Label
I.W.O. stands for International Workers Order, founded in 1930 as an immigrant fraternal order that provided high-quality, low-cost health and burial insurance and other benefits for members. Noted illustrator and artist Rockwell Kent was president of the IWO from 1944 until 1953. The IWO was legally disbanded in 1953 due to the Cold War “Red Scare" because its politics and leadership were largely aligned with those of the Communist Party. At its height in the years immediately following World War II, the IWO reached nearly 200,000 members and provided low-cost health and life insurance, medical and dental clinics, and supported foreign-language newspapers, cultural and educational activities. The organization also operated a summer camp and cemeteries for its members. I.W.O. also held historical picnics, like the one seen here, community events that featured activities like dances, sports, and other celebrations. The IWO lodges held dances, picnics, basketball and softball tournaments, concerts, folk festivals, pageants and film showings. They sponsored schools, choral groups, dance groups, theater groups and literary study circles. The term "U.A.A. local 60 uopwa cio" at the bottom left of this print refers to the United American Artists (U.A.A.), Local 60, which was affiliated with the United Office and Professional Workers of America (UOPWA), a union part of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).