For Bread and Roses: Local Labor Struggles

Quinebaug Valley Community College’s Willimantic Center will commemorate International Workers’ Day with a lecture on the history of Connecticut’s textile laborers and strikes. Beverly York, a history instructor and curator of the Nathan Hale Homestead will present "For Bread and Roses: Local Labor Struggles”, the history of local textile industry labor issues, strikes and issues surrounding fair wages. The lecture will take place at 6pm at the Willimantic Center located at 729 Main Street in Willimantic. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Accompanying the lecture will be a tour of a new mural at QVCC featuring original images from the early twentieth century of Connecticut’s mill workers. The mural was recently unveiled on April 22, and was done by MBK Muralists, Ben Keller and Melica Bloom. This project is an ongoing effort by MBK Murals to reinvigorate and revitalize local communities through arts and mural projects. The QVCC mural will be the first of a series of historic murals done in and around the Windham area. MBK Murals have also completed projects in West Hartford, Plainfield, and Middletown and their work can be viewed on their website at http://mbkmurals.com/.

This program is part of Connecticut at Work, a year-long conversation about the past, present and future of work life in Connecticut created by Connecticut Humanities. Connecticut at Work travels across the state through December 2014. The program features the Smithsonian Institution’s The Way We Worked exhibition, with stops in seven communities: New Haven, Torrington, Hartford, Waterbury, Coventry, Stamford and Groton. Surrounding communities are adding local focus with community history exhibits, book and film discussions, author talks, performances and more. Connecticut at Work is an initiative of Connecticut Humanities, a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In the Coventry area, Connecticut at Work is a partnership with Connecticut Landmarks. The Connecticut tour of The Way We Worked is made possible by Connecticut Humanities and Historic New England. For a calendar of events and more information, visit cthumanities.org/ctatwork.

For more information about the upcoming lecture or mural, contact Catherine Gregory at 860-336-0906.