1979 – Danville 8 Found Guilty for Anti-Racism Protests

On May 21, 1979, the “Danville 8”—a group of Black workers and activists—were found guilty in Danville, Illinois, for participating in civil disobedience against racism and unsafe working conditions at General Motors. These workers had been protesting racial discrimination in hiring, promotions, and workplace safety at the GM foundry, which had long marginalized Black laborers. Their conviction sparked outrage among labor and civil rights leaders, who viewed it as a miscarriage of justice and an attack on the right to organize. The Danville 8 became symbols of a broader struggle for Black labor rights and workplace equity in the post-Civil Rights era. Their case revealed the ongoing systemic oppression that Black workers faced even after the formal end of Jim Crow. May 21 is remembered as a key date in the Black labor movement’s fight for dignity, safety, and racial justice on the factory floor.