Museum talk to focus on Local 22
The New Winston Museum, 713 S. Marshall St., will host “Standing Up — The Rise of Local 22,” a discussion about the city’s landmark union, on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m.
In 1943, African American leaf workers initiated a sit-down strike at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company during the height of Jim Crow. Local 22 proved to be a model for other interracial labor movements that were to follow in the South during the 1940s. Its impact continued to be felt 20 years later during the civil rights struggle when African Americans mobilized to end segregation in the U.S.
The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will include community activist Linda Sutton, Winston-Salem State University Associate Professor Dr. Larry Little and Will Cox of Occupy Winston-Salem.
The discussion is the latest in the New Winston Museum’s Salon Series, free bi-monthly talks featuring a broad range of local historians, artists, writers, musicians, professionals and community members. Speakers will discuss aspects of their work and their process to find interpersonal connections with their work to the broader community.
The mission of the New Winston Museum is to preserve the cultural history of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County and to inspire our citizens to incorporate our past in creating a great future for our community.
For more information, call 336-724-2842 or visit www.newwinston.org.
