Joe Hill: Alive as You and Me

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Maureen Janson Heintz

Tom Kastle

Unionization efforts have been in the news lately, including a successful campaign by Colectivo Coffee workers and the ongoing efforts of nurses to have their union recognized by UW Health. Industrial Workers of the World activist and songwriter Joe Hill was an early 20th century exponent of labor's fight for better conditions, and one of the movement's martyrs; he was executed in Utah under questionable circumstances in 1915. Hear his songs and learn about his life from singer and storyteller Tom Kastle. This Fermat's Last Theater program also includes a post-concert discussion of the modern union movement led by UW School for Workers professor emeritus Frank Emspak. Free admission; proof of vaccination required.

media release: Fermat's Last Theater presents "Joe Hill - Alive as You and Me" - An evening of song, stories and solidarity, Thursday, April 7, at 7:30 PM at the Dark Horse ArtBar, 756 E. Washington in Madison.

Singing Joe's songs and telling his story will be veteran folk singer and actor, Tom Kastle - see tomkastle.com for details on Tom's broad resume - and besides his acting and singing credits, Tom is a tall ship captain.

There was a war between capital and labor in this country between 1890 and 1920 - a shooting war.  The copper, steel, coal and railroad trusts had private armies, often controlled the politicians at every level and fought bitterly against attempts by workers to unionize, especially against the Industrial Workers of the World, Joe's cause and home.  Framed for a murder he did not commit, Joe was executed in 1915 in Salt Lake City, Utah.  In his last letter from prison, Joe told Big Bill Haywood of the Western Federation of Miners, "Don't waste time mourning ... organize!"

Today there are a handful of very large corporations - Amazon, Google, Starbucks - who employ hundreds of thousands of low wage workers and are fighting hard to stop union drives.  That will be part of the post show discussion, which will be led by Frank Emspak, Prof. Emeritus of the UW School for Workers, and a longtime union activist at the giant GE factory in Lynn, Massachusetts.

The show is free and open to the public - proof of vaccination is required.