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 It all
began for Earl George on February 9, 1894. He was born into a working
class family in Denver, Colorado. His father was a laborer and bartender.
Earl's participation in politics started at an early age - he joined his
first organization in 1906 at the age of twelve. The United Brotherhood
of Friendship was active in Denver's Black community, presenting programs
which dramatized the oppression of Black people.
High school presented new challenges. Earl's first victory was won when
he gained acceptance into a previously all-white group of cadets. But
he learned a lesson in economics when he couldn't participate because
he didn't have the $22.50 uniform fee.
Earl remembered the spirit of those days in Colorado. The United Mine
Workers was one of the few unions with both Black and white members, and
they looked to the community for support in many bitter strikes. Earl
had a vivid recollection of the Ludlow massacre, when the Governor called
out the National Guard to "protect" company gunmen who opened
fire, killing striking miners and their families.
In college, Earl majored in chemistry. He studied German so he could
read scientific texts. But World War I cut his education short and he
was drafted during his junior year. He was sent to Fort Lewis, where he
spent two years in the segregated army. Discharged in 1919, he moved to
nearby Seattle.
The 1919 Seattle General Strike found Earl on the picketlines. For five
days, "nothing moved but the tide," according to Earl. He joined
the Wobblies, marched with the Worker's Alliance and the Unemployed Citizen's
Council. He was active in the Washington Commonwealth Federation and the
Washington Pension Union. In 1937, Earl joined the Communist Party after
reading the Communist Manifesto.
In 1938, he found work as a warehousman and joined the International
Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union (ILWU). He held many positions
in Local #9, including many terms as President. He is thought to be the
first Black president of a union local in Washington State. He was also
a candidate for state legislature. He led the fight in 1948 to force Tradewell
and Safeway to hire Black workers. He was a delegate to the Labor Peace
Congress in 1949. He helped found the National Negro Labor Council in
1951.
When Paul Robeson came to Seattle to sing at the Blaine Peace Arch Concert
in the early 50s, he stayed with Earl, who by that time had met and married
Vivian.
Earl retired in 1961, joining the ILWU Pensioner's Club; as Executive
Secretary, he managed the pensioner's social hall into his late eighties.
Earl became a photographer, and official one for the ILWU Dispatcher
and the People's World.
Text adapted from a "Tribute to Earl George" by Juana Mangaoang
and Marc Brodine.
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