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Contact:
Video History Project
Pilar Wright, Coordinator
(310)-831-2397

other
Current Projects

Labor Center

100th Birthday Celebration

Cesar Chavez Labor Tribute Banquet

ILWU PensionersVideo History Project

What is the Video History Project?
The HBI developed the Video History Project (VHP) to record and promote a history of working class people and today's Labor ILWU PensionerMovement. The 72 video tapes currently in our collection are open-ended interviews with men and women from the entire West Coast whose personal histories coincide with that of the ILWU, going as far back as the 1920's. They describe in their own words what working conditions were like, their views of Harry Bridges, the major events they experienced in ILWU history, personal stories of life on the waterfront, and offer advise for future generations.

The Video History Project preserves a valuable legacy, including insights on

  • the Big Strike of 1934
  • Labor hero Harry Bridges
  • the breakaway of West Coast longshoremen from the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the American Federation of Labor (AFL) to form the ILWU
  • the "Red Scare" and red-baiting of the 1940's and '50's
  • organized Labor's militancy after World War II and internationalism
  • the support of Ladies' Auxiliaries
  • racial integration on the waterfront
  • the 1946 Strike and the Maritime Strike of 1948
  • the Mechanization and Modernization (M&M) Contract

For too long now we have allowed our own history to die with the men and women who lived it. The HBI's Video History Project is a direct transfer of heritage, from grandfathers and ILWU Pensionerfather to sons, and now even to daughters...a living heirloom available to currently active union members and the community.

Ongoing Project
The publication of these videos and associated catalog does not mean that we're putting away our video cameras. This is an ongoing project. There are still a lot of important voices to be heard. If you have a suggestion or recommendation, would like to find out more about the Project or make a donation to secure it's continuing success, contact the VHP office at (310)-831-2397.

 

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