History After Hours: Film and Talk Who Were The Wobblies?

Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of a Living
In 2026, American Mural Project observes the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This multi-part program explores how work has shaped our national consciousness and Connecticut communities across history through personal storytelling workshops, live performance, film screenings, exhibits, and lectures. Together, these programs engage participants in remembering pivotal events, amplifying personal stories, and sparking dialogue about how labor continues to shape American culture and civic life today.

Labor Activism in the Gilded Age 
This program highlights the story of the Industrial Workers of the World (the “Wobblies”) and their seismic role in labor history. The Wobblies solicited new union members among the most discriminated-against groups of the workforce: unskilled workers, non-whites, immigrants, women, and migrant workers who were barred from the American Federation of Labor, which tended to support white, male, skilled workers. The I.W.W. hoped to create "one big union" through which workers would own the means of production and distribution. Historian Hamish Lutris and author/activist Steve Thornton will lead the discussion following the screening of The Wobblies.

Part of American Mural Project's America250 programming, supported by CT Humanities and America250 | Connecticut Affiliate.