Workers on Arrival: Black Labor in the Making of America

Joe William Trotter, Jr.'s book Workers on Arrival challenges perceptions of the black working class as "consumers," "takers," and "liabilities" by tracing their contributions to the making of America over the last four hundred years.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 19 January 2021
Publisher: University of California Press

From the persistent challenges of poverty, health, housing, and employment to the recent escalation of deadly police-community relations, the black working class remains at the forefront of perceptions of social and racial conflict in contemporary society. Journalists and public policy analysts frequently portray the black poor as "consumers" rather than "producers," as "takers" rather than "givers," and as "liabilities" rather than "assets."

In his captivating historical work, Workers on Arrival, Joe William Trotter, Jr., challenges these prevailing notions by documenting the immense contributions of the black working class to the formation of America. Spanning the last four hundred years, from the arrival of Africans in Virginia in 1619 to the decline of the industrial order in the twenty-first century, Trotter intricately traces the journey of black workers from the transatlantic slave trade to the present day. At the heart of this compelling and fast-paced narrative lies the firsthand experiences of these African American men and women. A dynamic and vital history of remarkable achievements despite repeated setbacks, Workers on Arrival broadens our understanding of America's economic and industrial growth, its cities, ideas, and institutions, and the pressing challenges facing black urban communities today.

Weight: 428g
Dimension: 153 x 227 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520377516