Booksmith and UC Press present a 6-part series of virtual events focused on urgent societal issues, broadcasting every Monday at 11am PST. This final event in the series features Joe William Trotter Jr. discussing his book Workers on Arrival: Black Labor in the Making of America.

This is a free event, but RSVP is required.

"An eloquent and essential correction to contemporary discussions of the American working class." –The Nation

From the ongoing issues of poverty, health, housing and employment to the recent upsurge of lethal police-community relations, the black working class stands at the center of perceptions of social and racial conflict today. Journalists and public policy analysts often discuss the black poor as “consumers” rather than “producers,” as “takers” rather than “givers,” and as “liabilities” instead of “assets.”

In his engrossing new history, Workers on Arrival, Joe William Trotter, Jr. refutes these perceptions by charting the black working class’s vast contributions to the making of America. Covering the last four hundred years since Africans were first brought to Virginia in 1619, Trotter traces black workers’ complicated journey from the transatlantic slave trade through the American Century to the demise of the industrial order in the 21st century. At the center of this compelling, fast-paced narrative are the actual experiences of these African American men and women. A dynamic and vital history of remarkable contributions despite repeated setbacks, Workers on Arrival expands our understanding of America’s economic and industrial growth, its cities, ideas, and institutions, and the real challenges confronting black urban communities today.

Joe William Trotter, Jr., is Giant Eagle Professor of History and Social Justice and Founder and Director of the Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy at Carnegie Mellon University. He is the author of Black Milwaukee and Coal, Class, and Color and past President of the Labor and Working Class History Association.

UC Press Now: Urgent Conversations hosted by Booksmith

• 8/3: A. Naomi Paik / Bans, Walls, Raids, Sanctuary: Understanding U.S. Immigration for the Twenty-First Century
• 8/10: Federico Finchelstein / A Brief History of Fascist Lies
• 8/17: Aya Gruber / The Feminist War on Crime: The Unexpected Role of Women's Liberation in Mass Incarceration
• 8/24: Erin Hatton / Coerced: Work Under Threat of Punishment
• 8/31: Sarah Jaquette Ray / A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet
• 9/7: Joe Trotter / Workers on Arrival: Black Labor in the Making of America

This event is free and all ages, but RSVP is required.

To have Workers on Arrival sent to your door, order here or add the book to your cart when you register.