Lucy Parsons and "Solidarity Forever," 1915

On 17 January 1915, Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union organiser Lucy Parsons (pictured) led a march against hunger and unemployment in Chicago. It was during this protest that famous union hymn “Solidarity Forever” was completed by IWW member Ralph Chaplin.

Police attacked the crowd of 1500 unemployed people and their children, opening fire with live ammunition and clubbing marchers with blackjacks and pistol butts. The crowd attempted to defend itself, and police reported that "women were fighting just as much as the men". 21 protesters were arrested, including Parsons.

Chaplin had begun writing "Solidarity Forever" during the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek coalminers strike in West Virginia in 1913. The lyrics were written to be sung over the tune of US civil war battle anthem "John Brown's Body", in the tradition of US folk music, which frequently repurposed existing songs with new lyrics.

It became one of the IWW's most famous songs. Music was a key tactic the union used to spread its ideas through working class communities, including those with low levels of literacy. It was sung on picket lines all over the US and the world, being translated into languages as diverse as Spanish, Polish, Yiddish and Swahili.

"Solidarity Forever" has also been performed by popular artists including Leonard Cohen, Pete Seeger, Utah Phillips and Tom Morello (as The Nightwatchman).

Solidarity Forever completed - WCH | Stories

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