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World in brief: May 17, 2024
Gaza aid pier

UNITED STATES: A mural honouring the 20th-century African-American labour organiser Ben Fletcher is set to be unveiled in Philadelphia tomorrow.

Mr Fletcher (1890–1949) was a prominent member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). He helped co-found the city’s branch of the Marine Transport Workers Industrial Union in 1913 — which at the time was uniquely inter-racial.

He went on to organise with the IWW across the East Coast. His union organising caught the attention of the authorities, who jailed him for three years for “treasonous activities.”

Liberation webinar, 30 November2024, 6pm (UK)
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