Devoted to improving conditions for laborers in the U.S. and abroad, Maida Springer Kemp was a trailblazer for African and Caribbean workers, devoted to highlighting the intersections between the civil rights and labor movements. Focused on educating labor forces, Kemp created communal bonds and uplifted workers worldwide.
After prospering within Local 22 of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (LGWU), she became the first Black woman to represent U.S. labor after observing warfare working conditions in Great Britain in 1945, which launched her career to the global landscape.
She connected the human rights struggles in the U.S. and Africa by establishing educational and training programs in Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and many other nations. Her mission to bring African and Caribbean voices to the labor movement, while advocating for independence across the African diaspora embodied the Pan-Africanism ideal of creating a unified global community.
“[She] created a sense of that immutable bond wherever she went with the expressed purpose and understanding that harmony in the heart extended outwards to fortify and foster a desire to work for the greater good,” said Kemp’s granddaughter, Christina Springer.
Kemp’s lessons of integrating race, gender and class in the fight toward equitable working conditions apply to today’s global movements addressing environmental racism, refugee rights and economic disparities. Challenging these intersections of injustice requires collective action across marginalized groups– something which she adamantly encouraged and practiced.
By centering the idea of labor unions— caring for all— Kemp’s efforts toward human rights and global solidarity remain influential examples of combating injustice through unity.
“She was very effective at building avenues for understanding,” said Kemp biographer Dr. Yvette Richards.