Brooklyn fast-food workers, New York, NY (2015)

Poverty Wages, 'We're Not Lovin' It': Gender, Race and Inequality Rising in the 21st Century

Please join us for the 2025 Alice Cook-Lois Gray Distinguished Lecture. Our honored speaker is Annelise Orleck, professor of history and co-chair of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Dartmouth College.

When & Where

Calendar Icon

Date & Time

Geo-marker Icon

Location

ILR Conference Center
423 King-Shaw Hall
140 Garden Avenue
Ithaca, NY 14853
United States

Overview

Photo by Liz Cooke: Brooklyn fast-food workers, New York, NY (2015)

At the dawn of the second decade of the 21st century, low-wage workers in service, retail, garment and farm work began organizing global labor actions of unprecedented scale involving workers on six continents and in scores of countries. This new movement, heavily led by women of color and queer people, was sparked not just by widespread discontent with poverty wages but also by issues that organized labor had not adequately addressed previously: Sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, the gender wage gap and discrimination against queer and trans workers. Racial justice issues were also prime drivers - with strong overlaps between Black Lives Matter and Fight for $15, between Indigenous rights movements and farm workers' struggles.

This lecture will examine this transformative moment in labor history and reflect on how it led to the latest wave of labor uprisings - at Starbucks, Amazon, Google and on college campuses. Many activists in this 21st-century labor movement are self-taught labor historians, keenly aware of "whose shoulders they stand on." The talk will reflect on how peer-led labor history groups help workers analyze their current situations in light of the past. i.e., early 20th-century U.S. garment worker-activists inspire 21st-century garment worker-activists in Bangladesh and Cambodia. The aftermath of the Triangle Fire and the legacy of former Labor Secretary and Triangle Fire eyewitness Frances Perkins looms large at this moment when the labor laws she passed are poised on the edge of extinction.

This event is geared toward an in-person audience, so we strongly prefer you join us on our Ithaca campus. If this is not possible, Zoom information will be included in the registration confirmation email. Light refreshments will be available at the event.

This lecture is co-sponsored by: Center for the Study of Inequality; Cornell Center for Social Sciences; Cornell Population Center; Department of Sociology; Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program; Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.

Honored Speaker

Annelise Orleck

  • Professor of History and Co-Chair of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Dartmouth College
Annelise Orleck, Professor of History at Dartmouth College

Annelise Orleck is Professor of History and Co-Chair of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Dartmouth College. She is the author of five books on labor, immigration, women's and poor people's movements.

The Distinguished Lecture In Honor of Alice Cook & Lois Gray
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage and participate fully. Please list any reasonable accommodations you may need, such as alternate formats, interpreters, or sign-language interpreters.