Frank Crosswaith facts for kids

Frank Rudolph Crosswaith (1892–1965) was an important leader who worked for fairness and better conditions for workers in New York City. He was a socialist politician, meaning he believed in sharing wealth and power more equally. He also helped organize trade unions, which are groups of workers who join together to improve their jobs, pay, and rights. Crosswaith started and led the Negro Labor Committee, an organization created in 1935 to help Black workers.

Early Life

Frank R. Crosswaith was born on July 16, 1892, in Frederiksted, St. Croix. At that time, St. Croix was part of the Danish West Indies. In 1917, the island was sold to the United States and became part of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Frank's parents were William I. Crosswaith and Anne Eliza Crosswaith. When he was a teenager, he moved to the United States. While finishing high school, he worked at different jobs. He was an elevator operator, a porter, and a garment worker. He joined the union for elevator operators. After high school, he won a scholarship from a socialist newspaper called The Jewish Daily Forward. This scholarship allowed him to attend the Rand School of Social Science in New York City. This school was connected to the Socialist Party of America.

Working for Change

In 1925, Crosswaith started a group called the Trade Union Committee for Organizing Negro Workers. However, he soon took a job as an organizer for a new union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. This union helped Black railway porters get better working conditions. Crosswaith worked closely with the union's head, A. Philip Randolph, for many years. They both served as leaders of the Negro Labor Committee in the 1930s and 1940s.

In the early 1930s, Crosswaith also worked as an organizer for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. This union, which represented clothing workers, became a major supporter of the Negro Labor Committee.

Political Efforts

Frank Crosswaith was active in politics. In 1924, he ran for Secretary of State of New York as a member of the Socialist Party. In 1936, he ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress. He also ran for the New York City Council in 1939, representing the American Labor Party.

In 1924, Crosswaith was chosen to be on the main committee that led the American Labor Party in New York. In 1934, he helped start and lead the Harlem Labor Committee (HLC). He tried to connect this group with the American Federation of Labor (AFL), a large union group that was trying to get more African American members.

Union Work

Crosswaith strongly believed that Black workers should join regular labor unions. He thought this was the best way for them to improve their lives. He also believed that unions should welcome Black workers. This would make the entire labor movement stronger. He felt that separating workers by race would only weaken all workers.

Crosswaith spent a lot of his time in the late 1930s and early 1940s working against a group called the Harlem Labor Union, Inc. This group was led by Ira Kemp and had a Black nationalist approach. Crosswaith accused Kemp of hurting Black workers' interests. He said Kemp signed agreements with employers that offered workers lower wages than union rates.

During World War II, Crosswaith also worked with A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement. This movement planned a large protest in Washington, D.C. to demand fair treatment for Black workers. The march was called off when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802. This order stopped racial discrimination in companies that worked for the government's defense efforts.

Later Life and Legacy

Frank R. Crosswaith passed away in 1965.

He was sometimes called the "Negro Debs," after Eugene V. Debs, another famous American socialist and union leader. Crosswaith believed that African American workers and white workers should unite based on their shared class interests. He did not agree with leaders who focused only on racial unity.

More information about Crosswaith can be found in the Negro Labor Committee Records. These records are kept at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City.

Writings

• True Freedom for Negro and White Labor with Alfred Baker Lewis and Norman Thomas (1936)
• Negro and White Labor Unite for True Freedom with Alfred Baker Lewis (1942)