Frank Rudolph Crosswaith: Mixed Experience History Month

Frank Rudolph Crosswaith (1892-1965) was a Mixed man, born on St. Croix, Virgin Islands.  Crosswaith immigrated to the United States at 15 years-old.  He served several years in the U.S. Navy before attending college on scholarship.  He soon became interested in the Socialist movement.  A gifted orator, he spoke on labor issues for the Socialist Party frequently.  In 1925, he founded the Trade Union Committee for Organizing Negro Workers.  He was a leading organizer for A. Philip Randolph's Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.  He also wrote for the New Leader and the Chicago Defender.  In 1935, he organized the Negro Labor Committee (NLC) which sought to integrate labor unions.  By the 1940s, Crosswaith distanced himself from the Socialists.  He continued his advocacy work championing improved housing for low-income families.  He died in 1965.