New Books Network Naomi R. Williams, "A Blueprint for Worker Solidarity: Class Politics and Community in Wisconsin" (U Illinois Press, 2025)
Oct 12, 2025
Naomi R. Williams, an Associate Professor at Rutgers University, dives into her book exploring Racine's labor history. She reveals how personal experiences sparked her passion for labor studies. Williams highlights the impact of the 1976 hospital strike and the influential figure William Blue Jenkins in shaping worker solidarity. She discusses the challenges of race and class in labor movements and the struggles faced by deindustrialized communities. Naomi emphasizes learning from Racine’s history to foster contemporary worker activism and communal ties.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
History Sustained Worker Solidarity
- Racine maintained a strong working-class political culture despite early deindustrialization.
- Leaders used history and multigenerational storytelling to sustain solidarity and activism.
Research Sparked By A Strike Photo
- Naomi discovered Racine via a 1976 hospital workers strike photo in a local labor newspaper.
- That image led her to union records, addresses, and oral histories that anchored the research.
A Leader Bridging Labor And Race
- William Jenkins personified cross-racial, working-class leadership in Racine.
- He linked union work to NAACP organizing and broadened labor's racial justice focus.
