Brief Study of Working Conditions of Colored Citizens in New Orleans Louisiana

Author

• Ernest J. Wright

Date of Award

1933

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Keywords

American Negro, New Orleans, African American Workers, Great Depression, Labor History, Wage Data, Unemployment Relief, Longshoremen, Domestic Workers, Black Business, Cotton Mill, Louisiana History, HBCU Thesis

Abstract

This thesis, submitted to the faculty of Xavier University in partial fulfillment of requirements for a bachelor's degree in 1933, documents the working and economic conditions of Black citizens in New Orleans, Louisiana during the Great Depression. The study presents occupational wage data across trades including bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work, as well as domestic service, professional fields, and the insurance industry. Unemployment relief statistics for the Black population of Louisiana are documented, including data on the number of workers receiving relief and average relief payments as of February 1933. The thesis examines the Longshoremen's Organization in detail, tracing wage changes from 1914 through the 1929 strike and its aftermath. Firsthand observation of working conditions at Lane's Cotton Mill documents wages, hours, and living conditions of Black women workers. The study also addresses conditions in Woodville, Mississippi and Kenner, Louisiana, and includes sections on community welfare organizations, the use of leisure time among the unemployed, and Black-owned businesses in New Orleans.

Recommended Citation

Wright, Ernest J., "Brief Study of Working Conditions of Colored Citizens in New Orleans Louisiana" (1933). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 141.
https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/etd/141