Evelyn Jones Rich’s stories—about how her earliest jobs (delivering papers, sweeping kitchens and cleaning fish) influenced her long and illustrious career as an educator and an activist—inspired the young authors and artists who won prizes in the sixth year of this CUNY/LaborArts contest. Rich joined Brooklyn College Dean Rich Greenwald and contest sponsor Donald Rubin in congratulating the young artists—their work inspires us all. It displays imagination, thoughtfulness, and an ability to make links between individual lived experience and larger social issues.

Open to CUNY un­der­grad­u­ates, contest entries are judged according to originality, content and style. Student writers and artists both draw upon history, upon close observation of the world them, and upon a wealth of first hand experiences to link their work to the spirit of labor arts.

Poetry winner Mariusz Zubrowski begins his prose poem this way:

Mama pays the bills by the skin of her teeth, the ones that are now rotting. She hides them from other people, especially those who can afford routine check-ups, or maybe are insured. Mama’s never been sure of the path she’s sailed; she tries not to get eaten alive by sharks—her boss the great white in a business suit and two rows of teeth.

Thomas J. Rachko’s essay about the role of organized religion in the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike addresses a topic rarely attended to by historians. Evidence is used creatively, with both photographs and oral histories building the argument. For instance: Former sanitation worker James Robinson epitomizes the hardships that sanitation workers faced, “You work out there you needed some kind of prayer or somethin’”

Read them all—you will be moved, surprised, impressed.

We sincerely hope that these young authors and artists continue on with their work—their voices demand to be heard.

Photographs of students and from awards ceremony are by David Rozenblyum.

Background & Credits

The CUNY/Labor Arts contest aims to expand student’s thinking about labor history—broadly defined—at CUNY, and is open to any undergraduate attending a CUNY college. Begun in 2010, it encourages students to write creatively and analytically about work and workers, to make art about work and workers, and to link their efforts to the spirit of LaborArts.

We were honored to have Donald Rubin, co-founder of the Rubin Museum and of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation, and Brooklyn College Dean of Humanities Richard Greenwald join the contest organizers and judges at the awards ceremony in April.

We would like to thank all of the students who submitted work for the 2014—15 contest, and to congratulate the authors of the prize-winning essays and poems and the creators of the visual art featured in this exhibit. All CUNY students are encouraged to begin considering possible themes for entries in next year’s contest. Guidelines for the 2015—16 contest will be available in fall 2015; the guidelines used for this contest are here

The contest is funded by The Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation, and was made possible this year through the efforts of The Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation and Don Rubin and Alex Gardner; Brooklyn College/CUNY and Professor Joe Entin, Associate Provost Terrence Cheng and Acting Director of Graduate Studies Patrick Kavanagh; and LaborArts and Rachel Bernstein and Evelyn Jones Rich.

Special thanks go to our judges: Professor Julie Agoos of the Brooklyn College English Department (Poetry); Professor Timothy Alborn of the Lehman College History Department (Non-Fiction); Brooklyn College Associate Provost and English Professor Terrence Cheng (Fiction); and Professor Becca Albee of the City College Art Department (Visual Art).

The photographs of students and event speakers were taken by photographer David Rozenblyum at the Awards Ceremony, held at the Brooklyn College Graduate Center for Worker Education in Lower Manhattan on April 22, 2015.