Yesterday's column by Nick Coleman was a shout out to his working class brothers:
An ad hoc group of young labor activists who have been energized by studying the "Teamster Rebellion" of 1934 have organized a commemoration of a time when Minneapolis almost came apart at the seams, its class structure shattered by gunfire and carnage.
Called One Day In July: A Street Festival for the Working Class, the event will be held from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday on the site where Bloody Friday took place and will be one part block party, one part rock concert and one part consciousness-raising.
"The 1934 strike shaped everything else that happened across the country," says Kieran Knutson, a 33-year-old union member who was raised in Minneapolis but who learned the story of the Teamsters Union's origins only in recent years. He and the other organizers say they admire the militancy and the innovative tactics of the 1934 strikers, who, in the end, prevailed, turning Minneapolis into a union town.
"Our generation hasn't necessarily seen a lot of inspirational stuff from the labor movement," Knutson says. "But this story is very inspirational. And it all happened right here, in our fair city."
More information on the event is available here. Does this mean that Nick won't be joining us today at Keegan's? Saint Paul will be devastated.
SAINT PAUL ADDS: I am devasted. But in tribute to Nick Coleman's proletarian performance at the Bloody Friday Festival, we will be having a round of Bloody Mary's at precisely 7 PM. Keegan's. Be there.
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