| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 89.4

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to JAH online. About 192 words from this article are provided below; about 382 words remain.

If you are a individual member of the Organization of American Historians, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time.
If you are not a member of the Organization of American Historians, you can:: • Join the OAH and receive many member benefits including print and electronic issues of the Journal of American History.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two-hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the Journal of American History (86.1-present). Note: the Research Pass does not provide access to JSTOR's holdings of the Journal of American History.
Instititutions can:: • Subscribe to this journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 89.4 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Black Unionism in the Industrial South. By Ernest Obadele-Starks. (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2000. xxii, 183 pp. Cloth, $29.95, ISBN 0-89096-912-4. Paper, $19.95, ISBN 1-58544-167-8.)

In spite of the broad perspective suggested by the book's title, this fine study is about labor, race, and class in one specific area of the industrial South--the upper Texas Gulf Coast region--from the late nineteenth century through the World War II period. Its purpose is the careful examination of the difficult historical struggle of black workers and unionists in particular southern industries, specifically longshoring, oil, railroad, steel, and shipbuilding, as they developed in one Texas region. It also makes the case for southern black workers as class-conscious agents who strongly desired unionization and group empowerment. 1

This book is about black union activism. Accordingly, it deals with African American migrations to industrial centers and the subsequent growth of black union activity. Black workers dealt with a whole host of inequities such as white unionists who discriminated against them in job classification and placement, wage rates, seniority, and so forth. In every industry black workers encountered different forms of mistreatment and abuse. . . .

There are about 382 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.