Hosea Hudson
Encyclopedia
Hosea Hudson was an African American
labor leader in the Southern United States
.
Hudson was born in Wilkes County, Georgia
. He worked as a sharecropper in what was then known as the "Black Belt
" of Georgia before moving to Birmingham
and working as a steel-mill worker and a local union official while maintaining an active membership in the Communist Party
, which he joined after studying in New York
in the 1930s. Through his work, Hudson was often referred to as a militant fighter against racist oppression and economic exploitation. Hudson is said to have been surprised at the acceptance of the Jim Crow Laws
, but felt that wasn't enough.
Hudson actively participated in the struggle to enfranchise the African American minority in the Deep South
. In 1938, Hudson organized the Right to Vote Club, which helped literate African Americans to register to vote despite the systematic intimidation of potential black voters in the segregated southern states. (Hudson himself had learned to read at the Communist Party's National Training School.)
During the Red Scare
s of the post-World War II
period, Hudson was expelled from the Birmingham Industrial Union Council. In 1947, he was fired from his job, removed from his offices in Local 2815 (which he had founded), and blacklisted as a communist. His 30-year marriage to Lucy Goosby ended in 1946.
Hudson told his own story in his book Black Worker in the Deep South: A Personal Record (1972). It has been published in various editions, usually by small, progressive publishers.
In 1987, the historian Nell Irvin Painter
co-authored a book about Hosea Hudson's life, often described as a collaborative autobiography. His story is also featured in a collection of stories about the Civil Rights movement, as well as one on the Communist Movement in the United States
.
As co-author (with Nell Irvin Painter
):
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
labor leader in the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
.
Hudson was born in Wilkes County, Georgia
Wilkes County, Georgia
Wilkes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 10,687. The 2007 Census estimate shows a population of 10,262. The county seat is the city of Washington. Referred to as "Washington-Wilkes", the county seat and county are commonly treated as a...
. He worked as a sharecropper in what was then known as the "Black Belt
Black Belt (U.S. region)
The Black Belt is a region of the Southern United States. Although the term originally described the prairies and dark soil of central Alabama and northeast Mississippi, it has long been used to describe a broad agricultural region in the American South characterized by a history of plantation...
" of Georgia before moving to Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and working as a steel-mill worker and a local union official while maintaining an active membership in the Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
, which he joined after studying in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the 1930s. Through his work, Hudson was often referred to as a militant fighter against racist oppression and economic exploitation. Hudson is said to have been surprised at the acceptance of the Jim Crow Laws
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
, but felt that wasn't enough.
Hudson actively participated in the struggle to enfranchise the African American minority in the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
. In 1938, Hudson organized the Right to Vote Club, which helped literate African Americans to register to vote despite the systematic intimidation of potential black voters in the segregated southern states. (Hudson himself had learned to read at the Communist Party's National Training School.)
During the Red Scare
Red Scare
Durrell Blackwell Durrell Blackwell The term Red Scare denotes two distinct periods of strong Anti-Communism in the United States: the First Red Scare, from 1919 to 1920, and the Second Red Scare, from 1947 to 1957. The First Red Scare was about worker revolution and...
s of the post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
period, Hudson was expelled from the Birmingham Industrial Union Council. In 1947, he was fired from his job, removed from his offices in Local 2815 (which he had founded), and blacklisted as a communist. His 30-year marriage to Lucy Goosby ended in 1946.
Hudson told his own story in his book Black Worker in the Deep South: A Personal Record (1972). It has been published in various editions, usually by small, progressive publishers.
In 1987, the historian Nell Irvin Painter
Nell Irvin Painter
Nell Irvin Painter is an American historian notable for her works on southern history of the nineteenth century. She is retired from Princeton University, and served as president of the Organization of American Historians. She also served as president of the Southern Historical...
co-authored a book about Hosea Hudson's life, often described as a collaborative autobiography. His story is also featured in a collection of stories about the Civil Rights movement, as well as one on the Communist Movement in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Written Works
- Black Worker in the Deep South: A Personal Record. New York: International Publishers, 1972.
As co-author (with Nell Irvin Painter
Nell Irvin Painter
Nell Irvin Painter is an American historian notable for her works on southern history of the nineteenth century. She is retired from Princeton University, and served as president of the Organization of American Historians. She also served as president of the Southern Historical...
):
- The Narrative of Hosea Hudson: The Life and Times of a Black Radical. New York: W.W. Norton, 1994.
External links
- "The Story of Hosea Hudson: Lessons of a ‘Black worker in the deep South’ still loom large". An article by Barbara Jean Hope for Black History MonthBlack History MonthBlack History Month is an observance of the history of the African diaspora in a number of countries outside of Africa. Since 1976, it is observed annually in the United States and Canada in February, while in the United Kingdom it is observed in October...
, 1995 (People's Weekly WorldPeople's Weekly WorldThe People's World is a news web site associated with the Communist Party USA.The People's World / Mundo Popular, formerly the People's Weekly World / Nuestro Mundo is a national, grassroots weekly newspaper and the direct descendant of the Daily Worker, founded in 1924...
).