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  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.

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  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.

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  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.

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  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.

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  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.

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  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.

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  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.

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  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.

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  Oral History Interview with Harold John (Part2)

  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.

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  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.

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  Oral History Interview with Terry Mogilles

  Terry Mogilles and Max Krochmal

  Terry Mogilles is a 48-year veteran registered nurse in New Orleans. She grew up in the Lafitte Housing Project, attended St. Joseph High School, and received her nursing education at the Charity Hospital School of Nursing. She has worked in a variety of nursing roles, including community-based hospitals, ICU, dialysis, and mental health. For 25 years, she and her husband operated a community mental health center. In 2023, she joined UMC hospital and became actively involved in organizing the nurses' union there.

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  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.

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  Oral History Interview with Wade Rathke

  Wade Rathke and Max Krochmal

  Wade Rathke is a long-time community and labor organizer. He grew up in New Orleans and was involved in civil rights and social justice activism from a young age. He helped found the community organization ACORN in 1970 and later established Local 100, an independent labor union, to organize workers in various industries. Rathke has been a central figure in progressive organizing in the South for over 50 years.

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  Oral History Interview with Lloyd Robinson

  Lloyd Robinson Jr. and Rafael Delgadillo

  Mr. Lloyd Robinson Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on June 13, 1952. He was raised in a working-class family with a background in skilled trades. He experienced the integration of public schools at Abramson High School in the late 1960s. After briefly studying at Xavier University, he entered an apprenticeship program and became a pipefitter with Local 60, a career he pursued for many years, even working internationally in Algeria. Mr. Robinson was a key figure in the founding of the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, a nationally recognized anti-racism organization, and served as the president of its board. His expertise lies at the intersection of labor unionism, grassroots community organizing, and anti-racism analysis.

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  Oral History Interview with Nina Schulman

  Nina Schulman and Rafael Delgadillo

  Nina Schulman grew up in an upper-middle class Jewish family in New York City where unions were a normal part of the culture and community. She attended Yale University, where she became involved in supporting a union organizing drive by clerical and technical workers. After graduating, she and her husband Hal decided to pursue careers in the labor movement, with Hal taking a job as an organizer with Local 100 in New Orleans and Nina initially working as a communications director before transitioning to organizing work herself.

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  Oral History Interview with Kenya Slaughter

  Kenya Slaughter and Rafael Delgadillo

  Ken Slaughter is an organizer with Step Up Louisiana. She was born and raised in Oakland, California in 1982 and later moved to Louisiana in 2011, settling in Alexandria. Prior to her organizing work, she had various jobs, including working at Radio Shack and a hair store, before starting at Dollar General in 2018.

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  Oral History Interview with Jose Torres Tama

  Jose Torres Tama and Rafael Delgadillo

  Jose Torres Tama is an Ecuadorian-American artist born in 1961 who had lived in New Orleans for approximately 40 years at the time of the interview. He was a multi-disciplinary artist whose work encompassed visual arts (painting, drawing), performance art, and writing (poetry, journalism). He studied art and creative writing in New York and New Jersey before moving to New Orleans. His work was deeply political and focused on social justice, drawing heavily from his identity as a Latino immigrant and his extensive documentation of the post-Katrina immigrant labor community in New Orleans.

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  Oral History Interview with Greg Wilson (Part 1)

  Greg Wilson and Rafael Delgadillo

  Greg Wilson is a native of New Orleans, born in 1971 and raised in the Algiers neighborhood. He comes from a family with a history of community activism, with his grandfather and father both involved in local politics and organizing. Wilson was active in various student organizations in high school and college, which laid the groundwork for his later career in labor and community organizing.

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  Oral History Interview with Greg Wilson (Part 2)

  Greg Wilson and Rafael Delgadillo

  Greg Wilson is a native of New Orleans, born in 1971 and raised in the Algiers neighborhood. He comes from a family with a history of community activism, with his grandfather and father both involved in local politics and organizing. Wilson was active in various student organizations in high school and college, which laid the groundwork for his later career in labor and community organizing.

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  Oral History Interview with Ben Zucker (Part 1)

  Ben Zucker and Max Krochmal

  Ben Zucker is the co-director of Step Up Louisiana, an economic justice organization based in New Orleans. He grew up in a family of union organizers, with both of his parents involved in labor activism. Zucker was exposed to this work from a young age and continued his involvement in social justice movements as a student at Tulane University, where he supported campus workers' efforts to unionize. After graduating, Zucker worked on the Fight for 15 campaign, organizing fast food workers across the country, before returning to New Orleans to co-found Step Up Louisiana.

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  Oral History Interview with Ben Zucker (Part 2)

  Ben Zucker and Max Krochmal

  Ben Zucker is the co-director of Step Up Louisiana, an economic justice organization based in New Orleans. He grew up in a family of union organizers, with both of his parents involved in labor activism. Zucker was exposed to this work from a young age and continued his involvement in social justice movements as a student at Tulane University, where he supported campus workers' efforts to unionize. After graduating, Zucker worked on the Fight for 15 campaign, organizing fast food workers across the country, before returning to New Orleans to co-found Step Up Louisiana.