Kim Kelly

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Kim Kelly is a writer and labor activist based in Philadelphia. She is the author of Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor.

A protester holds a sign reading, “BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO FASCISTS IN PHILADELPHIA.”

Moms for Liberty Came to Philly. Philly Came for Them. Moms for Liberty Came to Philly. Philly Came for Them.

This city is welcoming to just about everyone—except hateful fascist bigots, as the Moms for Liberty found out.

Jul 5, 2023 / Kim Kelly

Joy, Revolution, and Tear Gas: My May Day In Paris

Joy, Revolution, and Tear Gas: My May Day In Paris Joy, Revolution, and Tear Gas: My May Day In Paris

There was beauty and comradeship everywhere. And there were thousands and thousands of cops.

May 11, 2023 / Kim Kelly

Striking coal miners, who have been on strike for 18 months, form a picket line outside of the Warrior Met Coal Mine no. 5 on September 1, 2022 in Brookwood Alabama.

Why the Warrior Met Strike Is Ending Why the Warrior Met Strike Is Ending

After 23 months, the union tells more than 1,000 coal miners in Alabama it’s time to head back to work—without the contract they want.

Feb 20, 2023 / Kim Kelly

Scans of a darkened lung.

Black Lung Is Still Killing America’s Coal Miners Black Lung Is Still Killing America’s Coal Miners

The Department of Labor unveiled a bold initiative to combat the crisis by curbing exposure to silica.

Jul 7, 2022 / Kim Kelly

Starbucks union pins spill out of a bag onto union flyers

Starbucks Baristas in Philly Are Brewing Up a Union Starbucks Baristas in Philly Are Brewing Up a Union

Workers at four locations have joined the organizing wave, and the beverage behemoth is about to learn what happens when you mess with Philly.

Feb 16, 2022 / Kim Kelly

An older woman with blood running down her face

Journalist Mary Heaton Vorse Spent Decades on the Front Lines of Labor Journalist Mary Heaton Vorse Spent Decades on the Front Lines of Labor

The Progressive Era labor journalist, feminist, and war correspondent devoted her long and uncompromising career to giving poor and working people a voice.

Feb 8, 2022 / Kim Kelly

Three Black women in formal dress pose for a photo

Maida Springer Kemp Championed Workers’ Rights on a Global Scale Maida Springer Kemp Championed Workers’ Rights on a Global Scale

The Panamanian garment worker turned labor organizer, Pan-Africanist, and anti-colonial activist advocated for US and African workers amid a Cold War freeze.

Feb 4, 2022 / Kim Kelly

A sign featuring Emma Tenayuca takes front and center at a march for International Women's Day

The Militant Passion of Emma Tenayuca The Militant Passion of Emma Tenayuca

Eighty-four years ago this week, this Mexican American labor organizer led one of the largest strikes in Texas history—and was arrested and blacklisted for her trouble.

Feb 1, 2022 / Kim Kelly

Ah Quon McElrath

Ah Quon McElrath and the Power of Multiracial Working-Class Solidarity Ah Quon McElrath and the Power of Multiracial Working-Class Solidarity

The Chinese Hawai’ian labor activist and social worker would ask, “Look, you are exploited, what are you going to do about it?”

Jan 28, 2022 / Kim Kelly

A man walks toward a corner formed by stacked whiskey barrels.

A Bold Flavor of Tennessee Whiskey: Union-Made A Bold Flavor of Tennessee Whiskey: Union-Made

The United Distillery Workers of Tennessee are organizing in the heart of Nashville.

Jan 25, 2022 / Kim Kelly

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