Financial aid to the school system is based upon pupil attendance. No pupils — no money. It's as simple as that."

• Date: 1964-02-03
• Learn More: www.zinnedproject.org, en.wikipedia.org, crdl.usg.edu.
• Tags: #Civil Rights.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Battle of Cinderloo (1821)

Fri Feb 02, 1821

Image: An unknown artist's impression of the uprising [shropshirestar.com]

On this day in 1821, 3,000 striking workers in present-day Telford, England clashed with Yeomanry, who fired into the crowd after workers refused an order to disperse. Two workers were killed, two were sentenced to death, and nine were arrested.

Colliers across the Coalbrookdale Coalfields had gone on strike the previous day in response to the lowering of their wages, and production across the area came to a halt. A large body of men marched to ironworks at Madeley Wood and Dawley, blowing out all the furnaces, damaging machinery, and inciting non-striking workers to join in.

By mid-afternoon the next day, a crowd of 3,000 had gathered at Old Park, near two industrial spoil heaps known as the 'Cinders Hills'. Yeomanry were sent out to disperse the crowd, and they were read the Riot Act and ordered go home. When Yeomanry moved forward to arrest the ringleaders of the strike, they were assaulted by the crowd. After further attempts to control the protesters were frustrated, the Yeomanry fired onto the crowd, killing two.

Nine strikers were arrested - two were sentenced to death and the other seven served nine months of hard labor. The initial dispute which had caused the riot was resolved soon after, with some ironmasters agreeing to reduce the daily pay of the workers by 4d instead of 6d.

• Date: 1821-02-02
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.dawleyheritage.co.uk.
• Tags: #Labor, #Riots.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

NYC Tenants Resist Evictions (1932)

Tue Feb 02, 1932

Image: A rent strike in Harlem, New York City, September 1919 [dissentmagazine.org]

On this day in 1932, a crowd of more than 1,000 clashed with police attempting to evict three families in the Bronx. The action was part of a larger period of tenant rebellion which kept 77,000 tenants from being evicted.

The New York Times described the crowd like this: "Women shrieked from the windows, the different sections of the crowd hissed and booed and shouted invectives. Fighting began simultaneously in the house and the street".

The action was part of a larger period of tenant rebellion in 1930s New York City. Beginning in 1930, small bands of people, often led by communists, began to use strong-arm tactics to prevent marshals from putting furniture on the street. Rent riots began in the Lower East Side and Harlem, but quickly spread to other parts of the city.

Historians Richard Boyer and Herbert M. Morais claimed that these acts of resistance kept 77,000 tenants from being evicted.

• Date: 1932-02-02
• Learn More: libcom.org, www.tenant.net.
• Tags: #Tenant.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Greensboro Sit-ins Begin (1960)

Mon Feb 01, 1960

Image: Sitting from left: Joseph McNeil, Billy Smith and Clarence Henderson on second day of sit-ins, Woolworth, Greensboro, February 2nd, 1960 [blackpast.org]

On this day in 1960, the "Greensboro Four" sat down at F. W. Woolworth Company Store's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina to protest segregation.

The four men had purchased toothpaste and other products from a desegregated counter at the store with no problems, but were then refused service at the store's lunch counter when they each asked for a cup of coffee.

The four students returned the next day, and within a few days the protest included hundreds of students. The Greensboro Sit-in sparked a movement of sit-in protests against segregation across the country, continuing into the summer and expanding to other places of discrimination, such as swimming pools, parks, and art galleries.

On July 25th, after months of harassment, including a bomb threat, and nearly $200,000 in losses ($1.7 million in 2020 dollars) the Greensboro Woolworth's finally ended its discriminatory policies. Four years later, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 mandated desegregation in public accommodations.

• Date: 1960-02-01
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.blackpast.org.
• Tags: #Civil Rights, #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Farabundo Martí Executed (1932)

Mon Feb 01, 1932

Farabundo Martí was a Salvadoran labor organizer and Marxist-Leninist revolutionary executed by the state on this day in 1932 after he helped lead a peasant uprising against President Maximiliano Hernandez Martínez.

Martí was born in Teotepeque, El Salvador on May 5th, 1893. He abandoned studying in university in favor of more directly participating in revolutionary working class organizing. He was a member of a number anti-capitalist organizations throughout the region, and became a founder of the Central American Communist Party in 1925.

In 1928, Martí fought alongside Augusto Sandino in Nicaragua in opposition to the country's occupation by the U.S. military. In 1931, Martí returned to El Salvador to help initiate a guerrilla revolt of indigenous farmers.

The uprising against dictator Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, fomented by collapsing coffee prices, enjoyed some initial success, but was soon drowned in a bloodbath, crushed by the Salvadoran military just ten days after it had begun. Over 30,000 indigenous people were killed at what was to be a "peaceful meeting" in 1932; this became known as "La Matanza" ("The Slaughter").

For his role in the uprising, Martí was executed on orders from Salvadoran President Martínez on February 1st, 1932.

• Date: 1932-02-01
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.zinnedproject.org, www.telesurenglish.net.
• Tags: #Marxism, #Indigenous.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Winter Soldier Investigation (1971)

Sun Jan 31, 1971

Image: Veterans testifying at the Vietnam Veterans Against the War Winter Soldier Investigation on October 10th, 1971. Photo by Jeff Albertson [credo.library.umass.edu/]

The "Winter Soldier Investigation" was a media event that began on this day in 1971, sponsored by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), who were intending to publicize war crimes committed by the United States.

The VVAW challenged the morality and conduct of the war by showing the direct relationship between military policies and war crimes in Vietnam. More than one hundred people all gave testimony about war crimes they had committed or witnessed during the years 1963 - 1970.

