On Sept. 11 , 2019, the Smithsonian-affiliated Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA hosted Carnegie Mellon University professor Joe William Trotter, Jr. for a celebration of his new book Workers on Arrival: Black Labor in the Making of America.
During the lovely and well-attended celebration, The History Center presented Dr. Trotter with a gift of flowers and a plaque honoring his extraordinary scholarship.
Recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Trotter is also the Director and Founder of Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy.
In his presentation, Joe Trotter discussed the vast contributions of the black working class to the making of America, tracing workers’ complicated journey from the transatlantic slave trade through the American Century to the postindustrial order.
A dynamic and vital history of remarkable contributions despite repeated setbacks, Workers on Arrival expands our understanding of America’s economic and industrial growth, its cities, ideas, and institutions, and the real challenges confronting black urban communities today.