Mary McLeod Bethune ( left). One of the African American unions formed in the U.S. (right)

In the late 1800s, African American workers, tradesmen, and professionals who were excluded from all-White labor unions organized their own unions. Mrs. Bethune wrote in her 1936 speech “Closed Doors”:

“My boy belonged to a labor union, but when there came the chance for the distribution of jobs, it was not until all white applicants had been supplied, and then even though he is a skilled laborer, nothing was offered him in his own field, but he was forced to accept a job as a common laborer.”

Image description:
Left is a portrait of Mary McLeod Bethune.
Right image shows us one of the African American unions formed in the U.S. before the turn of the century.

Images source: LOC

To read about Mrs. Bethune's life, click this link:

https://archive.org/.../marymcleodbethun00smit_djvu.txt