State Historical Society of Iowa

African-American Man Carrying Protest Sign Outside Milk Company in Chicago, Illinois, July 1941

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Image
An African American man standing in a picket line for the Negro Labor Relation League with a sign protesting Bowman Dairy in Chicago, Illinois.
Courtesy of Library of Congress, Vachon, John, "Negro Carrying Sign in Front of Milk Company. Chicago, Illinois," July 1941

Description

This photograph shows an African-American man standing in a picket line for the Negro Labor Relation League with a sign protesting Bowman Dairy in Chicago, Illinois.

Source-Dependent Questions

  • Look closely at the photo and specifically read the sign the man is holding. Refer back to A New Reconstruction Letter. While this letter was written to "Men of the South," what similarities can be drawn between this protest and the letter?
  • Northern states provided economic opportunities for African Americans that they had no access to in the South. Do you feel, based on this and other sources in this set, like this these opportunities were truly legitimate?
  • Think about a time where you protested the way people were treating you or someone you know. Was that experience similar or different than the one you see in the photo?

Citation Information 

Vachon, John, "Negro Carrying Sign in Front of Milk Company. Chicago, Illinois," July 1941. Courtesy of Library of Congress