Womens work is far from limited to the home. Rosie the Riveter and Mother Jones weren't the only women who were laborers, activists, assembly line workers and machinists. The history of working women in Chicago is rich with struggle and triumph as demonstrated in the latest musical play by the Working Women History Project.
Of Heart & Steel is an original, musical, multimedia performance which spotlights the story of Alice Melickian Puerala, president of Local 65 of the United Steelworkers of America; Sylvia Green Woods, successful loabor organizer of laundry workers and United Auto workers; and Florence Criley. This performance piece was inspired by the reference book Women Building Chicago 1790-1990: A Biographical Dictionary, (Indiana University Press, 2001) editor, Rima Lunin Schultz Women of Heart & Steel was written by Joan McGann Moriss, Mary Bonnett and Laisa Layer, music written by Joan and Ken Morris. Performers include: Alma Washington, Mary Bonnett, Brigid Duffy, Erin Doubleday and Mary Wehrle. The Working Women's history Project is a network of Chicago history organizations whose sponsors include: Illinois Labor Society; The Center for New Deal Studies, Roosevelt University, Metro History Education Center, Chicago Teachers Union's Women's Rights Committee; Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) Chicago Chapter; and the Jewish Labor Committee. To learn more about the project visit http://workingwomen.homestead.com. Following the performance, The Chicago Labor & Arts Festival invites all artist, sponsor and audience participants during the festival to a reception in the Guild performance space. Hear comments from Tom Strunk (who recently attended the Labor Heritage Foundation's Great Labor Art Exchange) and others who will talk about the resurgence of interest in the connection between the arts and labor. As always we challenge all to consider the question: Where do we go from here?