Black Convicts: How Slavery Shaped Australia

Black Convicts: How Slavery Shaped Australia

Author: laborhistorytoday March 9, 2025 Duration: 44:31
Labor History Today: This week’s edition of the show takes us to Australia, but the history of slavery and the ongoing failure to come to terms with the resulting racism and discrimination there echo uncomfortably loudly here in the United States as Donald Trump ramps up his campaign to stamp out any effort to acknowledge that such things exist, as though by simply abolishing the words diversity, equity and inclusion we can magically erase generations of oppression.It cannot do so, but we clearly have a long way to go here at home, and it’s instructive – and a bit inspiring -- to hear how our brothers and sisters Down Under are struggling with the same issues.Today’s show comes to us from the Melbourne-based radio show Stick Together; host James Brennan talks with author Santilla Chingaipe about her book “Black Convicts: How slavery shaped Australia.”Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. @stick__together #LaborRadioPod #History #WorkingClass #ClassStruggle @GeorgetownKILWP #LaborHistory @UMDMLA @ILLaborHistory @AFLCIO @StrikeHistory #LaborHistory @wrkclasshistory  

Behind every weekend, every safety regulation, and every paycheck that feels fair, there's a story-often a forgotten one. Labor History Today digs into those stories, moving beyond dry dates and names to recover the voices and confrontations that built the world we work in. Each episode connects a pivotal moment from the past, like the fight for an eight-hour day or the rise of a major union, directly to the conversations happening on picket lines and in break rooms right now. You'll hear about the strategies that succeeded, the personalities that led the charge, and the setbacks that reshaped movements. This isn't just a history podcast; it's a deep look at how understanding the battles for worker rights, from centuries ago to just decades past, provides essential context for today's struggles over wages, conditions, and dignity. Tune in for a grounded, narrative-driven exploration of how yesterday's strikes, protests, and organizing victories continue to fuel the demand for a more just tomorrow.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Labor History Today
Podcast Episodes
Derry’s Missing Factory Girls [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:29
On Labor History Today: A visit to the Northern Ireland city of Derry and a search for the real Factory Girls. On this week’s Labor History in Two: Jefferson Outlaws the Slave Trade; Greyhound Bus Drivers StrikeQuestions…
The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:26
As Black History Month comes to a close, the On the Line podcast marks the occasion with a fascinating look back at the history of train sleeping car porters, almost all of whom were Black. It's a story that has only rec…
Black labor in Richmond (Encore) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:10
For 150 years, Richmond's place in history has been as "the capital of the Confederacy." But this label hides a much richer and more complex history. On today’s show, originally aired on Feb. 20, 2022, we hear from Peter…
Grit and Working-Class Solidarity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:35
On Labor History Today: Grit and Working-Class Solidarity: B.C. Workers Respond to the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. The On the Line: Stories of BC Workers podcast reports on “A time of unsurpassed working-class consciou…
The 1917 “Bath Riots” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:11
On Labor History Today: The 1917 “Bath Riots”. The story of Carmelita Torres, the "Latina Rosa Parks," and the so-called “Bath Riots” on the U.S.-Mexico border in 1917. On Labor History in Two: auto workers sit down and…
MLK in Memphis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:51
On this week's Labor Heritage Power Hour: MLK in Memphis; “We Will Not Be Turned Around”, Part 3 of AFSCME’s I AM STORY podcast about the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike. Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome,…
Remembering Ludlow but Forgetting Columbine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:00
On this week’s Labor History Today: While historians have written prolifically about the 1914 Ludlow Massacre, there has been a lack of attention to the Columbine Massacre in which police shot and killed six striking coa…
Battle of the Eureka Stockade [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:49
On this week’s Labor History Today: Battle of the Eureka Stockade. Australia’s history closely tracks American history; the subjugation of indigenous people is the most obvious parallel, and the battles for basic worker…
At Sword’s Point [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:33
American labor unions have seen an incredible resurgence in recent years, which, suggests public historian Tom Goldscheider, “begs the question: why were they in decline in the first place?” In "At Sword’s Point", Tom re…
Christmas in Mansfield [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:27
Joe Jencks is a 25-year veteran of the international folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter, and a celebrated vocalist based in Chicago. Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing,…