Norman Hill and Velma Murphy Hill have played prominent roles in both the civil rights movement and the labor movement over the past 60 years. With the publication of their memoir in October, “Climbing the Rough Side of the Mountain” (Regalo Press), they share their six-decade story of partnership, while describing the far-reaching impact of their efforts, which is sure to inspire a new generation of activists.
From fighting segregation alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to registering voters across the South to unionizing low-wage paraprofessionals in the New York City school system, the Hills’ memoir “is a valuable addition to the narrative of our nation’s civil rights and labor histories,” AFSCME President Lee Saunders writes in an endorsement of the book.
Norman Hill was the national program director of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and staff coordinator for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He also served as staff representative of the Industrial Union Department of the AFL-CIO, and president of the A. Philip Randolph Institute from 1980 to 2004.
Velma Murphy Hill was a leader of the Chicago wade-in to integrate Rainbow Beach and was East Coast field secretary for CORE. She also served as assistant to the president of the United Federation of Teachers, where she unionized 10,000 mostly Black and Hispanic paraprofessionals working in New York public schools.
She was also vice president of the American Federation of Teachers and International Affairs and civil rights director of the Service Employees International Union.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler calls the book a “must-read” and Rev. Al Sharpton writes that the memoir “serves as an essential reminder of how two brilliant minds joined forces to help change our world for the better.”
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