In 1967 Ammon Hennacy, Utah Phillips and the fine folks at the Joe Hill House published a booklet titled, “If I Were Free.” The money raised from the printing was
“To be used for the erection of a suitable monument to the undying memory of Joe Hill, poet and organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World.”
Nearly 50 years later and that vision has hit another roadblock. On Thursday, October 8, the board of the Sugar House Park Authority voted to not allow the monument that the Joe Hill Organizing Committee proposed.
Although we are disappointed we are not defeated.
We will continue the process of building community support and coming up with a proposal that will be accepted, but we need your help.
Over the next couple of months we are going to be asking a lot of you:
- help with ideas for a new design,
- raise money to build the monument,
- write letters of support that we can give to the Sugar House Park Authority,
- write letters to the Editor of local newspapers,
- come to the Park Authority’s meeting and speak in support of the monument, and more.
What we need from you today is simple: just talk to someone you know and let them know about Joe Hill, who he is and why there should be a monument.
In solidarity,
Thank you
Justin Daniels
Joe Hill Organizing Committee