Description
Helen August was born in New York City into a secular, Jewish family active in the labor movement. When she was twelve years old, her family moved to Southern California. In this interview, she talks about the differences between New York City and Los Angeles, especially in terms of race relations and diversity. She discusses, in depth, her impressions of the migrants to Southern California that arrived as a result of the availability of wartime jobs. Following her attending a government jobs program, August found work at the start of the war at Adel Precision Products, Incorporated – a plant that made parts for the many airplane factories in the region. Carrying on the tradition in her family, she played an active role in union activity over the course of her life.