Photograph of two steelworkers at Pressed Steel Car Company during World War Two.Photograph of two steelworkers from the US Office of War Information, September 1942. Original caption
from that year reads: “Manpower. Americans all. Being of a different racial strain from Hitler or Hirohito, Guy
L. Miles wouldn’t stand much chance of survival in an Axis-controlled America. A skilled machine operator
who makes parts for medium tanks in a large Midwest factory, he’s fighting the fascist fanatics as grimly and
intensely as America’s men on the fighting fronts. Pressed Steel [Car] Company, Chicago, Illinois.”
Ann Rosener, September 1942. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, LCDIG-fsa-8b0737.
Birdseye view of the steel mills in South Chicago.Birdseye view of the mills in South Chicago. Chicago Park District Records: Photographs, Box 13, Folder 6, Special Collections, Chicago Public Library.
Steelworkers at a union meeting at Good Shepard Community Center, March 1942.Steelworkers at a union meeting at Good Shepard Community Center, Jack Delano, March 1942. Prints and Photograph Online Catalog, LC-USW3- 000529-D, Farm Security Administration – Office of War Information photograph collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
The exhibit, Local Legends: African American Steelworkers of the Calumet Region, will be displayed at Avalon, Vodak-East Side and Woodson Regional Branches from May 1 to August 31, 2025. Celebrating the Association for the Study of African American Life and History’s (ASALH) 2025 theme, "African Americans and Labor," the exhibit focuses on the experiences of African Americans in Chicago’s steel industry on the Southeast Side.
The Southeast Side neighborhoods of South Chicago, South Deering, East Side, and Hegewisch were once the heart of Chicago’s steel industry. Wisconsin Steel began operations in 1875, launching over a century of steel production there.
During the Great Migration, African Americans moved to Chicago, seeking jobs and safety from Southern racism. In the steel mills, however, they were often given the most dangerous jobs and faced discrimination from employers, coworkers, and unions. Early labor strikes largely ignored their concerns.
World War II marked a turning point. Executive Order 8802 banned discrimination in defense industries and created the Fair Employment Practice Committee, laying the groundwork for future civil rights protections.
By the 1950s, Black steelworkers gained more recognition through labor strikes and activism. Some aligned with the Communist Party, but many distanced themselves during the Red Scare, leading to union purges. In the 1960s, African Americans began rising to leadership positions, though their voices had long been marginalized.
Alongside European and Mexican immigrants, Black workers pushed for safer conditions and fairer treatment. Still, progress was slow, and the closure of Wisconsin Steel in 1980 triggered widespread economic decline.
Today, Southeast Side residents remain committed to their community. Local groups are tackling pollution and health risks left behind by the mills while fighting for environmental justice and economic revitalization.
Visit Local Legends: African American Steelworkers of the Calumet Region at Avalon, Vodak-East Side and Woodson Regional branches through August 31, 2025.