Follow

• 

  Oral History Interview with Felix Allen

  Felix Allen and Max Krochmal

  Felix Allen is a 29-year-old musician who worked at a Lowe's store in New Orleans from late 2020 to mid-2022. He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina to a white father and Chinese mother, and studied music in college before moving to New Orleans to pursue a career as a drummer. He became involved in labor organizing after witnessing poor working conditions and treatment of employees at the Lowe's store.

• 

  Leah Bailey Oral History Interview

  Leah Bailey and Rafael Delgadillo

  Leah Bailey is a Senior Community and Political Organizer for UNITE HERE Local 23. Born in New Orleans in 1980, she spent her high school years in Alabama and later graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in restaurant and hotel management. Her early career was in management with Sodexo. After experiencing burnout, she moved back to New Orleans in 2009, where she worked as a server in the French Quarter. In 2014, she was hired at Manning's restaurant inside Harrah's Casino, where she first became involved with the union. Her mother had also been a union member with AT&T. Through her work, Bailey gained extensive experience in shop-floor leadership, contract negotiations, corporate research, and political organizing within the hospitality industry.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Beth Butler

  Beth Butler and Max Krochmal

  Beth Butler began working with Acorn in the 1970s, first in Little Rock and then taking leadership roles in Acorn offices across the South, including in Dallas, Fort Worth, Memphis, and ultimately New Orleans starting in 1980. She has been a central figure in Acorn and Community Voice's work in New Orleans for over 40 years.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Daniel Castellanos (Part 1)

  Daniel Castellanos and Rafael Delgadillo

  Daniel Castellanos is a reconstruction worker and organizer who was born in Lima, Peru, on November 21, 1970. He grew up in Lima, where his family worked in a wholesale fruit market, an experience he described as his "first university." He studied industrial engineering at the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal but did not complete his degree due to increasing political violence and personal circumstances. He later became a successful entrepreneur in the textile industry before facing financial ruin. He immigrated to the U.S. in 2004, first to Virginia and then to New Orleans in 2006. In New Orleans, he became a prominent labor organizer, co-founding the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice and the Congresso de Jornaleros, drawing on his personal experiences with exploitation as a guest worker.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Daniel Castellanos (Part 2)

  Daniel Castellanos and Rafael Delgadillo

  Daniel Castellanos is a reconstruction worker and organizer who was born in Lima, Peru, on November 21, 1970. He grew up in Lima, where his family worked in a wholesale fruit market, an experience he described as his "first university." He studied industrial engineering at the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal but did not complete his degree due to increasing political violence and personal circumstances. He later became a successful entrepreneur in the textile industry before facing financial ruin. He immigrated to the U.S. in 2004, first to Virginia and then to New Orleans in 2006. In New Orleans, he became a prominent labor organizer, co-founding the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice and the Congresso de Jornaleros, drawing on his personal experiences with exploitation as a guest worker.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Ron Chisom

  Ron Chisom and Rafael Delgadillo

  Mr. Ron Chisholm was a community organizer and co-founder of The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond. Born in New Orleans in 1941, his career began not in activism but in the medical field, working as a custodial worker and later a medical research technician at Charity Hospital and LSU Medical School. His direct experiences with institutional racism in these settings spurred his transition into community organizing in the 1970s. His expertise was built through decades of on-the-ground, "trial and error" work, including housing advocacy, tenant organizing, political campaigning, and being the chief plaintiff in a landmark voting rights case, Chisholm v. State of Louisiana. This practical experience informed his development of a sophisticated, systemic analysis of racism, which became the foundation for the nationallyrecognized anti-racism training provided by The People's Institute.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Scott Cooper (Part 1)

  Scott Cooper and Max Krochmal

  Scott Cooper was born in 1972 in Tennessee, where his father was a Methodist preacher and his mother was a union teacher. He attended Duke University, where he became involved in community organizing through programs like the "Interns and Conscience" initiative. After graduating, he worked with various community organizations and unions, including the Industrial Areas Foundation, AFSCME, and eventually Unite Here.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Scott Cooper (Part 2)

  Scott Cooper and Max Krochmal

  Scott Cooper was born in 1972 in Tennessee, where his father was a Methodist preacher and his mother was a union teacher. He attended Duke University, where he became involved in community organizing through programs like the "Interns and Conscience" initiative. After graduating, he worked with various community organizations and unions, including the Industrial Areas Foundation, AFSCME, and eventually Unite Here.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Diana Dunn

  Diana Dunn

  Diana Dunn is a leading anti-racism organizer. Her activism started in the 1960s with the anti-war movement. Alongside her late husband, Dr. Jim Dunn, and his colleague Ron Chisholm, she co-founded The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond. She dedicated decades to facilitating and developing the "Undoing Racism" workshops across the United States, focusing on empowering communities to understand and dismantle systemic racism.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Britain Forsyth (Part 1)

