As part of the collaboration between the City of Clinton and Augustana College’s Sustainable Working Landscapes Initiative, the Clinton Public Library has begun working with Augustana faculty and students on an oral history project documenting the Clinton Corn Processing Company Strike of 1979-1980.
The strike, which ended with the decertification of the American Federation of Grain Millers Local 6, was notable for its length and the acrimony it engendered within Clinton and the surrounding area. According to CPL Director Brad Wiles, the new oral histories will help put the strike in historical perspective and he hopes the project will open a conversation about community identity and its relationship to history.
The oral history project will be an integral part of courses taught by Dr. Lendol Calder and Dr. Brian Leech in Augustana’s Department of History during the fall and winter terms of 2015-2016. Wiles will serve as the project lead and work directly with students from Calder’s and Leech’s classes in researching the topic, conducting the interviews, and preparing the gathered content for distribution. According to Calder, “We hope our efforts to document the Clinton Corn Strike and tell a story about its effects in the community will remind citizens today what we owe to working people of the past, while shining a light on the reasons for the labor movement’s decline in an era of globalizing capital movements.”
According to Wiles, he has compiled a list of interview prospects but welcomes participation from any and all individuals who are willing to share their recollections and viewpoints on the strike and its lasting impact. Wiles said that all perspectives are welcome. “I’ve spoken with those who are pro-labor and others who are pro-businesses about this project,” Wiles said. “And regardless of where they stand, there seems to be agreement that this was an important event and it is worth preserving the accounts of those who lived it.”
For more information about the Clinton Corn Strike Oral History Project or to discuss scheduling an interview, please contact Brad Wiles at bwiles@clintonpubliclibrary.us or 563-242-9115.
