Floria Pinkney

Floria Pinkney was a Progressive Era garment worker and union activist from Brooklyn, New York. She was the first African-American woman to hold a leadership role as an organizer within the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.[1]

Floria Pinkney
Born1903
EducationBrockwood Labor College
OccupationGarment worker, union organizer, and activist

Early life and education

Pinkney was born in Connecticut. Her parents were both originally from Florida. After Pinkney's birth her then widowed mother moved to Brooklyn, where Pinkney's mother was a self-employed dressmaker.[2] Before working in the garment industry, Pinkney attended Manhattan Trade School. In 1925 Pinkney received a scholarship to Brookwood Labor College sponsored by the American Fund for Public Service (AFPS), which supported radical political causes. Her scholarship at Brockwood was extended two years due to her academic success, and Pinkney was recognized as a class speaker at graduation.[2]

Activism

Pinkney joined the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) in the 1920s and was quickly identified as a promising leader. She worked for several years before attending Brockwood Labor College. After graduating, she returned to the industry but was quickly appointed as a union organizer in 1929.[2] Pinkney was instrumental in the IGLWU's September 1929 drive to enroll black garment workers. She spoke alongside A. Philip Randolph, who lead the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and ILGWU Vice President Julius Hochman at St. Luke's in Harlem.[2] Randolph endorsed Pinkney as an organizer for the ILGWU, calling her "a capable young woman".[3] Pinkney worked beyond the garment district and was active in both the Harlem and Brooklyn communities.[4] Pinkney attended the 1930 YWCA national convention, where she was selected to represent the Industrial Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.[5]

References
  1. Katz, Daniel (2011). All Together Different: Yiddish Socialists, Garment Workers, and the Labor Roots of Multiculturalism. New York: NYU Press. ISBN 9780814763674.
  2. Gayle, Janette Elice (2015). Sewing change: Black dressmakers, garment workers and the struggle for rights in early twentieth century New York City. Ann Arbor. ISBN 9781339097770.
  3. Chateauvert, Melinda (1997). Marching Together: Women of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252066368.
  4. Morgan, Charlotte T. (Jan 31, 1984). "Finding a Way Out: Adult Education in Harlem During the Great Depression". Afro-Americans in New York Life and History. 8. ProQuest 219950847.
  5. Robertson, Nancy Marie (2007). Christian Sisterhood, Race Relations, and the YWCA, 1906-46. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252031939.
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