Velma Hopkins: The Labor Rights Trailblazer Who Led a 10,000-Strong Strike

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Velma Hopkins: The Labor Rights Trailblazer Who Led a 10,000-Strong Strike

Velma Hopkins (February 24, 1909 – March 19, 1996) was a fearless labor rights activist whose leadership helped reshape the labor movement in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She played a pivotal role in organizing a massive 1943 strike against the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, rallying over 10,000 workers in the fight for fair wages and better conditions. Her activism led to the formation of the only union ever established at Reynolds Tobacco a…