On March 27, 2025 for Women’s History Month, we invited scholar and historian Dr.Danielle Phillips-Cunningham to discuss her powerful book “Nannie Helen Burroughs: A Tower of Strength in the Labor World” at the intersection of race, gender, and labor, and share the crucial lessons from history for tech labor organizers and racial justice activists.
OVERVIEW:
Black girls and women were at the forefront of the labor movements of the twentieth century. However, many were relegated to the footnote of history and their contributions minimized or erased.
In her recent book, Dr. Danielle Phillips- Cunningham, associate professor in the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers university, shares the story of Nannie Helen Burroughs whose leadership as an educator and civil rights leader was revolutionary in transforming the economic landscape for Black girls and women.
Nannie Burroughs established the National Training School for Women and Girls (NTS) in Washington, DC, which along with her work in the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, was integral to and resulted in a powerful labor movement. Dr. Phillips-Cunningham’s book is the first time that Nannie Burroughs’ story has been told, and it definitively establishes her as one of America's most influential labor leaders in the twentieth century.
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