This exhibit shares stories of two of the extraordinary Black women who powered the largest upsurge in union organizing in U.S. history. Moranda Smith and Viola Brown organized a union that inspired workers across the South, dreamed beyond workplace demands, and won early civil rights victories in the face of a rising Red Scare. Smith was one of the first Black woman elected to U.S. national union leadership. Published originally on OutHistory in March 2026.