Celebrating Christian Champions of Labor and Laborers

This is a true story from my days as a hospice chaplain:

He flopped down in his dirty baseball hat
And scuffed-up leather jacket. “Yes, I’ve paid
My funeral arrangements. Yes, I’ve made
Peace with my kids.” Peremptory as that,
He obviously had no use for collars.
“What is it you’re retired from?” I prodded.
“Union organizer.” And I nodded.
“Some of my father’s uncles, in the hollers,
Helped organize the West Virginia mines,”
I offered. A long silence. Then he said,
“That’s back when organizers wound up dead.
They left the cushy jobs to me and mine.”
The talk flowed then, a parley long delayed.
Then we took hands, and bowed our heads, and prayed.

The retired union organizer described here obviously began this interaction with a deep mistrust of, and hostility toward, the Church. Only when I found my “way in” with him by telling him about my great-uncles in Appalachia, who stood up to the rich and powerful at the risk of their lives, was he enabled to drop his guard and talk—at even pray—with me.

Ever since the Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire, the Church has too often been hand-in-glove with governments, oligarchs, and oppressors. Many people I encounter every day take it for granted that the Church has, from the beginning, done more harm than good; even the good deeds of Christians are mere window dressing, distracting the world from the daily harm the Church does, whilst allowing Christians to feel smug and self-righteous. Whatever truth and untruth lie in these positions, a lot of people hold them, and if we want to find our “way in” for the truth of God in an unbelieving world, this is where we must start.

Rather than arguing with people hostile to the Church, I prefer to celebrate Christians who been champions of labor and laborers. Here are some of my favorites along with book recommendations to further explore their lives with children and youth.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 -1968)

Best known for his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement, King became increasingly outspoken in his critiques of capitalism, and the ways in which economic injustice was the greatest obstacle to justice for the poor and working people.
– Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncan (picture book)

Cesar Chavez (1927 – 1993) 

A labor leader and civil rights activist, Chavez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with Dolores Huerta. The NFWA later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee to become the United Farm Workers. His social justice activities were fueled by his Catholic faith, and informed by Catholic social teachings.
– Who Was the Voice of the People?: Cesar Chavez by Terry Blas (middle grade graphic novel)
– Harvesting Hope: the story of Cesar Chavez by By Kathleen Krull (picture book)

Mary “Mother Jones” Harris (1837 – 1930)

A redoubtable labor organizer, Jones “was an unabashed Christian” and “drew heavily on biblical lessons and imagery to inspire her ‘boys’ the union workers and offer them a vision of a happier future.” Though retrograde on gender roles by today’s standards—she believed employers should pay men enough to support their wives and children at home, and never supported women’s rights as such—Jones protested poor enforcement of child labor laws in Pennsylvania by leading a children’s march from Philadelphia to the New York home of President Theodore Roosevelt, helped organize the United Mine Workers (earning herself the title of “Most Dangerous Woman in America”), and cofounded the International Workers of the World.
– Mother Jones: Labor Leader by Connie Colwell Miller (graphic novel)
– Mother Jones and Her Army of Mill Children By Jonah Winter (picture book)

Helen Keller (1880-1968)

The famous disability activist was a devout member of the New Church, also called Swedenborgian Church. She joined the Socialist Party of America in 1909, and was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union. When she began to despair of “parliamentary socialism” as a vehicle for bringing about social justice, she joined the International Workers of the World. She wrote twelve books and numerous articles. 
– After the Miracle by Max Wallace (for teens and adults) Children’s books typically omit Helen Keller’s activism when telling her life story, but this new biography explores her involvement in social justice “after the miracle” of finding her voice.

Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador (1917—1980)

This Jesuit priest was made Archbishop his native El Salvador in the belief that he would be a moderating influence during those turbulent years of social unrest. Instead, he became a passionate advocate social and economic justice. He was murdered at the altar while celebrating Mass on March 24, 1980.
– Raul Julia gave a powerful performance as the Archbishop on the 1989 film, Romero.
– The Violence of Love: selections from the sermons and writings by Oscar Romero (teens and adult)

Dorothy Day (1887-1980)

In the 1930s, Day and fellow activist Peter Maurin established the Catholic Worker Movement, a pacifist movement combining direct aid for the poor and homeless with nonviolent direct action on their behalf. She also founded Covenant House, a chain of shelters for homeless and runaway teens. Intensely scrutinized by the FBI for her civil disobedience and suspected Communist sympathies, she was arrested numerous times, including in 1973 at the age of seventy-five. Day co-founded the Catholic Worker newspaper in 1933, serving as its editor until her death in 1980.
– Unruly Saint: Dorothy Day’s Radical Vision and its Challenge for Our Times By D.L. Mayfield (teens)
– Dorothy and the Great Quake: A Story about Dorothy Day as a Young Girl by Barbara Allaire (picture book)

According to the US Department of Labor, 

Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.

Beginning in 1885, municipalities and, later, states began to recognize the first Monday in September as the nation’s day to recognize the value and dignity of labor. Congress passed an act making it a legal holiday.

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Who are the Christian champions of labor and laborers that inspire you?