Through the ages, Black women have flexed their power as workers and earners in their families and communities. From laundresses in the 19th century to ascendancy in professional and corporate spaces, their collective actions have been pivotal in demanding labor rights and dignity.
The 2025 Black History Month theme is African Americans and Labor, which focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds intersect with the collective experiences of Black people and the work that we have done throughout the U.S., Africa, and the Diaspora.
We sat down with noted scholar Mary Frances Berry to talk about her new book, Slavery After Slavery: Revealing the Legacy of Forced Child Apprenticeships on Black Families from Emancipation to the Present