Speakers

The Illinois Labor History Society regularly provides speakers and leads workshops for union meetings and conventions, steward and apprentice training, library programs, college courses, and other community events.  Our director and board members can speak on a variety of subjects relating to labor history, and are enthusiastic to tell the stories of the working people that built Illinois.

Would you like to invite ILHS to speak at an upcoming meeting or event? contact us with the proposed date, time, location, subject and a contact phone number.

How much does it cost to engage a speaker from the Illinois Labor History Society?  ILHS does not have a set cost to provide speakers or workshops.  We do ask that organizations provide an honorarium, as this helps us to continue to provide quality public education programs.

What is the length for a talk or workshop provided by the Illinois Labor History Society?  There is no ‘typical’ talk from ILHS.  We work with our host group to ensure that our program meets your needs.  We can give as short as fifteen minutes or multi-day workshops--or anything in between!  Before your event we will discuss with you to ensure the programming we provide fits with your planned event, venue and audience.

What types of topics can you cover?  The ILHS can provide talks and workshops on a wide variety of history topics.  The following are just some of the topics we cover, but we can also work with you to specialize a labor history talk to your local area or your subject interest.

• General US Labor History
• General Illinois Labor History
• African American Labor History
• Cherry Mine Disaster
• Chicago Labor History
• "Great Upheaval" of 1877
• Haymarket Tragedy
• Labor Monuments in Illinois
• Latino/a Labor History
• Meatpacking Labor History
• Memorial Day Massacre
• Mining Labor History
• Mother Jones
• Public Sector Labor History
• Pullman Labor History
• Railroad Labor History
• Retirement and Social Security History
• Women in the US Labor Movement

Do you provide videos or other resources as part of your talks and workshops?  Yes!  The ILHS has a rich collection of labor history videos, photos, books and primary sources that we incorporate into our talks and workshops in order to enrich the education experience. We also often work with local reenactors to bring famous labor figures to life as part of our programs.   As we talk with you about your event, we will discuss how best to incorporate these options.  You can also purchase dvds and books at our bookstore here.