  Britain Forsyth

  Britain Forsyth is the policy and research coordinator at Step Up. She was also the C4 board chair for Forum for Equality, a statewide LGBT rights organization, and a member of the Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee. Born in 1995 in Lafayette, Louisiana, to educator parents, she grew up in what she described as a liberal but deeply segregated environment. Her personal journey included moving to New Orleans as a teenager, pursuing a bachelor's degree in counseling, and later earning a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of New Orleans after leaving a counseling master's program to pursue political activism. Her expertise was in community organizing, legislative strategy, and economic and social justice advocacy.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Britain Forsyth (Part 2)

  Britain Forsyth and Rafael Delgadillo

  Britain Forsyth is the policy and research coordinator at Step Up. She was also the C4 board chair for Forum for Equality, a statewide LGBT rights organization, and a member of the Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee. Born in 1995 in Lafayette, Louisiana, to educator parents, she grew up in what she described as a liberal but deeply segregated environment. Her personal journey included moving to New Orleans as a teenager, pursuing a bachelor's degree in counseling, and later earning a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of New Orleans after leaving a counseling master's program to pursue political activism. Her expertise was in community organizing, legislative strategy, and economic and social justice advocacy.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Tanya Harris-Glasow (Part 1)

  Tanya Harris-Glasow and Max Krochmal

  Tanya Harris-Glasow is a community organizer who was a resident of the Lower Ninth Ward and a member of ACORN prior to Hurricane Katrina. The storm transformed her role, and she became a central figure in ACORN's post-disaster organizing efforts in New Orleans. She was a founding member of the Katrina Survivors Association and, after ACORN's dissolution, A Community Voice. Her work involved direct action coordination, policy advocacy, leadership training, and coalition-building. Her firsthand experience as a displaced resident gave her a unique and powerful perspective on the fight for housing rights, community self-determination, and racial justice in the rebuilding of New Orleans.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Tanya Harris-Glasow (Part 2)

  Tanya Harris-Glasow and Max Krochmal

  Tanya Harris-Glasow is a community organizer who was a resident of the Lower Ninth Ward and a member of ACORN prior to Hurricane Katrina. The storm transformed her role, and she became a central figure in ACORN's post-disaster organizing efforts in New Orleans. She was a founding member of the Katrina Survivors Association and, after ACORN's dissolution, A Community Voice. Her work involved direct action coordination, policy advocacy, leadership training, and coalition-building. Her firsthand experience as a displaced resident gave her a unique and powerful perspective on the fight for housing rights, community self-determination, and racial justice in the rebuilding of New Orleans.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Tanya Harris-Glasow (Part 3)

  Tanya Harris-Glasow and Max Krochmal

  Tanya Harris-Glasow is a community organizer who was a resident of the Lower Ninth Ward and a member of ACORN prior to Hurricane Katrina. The storm transformed her role, and she became a central figure in ACORN's post-disaster organizing efforts in New Orleans. She was a founding member of the Katrina Survivors Association and, after ACORN's dissolution, A Community Voice. Her work involved direct action coordination, policy advocacy, leadership training, and coalition-building. Her firsthand experience as a displaced resident gave her a unique and powerful perspective on the fight for housing rights, community self-determination, and racial justice in the rebuilding of New Orleans.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Robert Horton (Part 1)

  Robert Horton and Max Krochmal

  Robert Horton, a native of New Orleans, shared his life journey, highlighting his experiences from the 1980s to the present. He discussed his early education, his father's incarceration, and the impact of Hurricane Katrina on his family. Horton's involvement in grassroots organizing began with Black Men United and the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, focusing on economic justice, fatherhood, and community policing. He later worked with Critical Resistance and Step Up Louisiana, developing new leaders and advocating for the Workers Bill of Rights. Horton emphasized the importance of political education and civic engagement in community organizing. Robert Horton discusses the interconnectedness of racial capitalism and capitalism, emphasizing that capitalism inherently benefits white individuals due to racial biases. He identifies as a revolutionary, advocating for social change and anti-racism. Horton highlights the exploitation of the Latinx community, who perform jobs previously held by African Americans, and the potential for tension between the two groups. Horton stresses the importance of challenging white supremacy systemically to achieve true racial justice.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Robert Horton (Part 2)

  Robert Horton and Max Krochmal

  Robert Horton, a native of New Orleans, shared his life journey, highlighting his experiences from the 1980s to the present. He discussed his early education, his father's incarceration, and the impact of Hurricane Katrina on his family. Horton's involvement in grassroots organizing began with Black Men United and the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, focusing on economic justice, fatherhood, and community policing. He later worked with Critical Resistance and Step Up Louisiana, developing new leaders and advocating for the Workers Bill of Rights. Horton emphasized the importance of political education and civic engagement in community organizing. Robert Horton discusses the interconnectedness of racial capitalism and capitalism, emphasizing that capitalism inherently benefits white individuals due to racial biases. He identifies as a revolutionary, advocating for social change and anti-racism. Horton highlights the exploitation of the Latinx community, who perform jobs previously held by African Americans, and the potential for tension between the two groups. Horton stresses the importance of challenging white supremacy systemically to achieve true racial justice.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Valerie Jefferson

