Ben Fletcher and Building the IWW's Anti-Racist, Class War Politics

It’s Going Down speaks with labor historian and professor Peter Cole about African-American labor leader Ben Fletcher, who played a key role in Local 8 of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a radical syndicalist and anti-capitalist labor union. We talk about how the IWW rejected white supremacy and promoted anti-racist politics, went up against the KKK in some instances, and brought together both African-American workers and European immigrants into one fighting union. We also discuss how Fletcher was targeted by the Red Scare, did time in prison, and was seen as both a national and international figure.