At the time of his death in 1927, he was lauded as “one of the most indicted and imprisoned workers” in the history of the American labor movement. Yet today, few know the name Charles Emil Ruthenberg.
Scottsboro and the quiet courage of Mary Licht peoplesworld.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from peoplesworld.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In the years 1991 to 2002, when I was editor of People’s Weekly World, I often consulted with Mary Licht, historian of the Communist Party USA, on questions of fact in the CPUSA’s long, eventful history. Mary herself was a quiet, modest, slender woman never inclined to promote herself.
Ordinarily a person cited, interviewed and profiled in a book wouldn’t be the appropriate person to review it. But we are not dealing here with an ordinary book, an ordinary author, nor an ordinary reviewer! And what is “appropriate” anyway? Much of this book talks about who and what were cons.
I am told by People’s World Managing Editor C.J. Atkins, who enjoys rummaging around in the history of Communist Party publications, that the opinion piece republished below, almost 30 years since its first appearance in People’s Daily World, was the first head-on article apart from the occas.