WASHINGTON – From Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” to Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,”
African-American literature and authors are represented in the titles
of fiction, nonfiction, plays and poetry included on the initial roll of
Books that Shaped Work in America.
The Web-based project, www.dol.gov/books,
part of the U.S. Department of Labor ongoing commemoration of its 100th
anniversary, and in partnership with the Center for the Book in the
Library of Congress, aims to engage the public about the department's
mission and America's history as a nation of workers as portrayed
through published works. The project serves as an online book club where
people from all walks of life can share books that informed them about
occupations and careers, molded their views about work and helped
elevate the discourse about work, workers and workplaces. At the same
time, the site provides a unique way for people to learn about the
mission and resources of the U.S. Department of Labor.
"The Books that Shaped Work in America
initiative explores the dignity of work and our progress in expanding
America's fundamental promise of opportunity for all through the lens of
literature," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "This
progress cannot be understood and fully appreciated without also
examining the struggle for access to opportunity and equal rights that
has been a part of the American experience, particularly with respect to
African Americans in the 20th Century.”
Work, like our nation, is constantly evolving, and so Books that Shaped Work in America
is no different. To get it started, 24 individuals, including Perez,
eight former secretaries of labor from Democratic and Republican
administrations, civil rights leaders, authors and media personalities
submitted suggestions. Among the contributors: former Secretary of Labor
Alexis Herman, President of the National Urban League Marc Morial and
the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau head Latifa Lyles. Their
recommendations are included on the initiative's website, along with
brief summaries of each book and links to related U.S. Department of
Labor resources. Now the public is invited to expand the list. A simple,
online form, which can be found at http://www.dol.gov/books/form, makes it easy for anyone to suggest a book.
From August Wilson’s collection of plays in ‘The Pittsburgh Cycle’ to Claude Brown’s ‘Manchild in the Promised Land’ to Isabel Wilkerson’s ‘The Warmth of Other Suns,’
many of the books on the list demonstrate the relationship between work
and the African-American experience. While workplace discrimination
was often a barrier to opportunity, good jobs and hard work was also a
tool for overcoming inequality. Many of the books on the list reflect
this and demonstrate the positive impact a changing workplace had on the
nation. Books like Richard Wright’s ‘Native Son’ and Nora Zeale Hurston’s ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God,’
along with memoirs from Frederick Douglass and Dorothy Height, have
influenced the working lives of both those who fought for equal rights
and all of us who benefitted from their efforts.
The
project was inspired by the Center for the Book in the Library of
Congress' 2012 Books That Shaped America exhibition, which explored the
impact of books on American life and culture. Many of the books in that
exhibition had work as a central theme, bringing to light the
significant role published works have played in shaping America's view
of workers and workplaces throughout its history.
Created
in 1913, the mission of the U.S. Department of Labor is to foster,
promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and
retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance
opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related
benefits and rights. To learn more about the department's history, visit
www.dol.gov/100/.
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