“America Was Built By Immigrants”

During the 1960s and 1970s, when many unions joined the chorus of anti-immigrant slogans, using the derogatory term “illegal alien,” the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) maintained a firm position in support of immigrant rights, urging the labor movement to organize the immigrant workers rather than seek to have them deported. 

These signs, carried by UNITE! members during a Labor Day Parade, highlight such themes as  “End Unfair Immigrant Quotas,” “Insist on this Union Label,” “America Was Built By Immigrants,” “Full Employment is the Key to Prosperity,” and “Medicare Through Social Security is a Must.”

This image is featured in one of the bronze historical plaques installed in Union Square to commemorate the history of labor in the square.  See the “Culture of Solidarity” plaque in our exhibit on Union Square.

Undated image from UNITE.