Michelle Guzman and Lisa Connolly joined Attorney James J. Carrigan and co-host Jeff Crosby, the former president of North Shore Labor Council and IUE-CWA Local 201, on Carrigan’s LCTV show, “The American Dream” this week to discuss the history of the 1860 Lynn Shoe Workers Strike and the resiliency of the human spirit.
The show, which airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., and Saturdays at 7 a.m. on Comcast Channel 3 and Verizon Channel 38, is “designed to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how public and private policy is developed,” according to Carrigan. Guzman is the founder of Tour Guides of Lynn Walking Shoe Tours, and Connolly is the executive director of the Lynn Home for Women.
Crosby does not typically host the show with Carrigan but was brought on to discuss the particular subject matter because of his deep knowledge of the strike as a former union leader.
The conversation between the quartet ran just under half an hour. During the show, Crosby noted Lynn’s unique position in history as a “cauldron” of social movements and offered a brief history of the strike.
“What was interesting to me… it was the biggest strike in U.S. history at the time,” he said, adding that he was also struck by the “intersection of different social movements.”
Connolly noted that the Home for Women was started in part to provide housing for single women working in the factories at the time who needed a place to live.
Guzman is set to host a number of events, including a commemorative walk on Feb. 23, to honor the history of the strike this month.
Episodes can be found on the Lynn Community Television website after they air.
