Cedric de Leon discusses his book, "Freedom Train: Black Politics and the Story of Interracial Labor Solidarity" in this two-part event.
About "Freedom Train: Black Politics and the Story of Interracial Labor Solidarity":
In "Freedom Train," de Leon, a former organizer and elected leader in the US labor movement, reveals the central role of Black activists in spurring interracial solidarity in the US labor movement. Drawing on the minutes, correspondence, and speeches of Black labor activists and organizations from 1917 to 1968, de Leon reveals that independent Black labor organizations pushed the white labor movement toward a fierce and effective interracial solidarity. The book also shows how conflict and consensus among Black labor groups fueled the fight for solidarity, as different factions split and consolidated to form successive and sometimes competing Black labor organizations.
About the Author:
Cedric de Leon is Professor of Sociology and Labor Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has published six books. His newest, "Freedom Train," with University of California Press, is on the role of independent Black labor organizations in desegregating American unions from 1917 to 1968. He writes on race, labor, and party politics and teaches courses in social theory, political sociology, organizing, U.S. labor history, as well as labor and artificial intelligence. From 2018 to 2022, Cedric directed the UMass Amherst Labor Center, the country's premier worker-side graduate program in Labor Studies. He was the first person of color to do so. Prior to becoming an academic, he was an elected leader and staff organizer in the U.S. labor movement.
The Book Talk with Cedric de Leon will be conducted in two separate events on February 5th, 2026.
Virtual Event (10:00AM - 11:30AM): The first portion of the event will be hosted virtually via Zoom webinar.
Register to attend the Zoom session here.
In-Person Event (4:30PM-6PM): The in-person portion of the event will be hosted at Arizona State University, Tempe campus in the West Hall, room 135.
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