WorkLore: Confronting Racial Bias

The Fight for Work

For men and women of color, the last century has seen tremendous changes in the workplace. Brooklyn's African-American population skyrocketed during World War I (1914-18) as a labor shortage drew migrants from the South. Yet, many found only demanding, low-paid work. A small number opened shops or practiced medicine or law within their segregated communities.

In the decades since World War II, Brooklyn's population of African descent has further increased and many long-closed doors have opened. But, increased opportunity does not always bring full acceptance. Even as Brooklyn has embraced people of every background, bias and bigotry often endure.


			You are listening to five Brooklynites of African descent talking about working here from the 1920s to the 1960s. Ruby Fulmer became a nurse and a professor of nursing. Lionel Bostick started working for New York City Transit in 1947. Dorothy Duckett Joseph became a teacher and school principal. John Mulzac became a New York City firefighter in 1947. Velma Johnson owned a women's clothing boutique in Clinton Hill. To listen to the audo, click on the "play" button on the radio to the left. To play the audio you need to have Flash installed in your computer.

I'm now in my own practice. I handle labor and employment issues with a focus on discrimination. I myself do not experience discrimination, but sometimes I've been underestimated. Usually that has worked to my advantage. They figure I'll be a pushover and they get sloppy.

Scott Gale with Client
2002
Courtesy of Martha Cooper

My father was a toolsmith, coming up from South Carolina around 1932. A job was assured for him at an oil company in Greenpoint, but when they saw that he was black, they said they had no job. So we went to the Urban League and they saw to it that he got hired.

Toolsmiths
1940s
Courtesy of the Library of Congress