First Black Labor Union Began in 1850

The Kansas City Globe e-Edition

-BLACK HISTORY-

  • A. Phillip Randolph
    A. Phillip Randolph
  • Frederick Douglass
    Frederick Douglass

    Frederick Douglass helped found the _rst Black labor union, the American League of Colored Laborers, in 1850

    The American League of Colored Laborers (ALCL), established in New York City in 1850, is recognized as the first labor union created specifically for African Americans in the United States. Social reformer Frederick Douglass played a key role in organizing the group, which held its first mee…