Remembering "The Killing Floor": A Look at Chicago's Labor Union History
By: Sarah Miller, Class of 2015
Photo credit: UChicago Film Studies Center
"What was very exciting for me in making this film was capturing the story of an ordinary people who are not famous but have compelling, dramatic stories make decisions that change their lives and the course of history," - Elsa Rassbach, Executive Producer, The Killing Floor.
On Thursday, May 17, the Film Studies Center sponsored a screening of the 1985 historical drama with Rassbach, senior lecturer in the Department of Visual Arts Judy Hoffman, and Director of the Center of Race, Politics, and Culture at the University Michael Dawson.
Set in the early 20th century, The Killing Floor portrays the story of Frank Custer, a black sharecropper who leaves his family in Mississippi in search for work in Chicago. He ultimately finds work on the "killing floor" in one of the (in)famous slaughterhouses, where he befriends Bill Bremer, a German immigrant who is determined to form a union.
However, Custer faces significant opposition from fellow black workers,
including Heavy Williams, who is skeptical of joining after experiencing
racism from exclusive labor unions in the South. As a worker in the
stockyards, Custer also had to cope with living alone in a strange city
and crossing through the racist and sometime volatile white neighborhood
in order to get work.
The challenges Custer faces in the North were not unique; from 1910 to 1930, in what historians refer to as the "First Great Migration," 1.6 million African Americans left the South in search for work. During this time, it is estimated that Chicago's black population rose by about 148 percent. The surge in population, combined with soldiers returning from World War I, led to rising hostility and job competition that culminated in the Chicago Race Riot of 1919.
Directed by Bill Duke, The Killing Floor showcases many famous Chicago actors and features an original story written by Rassbach. As the producer of WBGH Public Television in Boston, she proposed a labor history series, but The Killing Floor was the only film made in the series. Though she first suggested the series in the 1970's, funding for The Killing Floor was difficult because of the relationship between public television and private enterprises - the film was released in 1985.
For, Rassbach, Hoffman, and Dawson, the film has significant personal meaning. Rassbach first learned about Custer's story while studying film in Germany in the 1960's. At the time the film was shot, Hoffman was a camera assistant, trying to break into the then all-male International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Dawson, who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, was active in the both the civil rights and labor movements.
"Even in my final years as a labor union organizer, it was still difficult to create interracial solidarity among workers," Dawson said in the discussion. "The labor activists were constantly working for solidarity, fighting against racism."
Combining real historical footage and lively characters, this dramatic representation of events that are long forgotten, The Killing Floor and the story behind its production provide a scintillating perspective of Chicago's history and the meaning of labor and race relations in America.0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Remembering "The Killing Floor": A Look at Chicago's Labor Union History.
TrackBack URL for this entry: https://blogs.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/736
Nice Article
I haven't seen that movie but I am a huge fan on movies based n that kind of social issues.Combining real historical footage and lively characters that movie certainly deserves to be seen. Thanks!
It is a masterpiece. One of the best movie ever seen, a very realistic approach taken towards human emotions and activities.
Woah! I'm really digging the template/theme of this site. It's simple, yet effective.
A lot of times it's very hard to get that "perfect balance" between user friendliness and visual appearance. I must say you've done a awesome job with this.
Also, the blog loads very fast for me on Opera. Outstanding Blog!
Hello friends, how is everything, and what you desire to say concerning this article,
in my view its actually amazing designed for me.
Great article, exactly what I needed.
I am going to be 18 in 26 days and I want to become a millionaire quickly by trading either stocks or forex.
I want to know in your opinion which of them would make
the best vehicle to trade to make the easiest, quickest path to wealth?
Also, when I say easy, I don't mean that it would be easy to do, but easy in terms of currencies and stocks to choose from and the least complicated to research out of the two. Good, reasonable answers would be much appreciated. Thanks!.
absolutely a scam, which is why I use a mental stop loss AND never let
a position out of my sight. If you need sleep, close your position.
Professional traders don\'t sleep, so they don\'t need S/L
Your way of explaining all in this post is actually pleasant, every one be able
to simply be aware of it, Thanks a lot.
You are going to have a very hard time doing this. First you say that you don't have much/good credit. That is bad enough, but after you get turned down it will be extremely hard.. It is ironic that the people who need money the least get offered the best rate, and the people who need money the most get stuck with the highest rates. But it is also the second group that has the highest default rate on loans. That is part of the reason for the higher rates.
I think that is among the so much important information for me.
And i'm happy studying your article. However want to statement on some common things, The web site taste is ideal, the articles is really excellent : D. Just right process, cheers
On the 5 min - I\'m guessing you\'re trading one of the major
pairs like the EUR/USD. The answer really depends on what swings you\'re playing. . My advice would be to. . control risk/reward - don\'t have your stop at 10 pips
if you only expect to make 5. It should be at the very, very
least 10 and preferably much more.. . Watch the markets and try to define where the best \"point\" to place the stop - this is
the price at which if it is hit your target will likely not be hit.
For trades similar to yours I put them around the 80% retracement of the prior swing (I think there is a fib like .782 which I used but haven\'t traded since the summer).. . Really, just watch the market, watch the market, watch the market, be creative, be smart, and protect your money.
What kind of camera did you use? That is definitely a great good quality.
browse
I'm gone to convey my little brother, that he should also pay a visit this web site on regular basis to obtain updated from hottest gossip.
Right away I am going away to do my breakfast, when having my
breakfast coming over again to read further news.
If you desire to get much from this article then you have to apply such techniques
to your won website.
I am really thankful to the owner of this web site who
has shared this great piece of writing at at this place.
I am actually grateful to the owner of this web page
who has shared this wonderful post at at this time.
I've gone ahead and included a link back to your internet site from one of my clients requesting it. We have used your blog URL: https://blogs.uchicago.edu/chicagostudies/2012/05/remembering_the_killing_floor.html and blog title: Remembering "The Killing Floor": A Look at Chicago's Labor Union History to ensure you get the proper
anchor text. If you woud like to check out where your website link has been placed, please contact me at:
ruth.huey@gmail.com. Many thanks
Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I
provide credit and sources back to your site?
My blog is in the exact same niche as yours and my users would definitely benefit from a lot of the information you provide
here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Thanks!