A new working class : the legacies of public-sector employment in the civil rights movement

"This book traces efforts by Black public-sector workers and their unions to combat racial and economic injustice in Baltimore. For decades, civil rights activists had been fighting against employment discrimination and for a greater role for African Americans in municipal decision-making. In the 1960s, activists seized the opportunity of the Great Society-and the government jobs it created on the local level-to advance their goals. They met with considerable success. The public sector became a critical job niche for Black workers, especially women, a largely unheralded achievement of the civil rights movement. A vocal contingent of Black public-sector workers pursued the activists' goals from their government posts and sought to increase and improve public-service delivery. They also fought for their rights as workers and won union representation. During an era often associated with deindustrialization and union decline, Black government workers and their unions were just getting started."