Book Review: Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression by Robin D.G. Kelley

Book Review: Hammer and Hoe

by Robin D.G. Kelley
HX91.A2 K45 1990

By Shane Olsen

Robin D.G. Kelley’s Hammer and Hoe is a detailed account of the African American-led labor movement in Alabama during the Great Depression. Far from the typical labor history that centers on northern factories and white-led unions, Kelley uncovers the courageous fight of Black workers who battled not only economic exploitation but also Jim Crow laws, coercive landlords, and the constant threat of white supremacist violence. The struggles of African American workers in the South are too often forgotten in common historical accounts of the American labor movement, and Kelley’s book demonstrates that these workers have always been a key part of the labor movement’s long fight for economic and social justice for all.

What makes Hammer and Hoe so compelling is its level of detail. Kelley traces the communist-led labor movement across Alabama, from the steel factories in Birmingham to the struggles of rural sharecroppers and even the organizing efforts within New Deal programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps. His research—rooted in archival materials and in-person interviews—gives voice to the African American workers involved in the Sharecroppers’ Union and other labor organizations whose stories might have otherwise been lost. As someone who works in an archive, I appreciate the effort Kelley took to preserve these narratives and weave them into his book, especially given that many unions and community groups avoided keeping formal records to protect themselves from violent repression by groups like the Ku Klux Klan, private company police, and county sheriffs.

While the book’s in-depth history of Communist Party organizing might not be for every reader, Kelley’s storytelling ensures that the human stakes remain front and center. He clearly illustrates why so many African American workers joined the Communist Party—one of the few political forces actively fighting for racial and economic equality. Kelley also highlights the critical yet often-overlooked role of African American women in the movement. He describes these women as "the foundation of union activity," showing how their leadership in women’s clubs in rural Alabama laid the groundwork for broader labor organizing. Even within their own households, union participation reshaped gender roles, as men took on more domestic responsibilities while women led organizing meetings. Again, Kelley’s depth of archival research and interviews with Sharecroppers’ Union members helped uncover the deeply important but often-hidden role of African American women in the labor movement.

Kelley’s epilogue draws a powerful throughline from the labor battles of the 1930s to the civil rights movement that followed. Though McCarthyism and state repression forced Alabama’s Communist Party underground in the 1950s, its members remained active, with many later working alongside organizations like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Hammer and Hoe is a testament to the resilience of those who fought for justice despite overwhelming odds.

This book opened my eyes to a history rarely told—a story of radical Black resistance that challenges mainstream narratives of both the labor and civil rights movements. For anyone interested in African American history, labor organizing, or grassroots activism, Hammer and Hoe is essential reading.