Martyr Of Loray Mill: Ella May And The 1929 Textile Workers' Strike In Gastonia, North Carolina

Union organizer and balladeer Ella May became a martyr for workers nationwide when she was murdered on her way to a union meeting in Gastonia, North Carolina, at age 28. A mother of nine and bookkeeper for the communist-led National Textile Workers Union, May worked to organize fellow mill workers in Gaston County. Her efforts to organize black workers--along with her brash, outspoken manner--incensed the local community and she was shot by an anti-union vigilante group on September 14, 1929. Written by her great-granddaughter, this book tells Ella May's story, including her involvement in the Loray Mill Strike, the largest communist-led strike on American soil. Her most famous ballad, "Mill Mother's Lament," reveals her motivation: "It is for our little children."

• | Author: Kristina Horton
• | Publisher: Mcfarland
• | Publication Date: Jul 15, 2015
• | Number of Pages: 232 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 0786499648
• | ISBN-13: 9780786499649