Steelworkers and Shipyard Workers for Equality was a labor organization of Black workers at the Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard in

Sparrows Point, Maryland Sparrows Point is an industrial area in unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, adjacent to Edgemere. Named after Thomas Sparrow, landowner, it was the site of a very large industrial complex owned by Bethlehem Steel, known ...

. Founded in the early 1960s, the organization fought for racial equality within the

Bethlehem Steel Corporation The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

. The formation of the organization was encouraged by the

Congress of Racial Equality The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States that played a pivotal role for African Americans in the civil rights movement. Founded in 1942, its stated mission is "to bring about ...

(CORE) and the CORE-affiliated Maryland Freedom Union (MFU).

History

Bethlehem Steel maintained racially discriminatory practices and segregated workplaces. Black and white workers had separate toilets and the cleaning of toilets was delegated to Black workers almost exclusively. Bethlehem Steel maintained educational tests that discriminated against Black workers, while white workers did not have to take the same tests and some of the white workers were illiterate. During the 1970s, the steelworker and shop steward Lee Douglas, Jr. was one of the most active members of the organization. Douglas was the first Black shop steward at the Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard. He maintained a close relationship with Baltimore's Mayor

William Donald Schaefer William Donald Schaefer (November 2, 1921 – April 18, 2011) was an American politician who served in public office for 50 years at both the state and local level in Maryland. As a Democrat, he was the 45th mayor of Baltimore from December 197 ...

. Francis Brown and Oscar Hoggs were other prominent activists within the organization. At the organization's peak, it maintained a membership of 2,400 dues-paying members. Marches and rallies held by the organization were usually attended by several hundred people. Only a few members of the organization signed onto Kenneth L. Johnson's lawsuit against Bethlehem Steele in 1982. Johnson and the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund filed complaints to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that Bethlehem Steel's seniority practices perpetuated discrimination against Black workers. Complaints by Black male workers were later joined by women workers alleging

sex discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

. Racial discrimination came not only from Bethlehem Steel, but also from the local branches of the

United Steelworkers The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headqua ...

. Black steelworkers in Sparrows Point staged a series of protests. Freedom marches were held at Sparrows Point, and the national Bethlehem Steel headquarters in Pennsylvania, and in front of the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. These protests were supported by CORE as well as U-JOIN, an offshoot of

Students for a Democratic Society Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a national student activist organization in the United States during the 1960s and was one of the principal representations of the New Left. Disdaining permanent leaders, hierarchical relationships a ...

(SDS).

References

{{Reflist African-American history of Maryland African Americans' rights organizations African-American working class Bethlehem Steel History of racism in Maryland Labor movement in Maryland Workers' rights organizations based in the United States Shipbuilding in the United States Sparrows Point, Maryland Working-class culture in Maryland Trade union reform movements