This is a photo of strikers in front of union headquarters in Bessemer City, near Gastonia, from July 12, 1929. The sign on the roof of the union headquarters reads “National Textile Workers Union Workers Internat’[iona]l Relief, Solidarity of the Working Class Will Win, Bessemer City Branch.” The note below the photo reads “International Newsreel Photo Slug…(courthouse) / Where 15 will be tried for murder of Gastonia chief of police in strike riot / Gastonia, N.C…The court house where fifteen strikers and and strike leaders will be tried for murder of chief of police Aderholt. Aderholt was shot June 7th in raid upon headquarters of National Textile Workers Union.” The jail where strikers are imprisoned is in the background.
Citation: Gaston County Museum of Art and History. Loray Mill Strike, Labor Union Headquarters, Bessemer City, July 12, 1929, Gaston County Museum of Art & History, Dallas, North Carolina, United States of America. Loray Digital Archive, https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/7400?ln=en#?xywh=-6300%2C-383%2C18840%2C7657. Accessed 28 August 2023.
Questions
- Describe the people you see in front of the labor union headquarters.
- Do you think this photo demonstrates solidarity? Why or why not?
- Why do you think this particular note was included with the photo?
Vocabulary
Solidarity: fellowship felt between people or within a group with common interests
