Workers’ History Award
Do you want to write about a little-discussed job action from 50 years ago? Are you interested in telling the story of workers from an immigrant community who didn’t make it into the history books? Do you want to disrupt capitalist narratives about Canada by highlighting a moment in history defined by working people?
Introducing: The inaugural Stephen Endicott Workers' History Award! Named for esteemed labour historian and devoted supporter of Our Times, this award will honour one author annually, for a written story covering workers' history.
We’re looking for stories on any area of workers’ history that interests you. In everything we do, Our Times celebrates workers and the work they do, whether it's fishing, filing, cleaning, inspecting, building, teaching, mining; or working in a hospital or call centre. With this award, we hope to encourage people to write lesser-told stories from the history of this country we call Canada. The stories Our Times publishes are meant to inspire, and to uplift the voices and concerns of working people, while supporting the work of organizers and activists who are making the world a better place for all!
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
Writers of all kinds are invited to submit, but you don't have to be a historian, a journalist or academically trained. New and emerging writers are welcome and encouraged to submit entries. Does someone in your family or community have a personal story you want to cover? Does your hometown have workers’ history moments that aren’t widely talked about? Whatever you decide to write about, please remember to keep the language clear and accessible.
Submissions should be made via email to office@ourtimes.ca. Use the subject line: Stephen Endicott Workers' History Award. Submissions can be up to 2,000 words long (but no longer, please!). Reported or research-based feature stories are what we’re looking for. While we heartily enjoy reading commentaries and op-eds, these will not be considered for the award.
Submit your story before October 31, 2023. The winning story will be announced in our Winter 2023 issue, and a cash prize of $500 awarded to the winner.
ABOUT STEPHEN ENDICOTT
Stephen Lyon Endicott (1928-2019) was a political organizer, labour historian, and, along with his wife, Lena Wilson Endicott (1928-2012), he was a great friend to Our Times. A historian and an artist respectively, Stephen and Lena generously supported Our Times for many years with both financial donations and the gift of their time. They are parents of retired staffer and former editor Lorraine Endicott. Lena, a poet as well as an artist, was raised on Capitol Hill, North Burnaby, BC. She volunteered her time and talents promoting Our Times in myriad ways: she canvassed, and painted signs and banners for conventions and other events.
Born to Canadian missionary parents in China, where his family lived for three generations. Stephen was a leader of the Canadian National Federation of Labour Youth in the 1950s, taught East Asian Studies at York University's Atkinson College and was a visiting professor at Sichuan University in Chengdu. His books include Red Earth: Revolution in a Sichuan Village and Raising the Workers' Flag: The Workers' Unity League of Canada, 1930-1936, and Bienfait: The Saskatchewan Miners' Struggle of '31. He received the Killam Senior Fellowship to research the biography of his father, James G. Endicott: Rebel Out of China.
Stephen and Lena also hosted Our Times’ annual holiday gathering, for years, at their home in Toronto.
ABOUT OUR TIMES
Our Times is an independent, pro-union Canadian labour magazine read by working people, trade unionists, community activists and union supporters across the country. Founded in 1981 as an alternative media voice for first-generation Italian-Canadian social activists in Toronto, Our Times evolved into a full-fledged national labour magazine published by the Our Times printshop, which produced high-quality design and print work for the labour movement and its allies for more than 10 years.
Dedicated to promoting workers' rights and social justice, Our Times publishes stories by and about workers in Canada: miners and factory workers campaigning to make work-related deaths a corporate crime, service workers organizing unprecedented union drives, part-time, temp and migrant workers speaking out for fair working conditions, and health care, education and government workers on the frontlines fighting for high-quality public services.
Our Times' focus is workers' rights and strong communities. We believe in green jobs for all, care for the environment, and international solidarity with workers everywhere. Read more about Our Times here.
