Floria Pinkney (1903 – after May 1984) was a

Progressive Era The Progressive Era (late 1890s – late 1910s) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States focused on defeating corruption, monopoly, waste and inefficiency. The main themes ended during Am ...

Black female

garment worker Clothing industry or garment industry summarizes the types of trade and industry along the production and value chain of clothing and garments, starting with the textile industry (producers of cotton, wool, fur, and synthetic fibre), embellishme ...

and

union activist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (su ...

and leader from

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. She was the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

woman to hold a leadership role as an organizer within the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU). As a legacy dressmaker, Pinkney was involved in the garment industry throughout her life.

Early life and education

Floria Pinkney at Brookwood Labor College

Pinkney's parents were both originally from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and they migrated to

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

at the turn of the century. Pinkney's mother was a self-employed dressmaker. Pinkney was born in

in 1903. Shortly after Pinkney's birth, her then widowed mother moved the family to Brooklyn. Before working in the garment industry, Pinkney attended Manhattan Trade School for Girls. There, she was taught skills including sewing machine mechanics, sewing techniques, and basic academic skills like writing. In 1925, Pinkney received a scholarship to

Brookwood Labor College Brookwood Labor College (1921 to 1937) was a labor college located at 109 Cedar Road in Katonah, New York, United States. Founded as Brookwood School in 1919 and established as a college in 1921, it was the first residential labor college in the co ...

, sponsored by the American Fund for Public Service (AFPS), commonly known as the Garland Fund, which supported radical political causes. She also received scholarship from the NAACP. The scholarship from AFPS gave Pinkney the ability to learn more about organizing and later on apply it to helping black workers succeed in the garment industry and fight prejudice. Her scholarship at Brookwood was extended two years due to her academic success, and Pinkney was recognized as a class speaker at graduation. Upon graduating, Pinkney become the first Black woman to graduate from Brookwood Labor College. Pinkney also studied at the Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers, where she was one of the first five Black students to be admitted and the International People’s College in Denmark. In 1930, Pinkney won an award from the New York School of Social Work to do a 6 month Fellowship at the University of Copenhagen. This fellowship focused on work that was being done in Denmark in adult education and social organization. In 1984, Pinkney attended a reunion of the Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers.

Activism

Pinkney joined the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) in the 1920s and was quickly identified as a promising leader. She worked for several years before attending Brockwood Labor College. After graduating, she returned to the industry she was quickly appointed to into leadership positions. Among other roles, Pinkney served as Special Organizer for ILGWU in 1929. Pinkney was instrumental in the ILGWU's September 1929 drive to enroll black garment workers. She spoke alongside

A. Philip Randolph Asa Philip Randolph (April 15, 1889 – May 16, 1979) was an American labor unionist and civil rights activist. In 1925, he organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first successful African-American led labor union. In ...

, who lead the

Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Founded in 1925, The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) was the first labor organization led by African Americans to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The BSCP gathered a membership of 18,000 passenger railwa ...

and ILGWU Vice President Julius Hochman at St. Luke's in Harlem. Randolph endorsed Pinkney as an organizer for the ILGWU, calling her "a capable young woman". She worked beyond the garment district and was active in both the Harlem and Brooklyn communities. Pinkney was on the board of managers for the Ashland Place

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

in Brooklyn. She led

branch’s Industrial Assembly and represented the Ashland Place Y at a regional conference in Trenton in 1926. She attended the 1930 YWCA Industrial Assemblies Convention in Detroit, where she was selected to represent the Industrial Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. Pinkney continued her advocacy work through the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL), specifically working with the Laundry Workers Union. In 1933, she was barred from the Cairo Hotel in

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, and other delegates to the same labor conference marched in protest. Also in 1933, Congress passed NIRA, which led to a large increase in union membership, because of more protection of employee rights, and ultimately giving unions more power and visibility. In 1935, she was appointed to teach worker education classes at the

Harlem YWCA The Harlem YWCA in New York, USA, was founded in 1905, moving to its own premises in 1921. It played an important role in developing training and careers for young black women in the early and mid twentieth century, as well as providing safe and r ...

and Utopia Neighborhood House. Though known for her radical ideals, Pinkney differed from many of her peers as she also embraced labor interracialism. For example, her involvement with YWCA, a widely segregated organization. Though Pinkney existed in this segregated space, she took full advantage of her leadership roles and used her organizing abilities to build up the black community and union members to gain power and respect and from White women leaders.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinkney, Floria Created via preloaddraft African-American trade unionists African-American women in politics American women trade unionists 1903 births Year of death missing Place of death missing International Ladies Garment Workers Union leaders Trade unionists from New York (state) Activists from Brooklyn Brookwood Labor College alumni 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women