With the exception of Pacifica Radio, the event was not covered extensively outside of Detroit press. Several journalists and a film crew recorded the event, however, and a documentary film called "Winter Soldier" was released in 1972. A complete transcript was later entered into the Congressional Record by Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR).

• Date: 1971-01-31
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.wintersoldier.com.
• Tags: #Imperialism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Battle of George Square (1919)

Fri Jan 31, 1919

Image: David Kirkwood being detained by police during 1919 Battle of George Square on January 31st 1919 [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1919, the Battle of George Square took place in Glasgow, Scotland, a conflict between Glasgow police and the British Army against 25,000 striking Glasgow workers who were demanding a 40-hour work week.

The strike began a few days earlier, on January 27th, after a meeting of around 3,000 workers gathered in St. Andrew's Halls. The movement for the 40 hour week grew quickly; by the 30th, more than 40,000 workers from local engineering and shipping industries had joined in, and sympathy strikes broke out among power station workers and local miners.

On January 31st, approximately 20,000-25,000 workers gathered in George Square. Fighting broke out between city police and workers, and labor leaders David Kirkwood and William Gallacher were beaten and taken into custody. During the riot, the sheriff of Lanarkshire called for military aid, and British troops, supported by six tanks, were moved to key points in Glasgow.

Kirkwood was found innocent after a photo surfaced of him being struck with a baton from behind by a policeman, however Gallacher served five months in prison. The strike ended on February 12th in defeat for the workers, who did not win a 40-hour work week.

• Date: 1919-01-31
• Learn More: libcom.org, www.glasgowlive.co.uk, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Labor.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Ecuador Fuel Strike (1994)

Sun Jan 30, 1994

Image: Protesters in Quito, taking to the streets in 2019 after the government ended fuel subsidies, causing price increases

On this day in 1994, approximately half a million workers staged a 24-hour strike in Ecuador to protest a government increase in fuel prices, blocking roads and burning tires.

Fuel prices would again cause widespread strikes and civil unrest in 2019, when President Lenín Moreno issued a decree on October 1st, ending subsidies for diesel and extra gasoline with ethanol to comply with International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan conditions.

Leaders of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) and the United Workers Front (FUT) announced a national strike to protest the resultant fuel increases on October 9th, 2019.

• Date: 1994-01-30
• Learn More: www.latimes.com, www.workers.org, www.dw.com.
• Tags: #Protests.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Anna LoPizzo Murdered by Police (1912)

Mon Jan 29, 1912

On this day in 1912, striking worker Anna LoPizzo was shot and killed by police during the Lawrence Textile Strike, one of the most significant labor struggles in U.S. history. Two IWW leaders were arrested for her death.

The Lawrence Textile Strike was a strike of immigrant workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts that began on January 11th, 1912. It was led by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and united immigrant workers of over forty nationalities. Prompted by a two-hour pay cut corresponding to a new law shortening the workweek for women, the strike spread rapidly through the town, growing to more than twenty thousand workers and involving nearly every mill in Lawrence.

LoPizzo was a striking immigrant worker who was killed when, according to IWW literature, officer Oscar Benoit fired into a crowd of protesters who had been cornered and were being attacked by police. Anna LoPizzo was likely an assumed name; historian Ardis Cameron wrote "relying on old-world practices and principles of collectivity, the immigrant community routinely 'swapped' names and falsified documents to evade 'impossible' laws and ensure mutual survival."

After her death, two IWW leaders, "Smiling Joe" Ettor and Arturo Giovannitti, were arrested on fabricated charges related to the murder of a striking worker. Upon their arrest, "Big Bill" Haywood and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn took over leadership of the strike. They further sensationalized the condition of the striking workers by conspicuously sending their hungry children to stay with families and supporters in New York City.

The Lawrence Strike was ultimately won by the IWW and strikers. Eugene V. Debs said this of the ordeal: "The Victory at Lawrence was the most decisive and far-reaching ever won by organized labor."

• Date: 1912-01-29
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, libcom.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #IWW.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Magonistas Take Mexicali (1911)

Sun Jan 29, 1911

Image: Magonista rebel soldiers who took the city of Tijuana in 1911, from the San Diego Historical Society's "Title Insurance and Trust Collection" [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1911, Magonistas, Mexican anarchists drawing from the ideas of Ricardo Flores Magón, took the city of Mexicali in the first of battle of the Magonista Rebellion of 1911.

The Magonista uprising was an early incident of the more broad period of unrest known as the Mexican Revolution. It was organized by the Liberal Party of Mexico ("Partido Liberal Mexicano", PLM), and was successful in northern Mexico; the Magonistas controlled Tijuana and Mexicali for about six months.

The capture of Mexicali began in a pre-dawn raid on January 29th, 1911, when 30 rebels, guided by José María Leyva and Simón Berthold, seized the town of Mexicali without resistance. They opened the jail, killed the jailor, occupied the barracks, and confiscated government office funds.

Other settlers joined the rebels as well as many foreign socialists and anarchists, mainly militant members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), including Frank Little and Joe Hill. The U.S. government in Calexico and Yuma offered military support to aid the Mexican government's efforts to suppress the rebellion in order to protect hydraulic works of American engineers.

Although the rebellion was launched against the rule of Porfirio Díaz, it was was put down by forces loyal to Francisco Madero, a wealthy landowner who supported reforms and became the Mexican President in 1911. The PLM split into factions, with one faction still supporting the incarcerated Magón brothers while the other faction supported Madero, the new president of Mexico.

• Date: 1911-01-29
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, libcom.org.
• Tags: #IWW, #Anarchism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org