  Valerie Jefferson and Max Krochmal

  Valerie Jefferson was born in Chicago in 1965 and raised in Magnolia, Mississippi. She earned a degree in elementary education from Alcorn University. After finding that teaching did not pay enough, she moved to New Orleans and was hired as a bus operator for the RTA in 1993. Her experience being fired and subsequently reinstated with the union's help spurred her deep involvement in ATU Local 1560. She held various roles, including shop steward and vice president, before being elected as the local's first female president in 2019. Beyond her union work, Ms. Jefferson served as the labor chair for the New Orleans branch and the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP. She was also an active member of the ATU International Black Caucus, the ATU International Women's Caucus, and community organizations like Step Up Louisiana.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Harold John (Part 1)

  Harold John and Max Krochmal

  Harold John is a former union steward who worked for the U.S. Postal Service. They have been heavily involved in labor activism, political advocacy, and community organizing over the course of their career.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Harold John (Part 2)

  Harold John and Max Krochmal

  Harold John is a former union steward who worked for the U.S. Postal Service. They have been heavily involved in labor activism, political advocacy, and community organizing over the course of their career.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Barbara Major

  Barbara Major and Max Krochmal

  Barbara Major is a veteran community organizer from New Orleans, born in 1949. Raised in both the Ninth Ward and rural Washington Parish, she was the first urban-born generation in her agrarian family. She attended George Washington Carver High School and Southern University of New Orleans (SUNO), where she majored in sociology and became involved in campus activism during the Civil Rights and Black Power era. Her career spanned numerous social justice movements, including welfare rights, anti-hunger campaigns, juvenile justice reform, and tenant organizing. She was a key organizer in the St. Thomas housing development and became a nationally recognized anti-racism trainer with the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Alfred Marshall (Part 1)

  Alfred Marshall and Max Krochmal

  Alfred Marshall was born in New Orleans on March 12, 1959, and grew up in the Calliope housing projects (later B.W. Cooper, now Marrero Commons) in Central City. His mother was a cook and his father was a businessman who ran a fruit truck and a barbershop. As a young man, he was an athlete. His life was profoundly shaped by early and repeated encounters with the criminal justice system, experiences with systemic racism, the impact of the "War on Drugs" on his community, and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Through his post-Katrina activism with organizations like STAND and the Worker's Center for Racial Justice, he developed expertise in community organizing, labor rights, and building Black-Brown solidarity.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Alfred Marshall (Part 2)

  Alfred Marshall and Max Krochmal

  Alfred Marshall was born in New Orleans on March 12, 1959, and grew up in the Calliope housing projects (later B.W. Cooper, now Marrero Commons) in Central City. His mother was a cook and his father was a businessman who ran a fruit truck and a barbershop. As a young man, he was an athlete. His life was profoundly shaped by early and repeated encounters with the criminal justice system, experiences with systemic racism, the impact of the "War on Drugs" on his community, and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Through his post-Katrina activism with organizations like STAND and the Worker's Center for Racial Justice, he developed expertise in community organizing, labor rights, and building Black-Brown solidarity.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Shaun Mills

  Shaun Mills and Rafael Delgadillo

  Sean Mills is a 46-year-old organizer with Unite Here, a labor union. He was born and raised in the Uptown area of New Orleans, attending Alcee Fortier High School. Mills has worked in the service industry, including as a cook at a private golf club and later at the Harris Casino. His experiences with workplace issues like nepotism and lack of advancement opportunities led him to get involved in the unionization effort at Harris Casino, which he helped lead to a successful contract negotiation.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Helene O'Brien

  Helene O'Brien and Rafael Delgadillo

  Helene O'Brien was born in 1963 in the Bronx, New York. She grew up in a progressive, union-oriented environment and was exposed to the Catholic Worker movement and liberation theology from a young age. She began her career as a community organizer with ACORN in New York City in the late 1980s, eventually becoming the national field director for the organization. After Hurricane Katrina, she moved to New Orleans to help lead ACORN's efforts there, and later transitioned to working with SEIU in Louisiana and Florida, where she currently serves as the Vice President for Local 32 BJ of SEIU.

• 

  Oral History Interview with Bill Quigley

  Bill Quigley and Max Krochmal

  Bill Quigley is a social justice lawyer and retired law professor. Born in Chicago in 1949, he came to New Orleans in 1971 to study at a Catholic seminary. His interest in social justice led him to leave the seminary and work as an unlicensed social worker in the St. Thomas housing development. He graduated from Loyola Law School in 1977. His career included working for legal services, serving as an assistant city attorney under Mayor Dutch Morial, and spending 30 years as a law professor at Loyola, where he headed the clinical programs and the Poverty Law Center. He served as general counsel for the ACLU of Louisiana for 15 years and was involved in numerous high-profile cases and community organizing campaigns focused on poverty, housing, voting rights, and racial justice.