Book Review Club: Black Klansman #review

I’ve done a lot of reading this summer, so had a hard time choosing a book for this month’s edition of Barrie Summy’s Book Review Club. I decided on:

Black Klansman coverBlack Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime
by Ron Stallworth

#1 New York Times Bestseller!

The extraordinary true story and basis for the Academy Award winning film BlacKKKlansman, written and directed by Spike Lee, produced by Jordan Peele, and starring John David Washington and Adam Driver.

 

My Review:

Ron Stallworth was the first black detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department. In 1978, he came across an ad in the local paper recruiting Klan members in the area. Ron wrote a letter expressing interest, but made a rookie mistake and used his own name. (He was expecting to get some general leaflets in the mail.) However, he had the presence of mind to use an undercover address and phone mail. To his surprise, he soon received a call.

When asked “do you want to join?” Ron asked the PD to start an undercover investigation into the Klan. First, they had to find a white undercover cop to play Ron for the in person meetings. They learn that Grand Wizard, David Duke himself, is planning a trip to Colorado Springs. Great story!

Blackk Klansman DVD coverThe story of how these officers infiltrated the Klan is fascinating. I really liked the book, so I went looking for the movie and found it on demand on my TV, thanks to HBO. The script for the film took a lot of liberties with the book to make it more dramatic, but it was good, too. At the end, Spike Lee ties the story to what has been happening recently, Charlottesville and the Black Lives Matter movement.

I think this is an important book, and I’m very glad I read it.

Linda McLaughlin

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Just Another Holiday? Why Labor Day Matters (or Should)

American flag and tools. Happy Labor Day

Labor Day is a holiday that doesn’t seem to have much point any more beyond BBQ and a long weekend, but there is a reason for the holiday. Begun in 1894, Labor Day was intended to celebrate the labor union movement, which started in the 19th century and reached its height in the US at mid-20th century.

International Worker’s Day is celebrated worldwide on May 1st, but the date coincided too closely to the May 4, 1886 date of the infamous Haymarket affair in Chicago. Anarchists threw a bomb into the crowd as the police attempted to disperse a peaceful rally in support of labor rights. Seven policemen and at least four civilians were killed in the blast and subsequent gunfire, and dozens of other people were wounded. The Communist embrace of May 1st further discredited it in the minds of the American people. So we have Labor Day in September.

Take the Day Off

I grew up in a union household. Before her marriage, my mom worked in a factory and joined the union. When she turned 65, she started getting laughably small pension checks from the union. My dad was a lifetime member of the Brotherhood of Teamsters, and his union pension was a godsend in their later years. My nephew has worked construction since finishing high school and the only pension he will get will be from his union.

Management Style

Sadly, union membership in the private sector has dropped to 6.2% by Jan. 2020 (down from 7% in 2018), and surprise, surprise! wages are stagnant. Cause and effect, people. Large corporations have worked very hard to destroy labor unions, in part by supporting Right to Work (for Less) laws in states all over the country. I’d love to see a resurgence in union membership in this country. There’s a reason why workers in the old days wanted to organize, and some things never change. Only public sector unions remain healthy.

I’ll get off my soapbox now and leave you with a laugh.

Graveyard Workers Strike

Back to the barbie. Happy Labor Day!

Linda