Last Thursday there was an event in the Nos Da Hotel in Cardiff to celebrate the
life of union organiser and songwriter
Joe Hill. The event (organised
by IWW Cymru) marked the centenary of his execution by the state of
Utah on 19 November 1915 for a murder that he almost certainly did
not commit. It is likely that he was
framed and executed for his
union activism as a member of the
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and because his songs – such as
The Preacher and the Slave,
Power in a Union and
Rebel Girl were considered such an
inspiration to the militant American working class of the day. These
songs are still sung today within the international labour movement
as well as the
Ballad of Joe Hill which was written in his honour.
