"Folksongs and the U.S. Labor Movement: A Commonwealth of Toil."

A Singing Lecture by Corey Dolgon

Folksinger and Sociologist

"I have put together a singing lecture on the role of folksongs in the U.S. labor movement.  I am  a long-time labor activist and community organizer and have used folk songs to build solidarity on the line and engage students in the classroom. This singing lecture covers labor history from a multicultural perspective and examines the function of folk songs in workers’ lives, labor, and organizing."

"I discuss some of the 'basics' of U.S. union history, recounting specific events, as well as the ideological tensions and historical continuities that comprise labor’s legacy. I focus, however, on the functions that these songs had for describing workers’ conditions and articulating their issues; defining their particular identities while broadening their solidarities. The lecture includes songs from a variety of workplaces (factories, fields, mines and mills), cultural heritages (religious spirituals, African American, Latino and women workers), and union movements (IWW, United Mine Workers, Sharecroppers Union). But most of all, The Commonwealth of Toil brings to life the ways in which folk songs helped workers give voice to their hopes, their fears, their struggles, and their dreams of a better world to come."

"The lecture can be tailored for specific needs and time periods, but generally runs about an hour to an hour and a half depending on questions and format. The lecture is about 25 minutes of actual speaking and about 35 minutes of song. I am very adept at gaining audience participation and provide an object lesson in how the collective acts of singing and movement can enhance the feelings of solidarity and create new possibilities for collective identities."

Here’s what students, faculty and labor folk had to say about Corey’s performances: 

“I learned about the importance and power of strikes and labor unions. I never knew there were songs about them. [The lecture] made the period come alive for me.”

                                                                                                                                --student, Stonehill College

“Corey’s work weaves together a coherent and accessible narrative about labor struggles with a tour de force of labor songs that move an audience with workers’ own articulate descriptions of their conditions and inspiring visions of movements to improve those conditions.”

                                                                                         --Chris Dale, Sociology Professor, New England College

“Corey's music added tremendous spirit to our National Labor Assembly. Hearing and singing labor songs gave our nurses a sense of community with others in the union movement and helped build energy at our meetings. I encourage other unions to add Corey's talents and expertise to their agendas.”

                                        --Cheryl Johnson, President, United American Nurses, AFL-CIO

I learned about racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination within unions and that social justice is imperative for equality.  I never knew there were so many songwriters and poets in the labor movement. It was very innovative and fun.”

                                                                                                                                --student, Stonehill College

 Dr. Dolgon combines a comprehensive knowledge of social movements in the United States with a crisp and accessible analysis of the variety of ways that folksongs tell the story of labor organizing. It is both powerful and enjoyable. I couldn’t believe how many of our students actually sang and participated! It was a very effective educational tool as well as an exciting performance.”

                                                                                      --Karen Robert, History professor, St. Thomas University 

Here is a list of songs used in the lecture:

Farmer is the Man (Traditional)

Preacher and the Slave (Hill)

Commonwealth of Toil (Chaplin)

Midnight Special (Leadbelly)

Goin’ Down the Road (Guthrie/Dolgon)

Dark as a Dungeon (Travis)

Do Re Mi (Guthrie)

You Gotta Go Down (Almanac Singers)

Union Maid (Guthrie)

Link on the Chain (Ochs)

Deportee (Guthrie)  

Give Us What We Have Due (Pennell)

More For Less (Pennell)

"If you would like to contact me about coming to your school to perform Commonwealth of Toil, email me: cdolgon@worcester.edu. I would be happy to combine his lecture with other speaking engagements or performances and will also help arrange other engagements in the area to defray expenses."