Henry O. Mayfield facts for kids

Henry O. Mayfield was born in Florida in 1907. He went to primary school before moving to Jefferson County, Alabama. There, he worked in factories and mines. Mayfield became a miner and worked for seven years at a large factory called Stockholm Pipe and Fitting Company.

He joined the United Mine Workers, a labor union that helped workers. From there, he became an active organizer for the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in the late 1930s. The CIO grew a lot when Mayfield was organizing. Workers faced tough conditions. They wanted better pay and shorter hours, so they went on strike. Mayfield worked with miners, churches, community groups, and voter clubs to help organize these efforts. He was also a singer in the East Birmingham Stars quartet. Around 1938, Mayfield joined the NAACP with his friend Hosea Hudson, who was also a member of the Communist Party. In 1943, during World War II, he joined the military at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Mayfield and the Communist Party

Henry O. Mayfield joined the Communist Party (CPUSA) after being encouraged by Hosea Hudson. Their main goal was to encourage Black workers to join the movement for change. To learn about Communist ideas, Mayfield read The Liberator with friends like John Beidel and Hosea Hudson. He was chosen to go to Russia for Communist training.

Mayfield became a very active member of the Party. In 1932, he was selected for the Southern Section Committee. Later, he became a District 17 bureau member, which increased his involvement even more. In 1938, he was chosen as a delegate to the national Party convention in New York City, which was a great honor.

Mayfield helped create trade unions led by the CPUSA that allowed Black workers to join. This was very new at the time. He also used his connections in the CIO to encourage members to join Party efforts. These included joining campaigns against poll taxes (fees to vote), registering to vote, reading Communist newspapers like New South and Daily Worker, and attending political events organized by the Party.

Another important role for Mayfield was sharing the Party's messages with people in the South. Hosea Hudson believed Mayfield was perfect for this role because he was friendly and spoke well. This often meant handing out leaflets that explained the Party's 15-point program. This program aimed to stop police unfairness against people of color, end poll taxes, provide federal housing, and ensure voting rights for all citizens. As part of the effort for voting rights, Mayfield and others started the Right to Vote Club. This club made it easier for people to get information about voting rules and laws. It especially helped Black communities who were often prevented from voting. This was also the first time the Communist Party created a program focused mainly on equal voting rights.

Working with Other Black Activists

Through his work with the Communist Party, Mayfield worked with many other important Black activists. Many of these leaders were active in the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), which was formed in 1935 to support workers' rights, especially in the southern United States. These leaders included Mayfield, Hosea Hudson, Andy Brown, and Ebb Cox.

Ebb Cox was one of the first Black representatives for the Steel Union. He lived in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and worked with Mayfield to fight for workers' rights. Hosea Hudson, who wrote a book about his life, was a civil rights leader from Georgia. He became a very important civil rights leader in Birmingham, Alabama. Hudson was a sharecropper (a farmer who pays rent with a share of crops) in the South before becoming a factory worker. Hudson and Mayfield met through a city work project. Hudson was one of the people who encouraged Mayfield to join the Communist Party. They were also close friends because of their shared work in the Congress of Industrial Organizations and the Southern Negro Youth Congress. Hudson's autobiography gives important information about his own life and the work of Black activists in the South, and also about Mayfield's life, which is not often written about in history books.

Mayfield, Hudson, and Brown, along with other Black activists like John Bedell and Sam Hall, were watched closely by the FBI. These government officials targeted them because of their involvement in the Communist Party. Mayfield and others sometimes had to leave their homes in Birmingham for their safety because of this close watch and challenges from the FBI. Henry Mayfield and Sam Hall faced difficulties due to this government interference in their lives. Henry Mayfield and other Black leaders were targeted by law enforcement and the U.S. government because they were seen as "radical" for their beliefs and actions.

Southern Negro Youth Congress

Henry Mayfield became more widely known as a leader in the fight for Black freedom and equality after helping to start the Southern Negro Youth Congress (SNYC). The SNYC was an important group that came before the SNCC. It began in 1937. The SNYC's goal was to achieve freedom, equality, and opportunities for Black people in America. It focused especially on the challenges faced by Black youth. The SNYC's first meeting was in Richmond, Virginia. Mayfield was one of the founders at this meeting, along with over 500 delegates from 23 states and more than 2,000 people watching.

Mayfield was especially important in the SNYC right after World War II. Since he had fought in World War II, he was a notable leader in the fight for the right to vote in the 1940s. Mayfield led 150 Black veterans to the Jefferson County Court House to demand their right to vote. He also organized a meeting with veterans to discuss other important issues like job training, housing, and finding jobs. Even though Mayfield and other known Communist Party members were part of the SNYC, the organization said it had no connections with the Communist Party. By 1949, the SNYC was no longer active because of disagreements within the group that made it hard to function.

Mayfield's Lasting Impact

Henry O. Mayfield made a significant impact as a Black activist and leader. He was involved with the Communist Party and the Southern Negro Youth Congress (SNYC). He served the United States as a soldier in World War II. After the war, he led veterans in the fight for the right to vote.

Mayfield also worked with other important Black leaders in the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Together, they supported the rights of workers, especially in the southern United States. Mayfield faced challenges from government officials because of his dedication to the Communist Party and the fight for Black freedom in America. Mayfield's leadership and organizing are often not fully recognized in American history. While he was well-known in the communities he led, his impact has not always been properly shown in historical writings.