The Fruits of Our Labor: Exploring the History of Work in Philadelphia

315 Chestnut Street,Philadelphia PA 19106

02 May, 2022

Description

Join us for a day-long symposium as esteemed panelists and speakers explore Philadelphia's labor history. *** Until April 15th, 2022, use promo code earlybird to get a 15% discount on this event! Many historic sites and museums in Philadelphia have connections to labor history. Philadelphia was, after all, the Workshop of the World following the Industrial Revolution, and in 1835 it witnessed the first general strike in the history of North America. Following that, throughout the 20th century and even up to today, Philadelphia was at the heart of the modern-day labor movement. Increasingly, there is interest at Philadelphia's cultural sites to interpret this history and make sense of it. The Carpenters’ Company, housed at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, founded in 1724, is the oldest continually operating trade guild in the United States. Historically, The Company was responsible for setting building codes, labor standards and wages. Members of The Carpenters’ Company have led construction projects in Philadelphia for almost 300 years. The purpose of Carpenters' Hall and the history of The Carpenters' Company alludes to a rich and complex history of labor. For example, a strike was agitated against The Company in 1791 when journeymen carpenters in Philadelphia formed worker cooperatives as a means to advocate for shorter working hours and better wages. In another instance, the Brick Layers Company (a precursor to the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers) used Carpenters' Hall as a meeting space for decades. Likewise, the General Building Contractors Association was founded at Carpenters' Hall in the late 19th century. Considering this, we have been working to consider Labor History and the history of the trades part of our overall interpretation in our museum space at Carpenters' Hall. For this symposium, we have sought to partner with academics, labor unions, historic sites and community partners to foster a dialogue concerning the history of work in Philadelphia. We are pleased to announce that journalist, historian and author Kim Kelly will be our keynote speaker at this event. If you'd like to consider being a sponsor for this symposium, please review our sponsorship options here. Please submit sponsorship forms to [email protected]. Following the symposium, there will be a small reception for those who have purchased advanced tickets. Attendance to the symposium and the reception will require proof of vaccination (including proof of a booster shot). ** Please note we have made available a number of reduced price tickets for this event. If you are experiencing financial hardship and would like to attend this event, please purchase at that ticket level. If you can afford the full price, please purchase at the standard ticket level. 12:00 PM Lunch and registration 12:30 PM Introductory talk: "The Trades in Philadelphia" Matt Stafford, Brick Layers International 1 PM Panel: "New Horizons in Labor History" Amy Slaton, Drexel University Danya Pilgrim, Temple University Gabe Christy, Labor Jawn podcast Sean Griffin, CUNY 2 PM Emerging Scholar(s): "Black Metropolis: African American Tradespeople in Philadelphia in the 19th Century" Michiko Quinones, Harvard University Museum Studies ALM Candidate, co-Founder Black Docents Collective, and Host of the Philly People Now Deceased Podcast with Morgan Lloyd, Philadelphia Museum of Art & African American Museum of Philadelphia 3 PM Panel: "Interpreting Labor History at Historic Sites and Museums" Ted Maust, Elfreth’s Alley Christopher Rodgers, Robeson House Libbie Hawes, Cliveden 4 PM Keynote Speaker: "Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor" Kim Kelly, Journalist and Author 5 PM Cocktail hour at National Mechanics for those with a reception ticket.