Episode #10
The Haymarket Affair & May Day: Origins of International Workers' Day
Apr 30, 202512 minS1
On this special May Day episode of Read and Reflect, we dive into Martin Duberman’s powerful novel Haymarket—a literary retelling of the 1886 Haymarket affair that helped ignite the global labor movement.What really happened on that fateful day in Chicago’s Haymarket Square? Who were the men and women—radicals, immigrants, martyrs—who fought and died for the eight-hour workday, for workers’ dignity, and for the right to speak truth to power?Published in 2003, Haymarket is more than historical fiction—it’s a haunting, deeply human account of class struggle, political repression, and the fight for justice. Through vivid storytelli...
