#dorothy lee bolden

[perfectlyyoungtimetravel]

Black History Month:Day 07

I drew Dorothy Lee Bolden-She was born on October 13th in 1924.In Atlanta,Georgia.Her parents were Georgia Mae Patterson (who was a housekeeper) and Raymond Bolden(who was a chauffer).When she was 9 she would help her mom out with housekeeping and would see how awful and unfair it was (they worked for $1.25 a week). And her early experience as a maid in late 1940s inspired her civil rights activism,she was arrested and taken to county jail after her white employer demanded her to wash dishes even though Dorothy's work hours were over and of course Dorothy refused,after she was taken to county jail to get psychiatric evaluation because she was seen as this "crazy lady" because she disobeyed orders from the white person,she was never institutionalized luckily but still that is just cruel...and that inspired her to start an organization to protect maids.In 1964.She organized a boycott of Atlanta schools to protest the school board’s reluctance to improve the quality of education for African American students,and in mid 1960s.She worked with Dr.Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders to confront police brutality,especially in her Atlanta neighborhood,Vine City.In 1968 she found an organization 'National Domestic Workers Union of America' (NDWUA).Her motivation for NDWUA came from her bus rides.She would use public transportation to connect with other domestic workers,listening to their stories of low wages,their long hours,their long commutes horrible working conditions.Realizing their common and same experiences,Dorothy began to mobilize these workers. In the summer of 1968, hundreds of female domestic workers gathered in Atlanta to form the NDWUA with Dorothy as its first president in September of that same year.The NDWUA quickly enrolled thousands of domestic workers across 10 cities in the U.S.Through most of the 1960s.The national minimum wage was $1.25 an hour with black maids earning an average of $3.50 to $5.00 a day for twelve-to-fourteen hour shifts.The NDWUA demanded higher wages and within two years of the organization's founding Atlanta maids earned an average of $13.50 to $15.00 a day.The NDWUA also made sure domestic workers benefited from social security and workers compensation.As working conditions would improve she taught maids how to negotiate with their employers or to find alternate employment if negotiations were unsuccessful.Thousands of women around the country utilized the NDWUA’s job placement programs and learned of their workplace rights.Dorothy also understood the power of the ballot and made registration and voting a requirement for the members of the NDWUA.She became a very influential political leader in the 1970s.She was appointed to President Richard Nixon’s advisory committee on social services and welfare,she would later consult with Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter on workers’ rights.Dorothy's time and advocacy became divided between Atlanta’s community efforts and national politics as conditions for domestic workers across the country continued to would improve year by year.But she also had to use her own money to carry out NDWUA programs during the 1980s.And because federal funding did not suffice the organization stopped operations in 1996.But she still continued to work in the social services sector.

She died on July 14th in 2005.In Atlanta,Georgia at the age of 80.

Her famous quotes was 'I don’t want to be out here pushing for you and you not registered to vote.We aren’t Aunt Jemima women and I sure to God don’t want people to think we are.We are politically strong and independent.' (Aunt Jemima was a racial stereotype and it was in the now Pearl Milling Company's name and products before they changed it)

Credits for information: blackpast.org

Materials used:Soft pastel crayons, HB pencil,8B pencil and a marker

See you soon everyone! 💖💖💖

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Dorothy Lee Bolden

Workers' rights activist Dorothy Lee Bolden was born in 1924 in Atlanta, Georgia. Having endured poor working conditions as a Black woman and domestic worker, Bolden was inspired by Rosa Parks to get involved in Civil Rights activism. In 1964, she organized a boycott of Atlanta schools to protest the lack of improvement in education for African-American students. In 1968, Bolden founded the National Domestic Workers Union of America, which she led for 28 years. The union fought for higher wages for domestic workers, and for their access to workers' compensation and Social Security.

Dorothy Lee Bolden died in 2005 at the age of 80.

[lboogie1906]

Dorothy Lee Bolden (October 13, 1923 – July 14, 2005) was the founder of the National Domestic Worker’s Union of America and worked to fight for women’s rights and bring segregation to an end. She began working as a domestic worker at the age of nine. She would utilize her past experiences to form the Domestic Worker’s Union in Atlanta. Through the Domestic Worker’s Union, thousands of women have secured better pay and working conditions throughout the US.

During the 1960s, domestic workers endured 13-hour workdays and received as little as $3.50. She started discussions with other unions about beginning to organize a national union for domestic workers. The union helped improve the wages and working conditions of domestic workers in Atlanta and served as an example for other domestic workers all across the country. She gathered 13,000 women from ten different cities, benefiting from job referrals and organizations. The union helped to increase wages and working conditions for domestic workers. Members were taught how to work out problems with their employers. She became an icon in Atlanta due to all the help that she gave to domestic workers. The records of this union are kept at the organization’s office and in the Southern Labor Archives at Georgia State University. Under her leadership, the National Domestic Worker’s Union influenced the treatment of domestic workers. She was central to actions that increased Atlanta wages by 33% over two years and won workers’ compensation and Social Security rights for all domestic workers. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[local338]

#BlackHistoryMonth: Dorothy Lee Bolden, giving a voice to those who needed it most! Thank you for your service to workers! #1u https://www.instagram.com/p/CLrdER3AQc_/?igshid=1q12vlgibwuur

[lboogie1906]

Dorothy Lee Bolden (October 13, 1923 – July 14, 2005) was the founder of the National Domestic Worker's Union of America and worked to fight for women's rights and bring segregation to an end. She began working as a domestic worker at the age of nine. She would utilize her past experiences to form the Domestic Worker's Union in Atlanta. Through the Domestic Worker's Union, thousands of women have secured better pay and working conditions throughout the US. During the 1960s, domestic workers endured 13-hour workdays and received as little as $3.50. She started discussions with other unions about beginning to organize a national union for domestic workers. The union helped improve the wages and working conditions of domestic workers in Atlanta and served as an example for other domestic workers all across the country. She gathered 13,000 women from ten different cities, benefiting from job referrals and organizations. The union helped to increase wages and working conditions for domestic workers. Members were taught how to work out problems with their employers. She became an icon in Atlanta due to all the help that she gave to domestic workers. The records of this union are kept at the organization's office and in the Southern Labor Archives at Georgia State University. Under her leadership, the National Domestic Worker's Union influenced the treatment of domestic workers. She was central to actions that increased Atlanta wages by 33% over two years and won workers' compensation and Social Security rights for all domestic workers. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CjpqftaLjXR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=