Their Side of the Story
Martha Bryant and Eulalie Hampden operating a bolt cutting machine — World War II home front. Photo by Alfred T. Palmer, courtesy of the United States Library of Congress.
Crystal Moten examines black women’s workplace resistances in civil-rights era Milwaukee
by Christine M. Dugan
The history department and the history majors committee present "Their Side of the Story: Black Women's Workplace Resistances in Civil Rights Era Milwaukee" on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 4:30 p.m. in Denny 317. During this talk Crystal Moten, assistant professor of history, will examine the lives and labors of black working women during the 1950s and 1960s—the height of the civil-rights movement—both across the nation and in this midwestern city.
Using case studies from the Equal Rights Division of the Wisconsin Industrial Commission, Moten will shine a light on the everyday strivings of black working women. From calling out sexist supervisors to exposing racism among coworkers, these women and their resistance to economic inequality played a crucial role in African-Americans’ struggle for racial equality during this period.
Moten’s teaching and scholarly interest focuses on 20th-century U.S. history, with specializations in women’s and gender history and African-American history. Her research examines black women's struggles for economic justice in the 20th-century urban North. Moten also teaches classes related to U.S. and urban history.
Moten's lecture is the sixth-annual Whitfield Bell Lecture. The lecture series honors Whitfield Bell, Jr., class of 1935, author and pioneer in historical editing. Bell also was the Boyd Lee Spahr Chair of American History.
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Published November 2, 2015