Don't Mourn, Organize: The Life, Death, and Legacy of Joe Hill

More than a hundred years ago, an immigrant worker named Joe Hill was traveling across the United States, working wherever he could find a job and writing songs along the way. He had a particular talent for taking what workers already knew—low wages, bad bosses, broken promises, company towns—and turning it into songs people could sing together.

Then, in 1915, the state of Utah executed Joe Hill for murder.

In today's episode, we break down the life, death, and legacy of the early 20th-century Swedish immigrant and songwriter who still has something to say to working people today.

Music in today's episode is by: Jonny Miller Jr. ("Joe Hill"), Vlad Annenkov ("Whispering Trails"), Sean Ferree ("The Third Act"), and Pete Seeger ("The Preacher and the Slave").