Good Stuff

Winter 2002/2003

Bread and Roses

By Herbert Kohl

Not for Bread Alone, by Moe Foner (Ithaca, NY: ILR Press/Cornell University Press, 2002)

Stand Up, Speak Out: A Peace Child International Project (Two-Can Publishing, Zenith Entertainment plc, 43-45 Dorset St., London W1U 7NA, 2002)

Not for Bread Alone is a delightful memoir of the life of Moe Foner, who was the founder and director of the Bread and Roses Cultural Project of 1199/SEIU, New York's health and human services union. Foner died earlier this year.

1199 has always coupled its struggle for workers rights with a commitment to workers and their children living intellectually and artistically rewarding lives. One of its enduring legacies is the Bread and Roses Cultural Project. Among the earliest participants in Bread and Roses projects were actors Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, and singers Pete Seeger and Harry Belafonte. All four of them participated in union rallies and organized programs and school-based programs that Moe created for the union.

In his memoir, Foner traces his family roots from Williamsburg, Brooklyn to his life spent struggling for social justice. The book centers on the development of radical sensibility and the need to translate it into artistic and educational cultural actions. It's a wonderful reminder that union struggles can be more than battles over salaries, benefits, grievance procedures. It also reminds us that non-teacher unions have much to contribute to the development of educational programs.

The Bread and Roses Cultural Project is still thriving. It produces wonderful posters, books, and videos. A catalog is available from: Bread and Roses/330 West 42 St./NY, NY 10036.

Or it's on the Web at www.bread-and-roses.com/

Stand Up, Speak Out: A Peace Child International Project is a book about children's rights. This colorful volume includes articles, poems, drawings, and essays on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The United Nations adopted the convention in 1989, but the United States has not ratified it. The book includes contributions from young people of 53 nations. The authors walk the reader through all of the articles of the convention and they add comments, suggestions for discussions, and ideas for action on children's rights. It includes topics like child labor, child soldiers, AIDS, and domestic violence. It's one of the most powerful and valuable resources for engaging students in issues of social justice that I've encountered in years.

Winter 2002/2003