On this day in Labor History the year was 1900.
That was the day that folk singer Malvina Reynolds was born to a Jewish family in San Francisco.
Her parents were socialists and operated a tailor shop.
Malvina learned the price of speaking out for what you believe in at a young age.
Her parents opposed US entry into World War I.
Because of this, Malvina’s High School would not issue her a diploma.
She was able to still go the college at Berkley, where she eventually earned her PhD.
She married carpenter and labor organizer William “Bud” Reynolds.
She became a prolific folk singer, playing around the Los Angeles area.
During the 1960s she wrote about songs supporting civil rights and labor rights.
Her song Free Enterprise offers the lyrics, “The air you breathe is poison, the food you eat is worse, the dollars in your pay check are pennies in your purse…There’s nothing free about it, you pay at every turn, Except the guys in Wall Street who have the stuff to burn, they had to make new brain machines to count their profits’ rise, but since there’s always room for more, they can still make their profits soar, a little war does wonders for free enterprise.”
Perhaps her most well-known song is “Little Boxes.”
The song was inspired by driving by hillside houses in Daly City, California.
It talks about the conformity of middle class suburbia.
April 9 - Lee Surrenders to Grant
April 8 - John L. Lewis Takes on Henry Ford
April 7 - Flora Tristan is Born
April 6 - Rose Schneiderman is Born
April 5 - Massey Mine Explodes, pt. 2
April 4 - Massey Mine Explodes, pt. 1
April 3 - Lincoln Freed the Slaves, Ford Brought Them Back
April 2 - Trouble in the Sweetest Place on Earth
April 1 - The Promise of 1946
March 31 - Hospital Workers Stand United
March 30 - 15th Amendment Adopted
March 29 - West Coast Hotel v Parrish Decided
March 28 - Partial Meltdown at Three Mile Island
March 27 - FE Strikers Battle Police at Harvester
March 26 - Police Attack UE Amid ‘46 Strike Wave
March 25 - Centralia Coal Mine #5 Explodes
March 24 - Exxon Valdez Runs Aground
March 23 - Texas City Refinery Explosion Kills 15
March 22 - ERA Passes the Senate
March 21 - Truman Signs Loyalty Order
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Navigating Life After 40
Teaching Learning Leading K-12
Regenerative Skills
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast