LAWCHA People

James Green Awarded LAWCHA’s Award for Distinguished Service to Labor and Working-Class History

We are proud to announce former LAWCHA President James Green as the recipient of this year’s Award for Distinguished Service to Labor and Working-Class History in honor of his exemplary contributions to the field and its members and this organization over so many years.

In seven books, many articles, films, exhibits, local tour guides, and other cutting-edge labor education and public history projects, Professor Green has opened new avenues of scholarly inquiry and pioneered new ways to communicate historical narratives to broad audiences.

Devoted first and foremost to education, Green has made labor history into public history over the last half century at the University of Massachusetts, while providing models for other labor historians to follow, including by his role in documentaries of working-class history in “The Great Depression,” with Blackside Productions, and most recently “The Mine Wars,” aired nationally this year in PBS’s distinguished “American Experience” series.

As an activist, Jim has been part of nearly every struggle for social justice over the past five decades.

A founding member of LAWCHA, Jim was elected President in 2003 and during his term of office helped launch the organization’s journal, LABOR: Studies in Working-Class History of the Americas, serving later as associate editor.

For all of this and much more, we present this award to our colleague and comrade Jim Green.