Martyr of Loray Mill: Ella May and the 1929 Textile Workers’ Strike in Gastonia, North Carolina – Book Talk by Kristina Horton

Date(s):
03/11/2017
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Textile worker, labor activist, and protest balladeer Ella May played a central role in the Loray Mill strike of 1929, the biggest communist-led strike in United States history.  Ella’s union involvement, ability to move audiences with her music, and her efforts to support desegregation and labor rights for African Americans at the height of Jim Crow made her a target of violence.  At only 28-years old, pregnant and a mother of five surviving children, Ella May was assassinated on her way to a union meeting in Gastonia, NC.  Although there were many witnesses, no one was ever held accountable for the crime.

Kristina Horton, great-granddaughter of Ella May, will discuss the 1929 strike and ongoing efforts to memorialize Ella May’s legacy, as well as her personal journey in discovering an unsung heroine in one of her ancestors.

Admission is FREE!

Cost: Free
Contact: Adria Focht
Contact Phone: 704-739-1019
Contact Email: [email protected]