Four hundred Black women who cleaned and fed a South Carolina hospital walked off the job in 1969 — and the state answered with the National Guard, tanks in the streets, and a curfew.
They stayed out for 113 days. They won.
The Charleston hospital strike. The workers were nurses' aides, orderlies, and kitchen staff — paid under a living wage and fired for organizing.
Mary Moultrie led them. Coretta Scott King came and marched with them. So did the union and what remained of Dr. King's organization, one year after his death.
More than a thousand arrests. Bayonets on Charleston streets. The state dug in and would not recognize a union of Black women.
"Sure, men kill loads more people, including family members, but we do it cos we're evil and want to, not mad and unable to stop ourselves. For some reason, this means women should have fewer rights than men."
@AdamWhite@megbasham When was the last time you expressed this much outrage about a man killing a woman or his family much less called for change? For most of you it’s just one of those things. Water under the bridge, so to speak. This tickles your fancy, that’s all
@MeghanMcCain But they weren’t repulsed. It’s barely a blip on the radar if it’s noticed at all. There’s no outrage, no calls for change, no recognition that men murdering their families is an issue that needs to be dealt with. For most people, including you, it’s just one of those things.
@KarolineGosling Making it possible to own property and have bank accounts and use credit so a woman isn’t stuck in a bad or abusive relationship based on financial need might have something to do with it.
They don’t exhibit outrage over it or notice it in any way. They let it go like it’s just a thing that happens that they’re not interested in ending. Like it’s just one of those things that’s a normal part of life.