An Exclusive Conversation with Kim Kelly
White button-down top, blazer, skirt or pants, paired with heels or flats is how you typically see female journalists. However, Kim Kelly is not the average journalist. By looking at her photo, you would think that she is the leader of a rock band and not a labor journalist; who is trying to create change and bring awareness about societal issues that are often not discussed. Although Kelly’s tattoos might be distracting to some, her new book Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor tells the reader stories of people who fought for equal rights within many blue collar jobs.
Fight Like Hell highlights many key people that helped push for changes within the workforce and labor laws. To name a few, the book talks about Ida Mae Stull, the first woman coal miner, Bayard Rustin, an organizer of the March on Washington, and Marsha P. Johnson, a queer activist who created the Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries (STAR), an organization that provided resources to homeless LGBT youth and sex workers in Manhattan, NY.
Unfortunately, Kelly’s speech at Hofstra University on April 28 was cut short due to lateness because of New York City traffic. After being hastily introduced, Kelly began to read from chapter five of her book. The chapter focused on Ida Mae Stull who fought to get recognition as the first female coal miner. Stull learned coal-mining from her father and wanted to continue the tradition. However, many people did not agree with her decision. Stoll did not want to be a house maid or a nanny. Her job, was minding coal.
After the chapter was read, Kelly took some questions from the moderator of the event Mary Anne A. Trasciatti, a Hofstra professor of rhetoric and public advocacy and director of labor studies. Kelly discusses where the title of the book came from and why she decided to write it — because of her family. During this conversation Kelly openly discussed how her family were union workers and her own personal experiences. This has led her to want to write about these activists who weren’t being talked about enough. In addition, Kelly makes a connection to national stories that were being talked about regarding worker unions for Amazon and Starbucks.
When questions opened to Hofstra students, on student asked for Kelly’s advice on student workers planning to unionize after getting paid significantly less that New York minimum wage. Trasciatti gave Kelly some additional information after reading an article published in The Hofstra Chronicle on April 12.
Hofstra student employees demand minimum wage
Kelly encouraged student employees to advocate for themselves like other college students have done in the past. Wrapping up the conversation, Kelly tells the audience about the intersections of many marginalized groups to the injustices in the workforce.
While live tweeting this event I encountered a few technical difficulties. By the end of my Twitter session you will see that I had to switch to my IPhone (another fail that I wish I did not have to encounter). Overall, I think this conversation was great! As an upcoming investigative journalist, I rarely leave a chat with unanswered questions. However, for this event, I did. Also, I wish this event was held in a different location. I tried to think of a way to make my photos more visually appealing, but there was not much I could do. In addition, I wanted to hear some reactions from students. My plan was to interview them on camera and post this thread to make it more engaging. Instead, as soon as I stood up at the end of the event, every student ran through the doors faster than I could blink. Next time, I’ll be sure to bring my running shoes!
