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Sylvia Woods (March 15, 1909[1]) was an African American labor rights activist. During the Great Depression, Woods fought for the rights of both black workers and white workers.[2] She also fought for racial and sexual equality in the work force. She did so by organizing sit-down strikes and other protests at the laundry she worked at. Woods was one of the organizers of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).[3] She helped to establish United Autoworkers local (UAW) in Bendix.[1] fBecause of her efforts, the local UAW passed rules to stop discrimination based on sex. Woods was also one of the organizers of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).[3] Woods was also the chair of the Chicago Committee to Free Angela Davis. Angela Davis was an African American politician who was in prison for crimes she didn't commit.[1]
Early Life
[change | change source]Sylvia Woods was born in New Orleans. Some of her views on life and labor rights were inspired by her father, a follower of Marcus Garvey and a military trade unionist.[4] When Woods was 16, she moved to Chicago to find work.[2] Due to the Great Depression, jobs were hard to get. Woods still managed to get a job at the Great Western Laundry on the Near West Side.[1] Later on, she would stage her first strike at the laundry.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Places of Women's Labor Activism in Chicago (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gross, Linda (22 October 1976). "Tribute to Woman Union Organizers". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Picone, Linda (11 Mar 1977). "Women union organizer sees resurgence by rank and file". Minneapolis Tribune.
- ↑ Mccormick, Ruth (1977). "union maids". Cineaste.