Labor History Today

Author: laborhistorytoday

Gripping stories of the historic battles for worker rights and how they fuel todays struggles. Part of the Labor Radio/Podcast Network: #LaborRadioPod
Be a guest on this podcast

Language: en

Genres: History

Contact email: Get it

Feed URL: Get it

iTunes ID: Get it

Get all podcast data

Listen Now...

Fan the Flames of Discontent: The Little Red Songbook at 117
Episode 421
Sunday, 23 August, 2026

On this week’s Labor History Today: The IWW’s Little Red Songbook was created to “fan the flames of discontent”—and its songs have carried solidarity into workplaces, union halls, picket lines and jail cells ever since. To mark the 117th anniversary of its first publication, listeners share their favorite songs from the legendary collection: “We Have Fed You All for a Thousand Years,” “Mr. Block,” “The Red Flag,” “The Preacher and the Slave” and “Dump the Bosses Off Your Back.” We also hear “Ain’t Done Nothing If You Ain’t Been Called a Red,” now proposed for the forthcoming 39th edition. Plus, Labor History in Two explores the birth of the Little Red Songbook in Spokane in 1909 and the arrival of the first ship carrying captive Africans to colonial Virginia in 1619. Featuring Judy Ancel, Tom Hoffman, Michael Kyriakakis, Robert Lindgren and Saul Schniderman, with music by Utah Phillips, Faith Petric, Carsie Blanton, Billy Bragg, the Tyneside People’s Choir, Pete Seeger and more. Questions, comments, or suggestions are welcome, and to find out how you can be a part of Labor History Today, email us at LaborHistoryToday@gmail.com Labor History Today is produced by the Labor Heritage Foundation and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor. #LaborRadioPod #History #WorkingClass #ClassStruggle @GeorgetownKILWP #LaborHistory @UMDMLA @ILLaborHistory @AFLCIO @StrikeHistory #LaborHistory @wrkclasshistory