APRI Presents: A Maine Black Labor History Moment

The A. Phillip Randolph Institute Maine Chapter will be hosting historian Bob Greene on April 20th to discuss the history of Black Mainers and their many contributions to the state.

Please register here to attend this informative online event!

As Bob has said, “You would think that a Black person would easily stand out in what is called one of the whitest states in the nation. Yet for some strange reason people of African descent have been invisible even while making a huge impact in the state.”

This has often been true of the role Black workers in labor history, both in the US and in Maine. That’s why for the next three weeks we will be including a weekly tidbit of Black labor history in Maine in this newsletter.

The first strike among African American workers in Maine occurred in 1866. The reconstruction of Portland's new City Hall sparked conflicts between workers and contractors. When “colored men” were hired to work on the building in the summer of 1866, it angered many who thought that white men should have been given preference in hiring. 

Local whites complained that the city had a “no white need apply” policy as it brought the "party of negroes” to Portland from Boston. The conflict was exacerbated by the rumor that the "negroes worked for $1.75 a day, while those seeking work were willing to labor for $1.50 a day." The “colored men and brothers” soon went on strike for higher wages, however, and hope was expressed that the "white folks may now have a chance if they be wanted again."