The FEPC and the legacy of the labor-based Civil Rights Movement of the 1940s

Abstract

The Labor Movement and the Civil Rights Movement are often seen as two distinct movements for social justice. During the Second World War, however, this was not the case, as many activists and leaders argued that civil rights advances would enhance the egalitarian premise of the Labor Movement and as increased opportunities in employment seemed the best way to advance civil rights. These two movements came together to fight for the perpetuation of the wartime Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC), which had been initially spurred on by the great labor leader A. Philip Randolph. During and after the war, when Northern business interests and Southern segregationists threatened the existence of the FEPC, the cause for civil rights and economic justice led to the formation of a dynamic coalition of civil rights liberals, including advocates from religious, labor, civic and civil rights organizations. This article explores the contentious relationships within the coalition and how the fight for a permanent federal FEPC led to the creation of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, which became a crucial voice during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and which is today the largest umbrella organization fighting for the cause of civil rights.