On Strike and On Film by Ellen R. Baker. Literature & Language Essay

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On Strike and On Film by Ellen R. Baker
On Strike and Film, Ellen Baker explores the formation of a leftist union that linked ethnic equality to class justice. Ellen presents an argument of how the role played by women in the union activities led to their husbands being questioned about gender equality. The picket lines used to be the men's roles. However, the women's participation in the various union activities made it easy for them to pave the way for taking the picket lines. Also, the author examines the collaboration that mining families had with the blacklisted Hollywood filmmakers. Such collaboration resulted in the creation of the 1954 "salt of the earth" film.
In 1950, Mexica American miners demanded fair working conditions. Therefore, they went on strike in an attempt to have their grievances heard. As a result, an injunction was imposed, prohibiting the minors from picketing. In turn, their wives decided to take over the picketing lines. The act had a major disruption on the miner's family, but this was settled in 1952 when they achieved their victory. In her book, Baker shows how the alliance between the workers and artists allowed the miners a great opportunity to explain themselves to the world. They talked about the meaning and impact that the strike had on their families. The miners were able to outline the positive changes that occurred in the mining industry. Such changes were implemented as a result of their strike. In addition, the collaboration allowed the filmmakers to come up with a progressive alternative to that of Hollywood productions. However, the movie was late...