Lillian Hatcher facts for kids

Lillian Hatcher (1915–1998) was an important African American woman. She worked as a riveter and helped organize workers into unions. She started her work at the Briggs aircraft plant in Detroit. She became active in union organizing after the company moved many women, both white and Black, to the midnight shift. All these women had children.

Who Was Lillian Hatcher?

Lillian Hatcher was born on May 30, 1915. Her hometown was Greenville, Alabama. She finished high school at Northeastern High School in Detroit. In the early 1940s, she took special classes for workers at the University of Michigan.

Starting Work and Joining a Union

In 1943, Lillian Hatcher began working as a riveter. A riveter uses a special tool to join metal parts, often for airplanes. She was one of the first Black women hired at Chrysler's Briggs-Connor Plant. In the same year, she joined the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. This was Local 742, which later became Local 212. In February 1943, Hatcher organized the first conference for women in her local union.

Leading the Way in the UAW

In 1944, Lillian Hatcher was chosen for her local union's executive board. She also became the first Black woman to represent the UAW internationally. During World War II, many Black women found new job opportunities. They moved from low-paying jobs to better-paying factory jobs. These factory jobs were often protected by unions.

Hatcher started as an assistant director for the War Policy Division Women's Bureau. This group helped women workers during the war. In 1946, this bureau moved to the Fair Practices and Anti-Discrimination Department. Hatcher joined this new team.

In 1958, she moved to the Women's Department. Here, she mainly organized classes and meetings for women in the union. She also worked closely with many groups that supported civil rights. These groups also worked for women's rights.

Continuing Her Work

Lillian Hatcher became the leader of the Women's Auxiliaries. This group also moved to the Women's Department in 1971. She stayed with the department until she retired from the UAW in June 1980.

Throughout her career, Hatcher was very active in her city and state. She worked with the Detroit Human Rights Department from 1958 to 1974. She also helped with the Michigan Constitutional Convention in 1961. Later, she served on the Michigan Commission on Legislative Apportionment from 1971 to 1972.

On a national level, she worked with important organizations. These included the NAACP and the National Council of Negro Women. These groups worked for civil rights and women's rights. Lillian Hatcher also stayed involved in the Democratic Party throughout her life.

See also

• Con-Con Eleven