Today in Labor History December 1, 1914: The famous labor song, "Solidarity Forever," was written on this date by IWW songwriter and cofounder Ralph Chaplin. He wrote the song for a hunger march to be led by Lucy Parsons in Chicago (on January 17, 1915). The song has been translated into many other languages, including French, German, Polish, Spanish, Swahili and Yiddish. And it is still commonly sung at union gatherings in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The inspiration for the song came from the brutal 1912-1913 Paint Creek-Cabin Creek mining strike, in West Virginia, led by Mother Jones and others. Private cops and vigilantes murdered at least 50 miners and their family members during that strike. Impressed with the solidarity and resolve of the miners, Chaplin began work on the song.

You can enjoy a Utah Phillips cover of the song here: https://youtu.be/OsPOgCPEeKs

And read my biography of Lucy Parsons here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/03/24/lucy-parsons/

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