ABSTRACT

This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part shows with bitter wit the prevalence of racism among Southern white leftists, who would solicit black support but leave blacks out of the decision-making apparatus of the Communist party. It presents the condition of black laborers in the coal mining sector. "The Plight of Negro Miners," which was devoted exclusively to the experiences of black miners in West Virginia. The part explores to blend considerations of race and class throughout the period during which his research was devoted almost exclusively to "the Negro problem." It argues that the historic pattern of racial exclusion and antipathy exercised by white workers led to a reasonable reluctance on the part of blacks to embrace notions of worker solidarity. "Negro Labor's Quarrel With White Workingmen" originally appeared in Current History in 1926.