MARQUETTE, MI — Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Calumet’s Italian Hall Disaster, the film “Red Metal” will be screened on Saturday, December 7 at 7:00 pm in the Peter White Public Library Shiras room.
This local history documentary explores the epic labor strike that devastated Michigan’s Copper Country – and haunts the American labor movement to this day. Among the notable elements of that strike was the death of 73 children at a union Christmas party. That tragedy was immortalized by Woody Guthrie in his ballad, “1913 Massacre,” and is performed by Steve Earle in the film.
The film traces the Copper Country strike from its hopeful start to that tragic conclusion. Between those endpoints, the film explores the intensifying battle between organized labor and corporate power, as well as related issues of immigration, technology, and unchecked corporate interests. Of equal significance is the strike’s cultural legacy, which influenced national discourse, music, and legislation during the Progressive Era and the New Deal.
After the film screening there will be a question and answer session with Steve Lehto a Michigan attorney and author who served as a consultant to the film and was and featured in it.
Steve Lehto is a writer and attorney who resides in southeast Michigan. He obtained a B.A. in history from Oakland University and his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in Detroit, where he teaches consumer protection and trial practice.
There is no admission charge. For more information call the library at 226-4303 or visit www.pwpl.info.
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