We Work Again (1937)

[Music] only a few years ago we were a discouraged people because we were the first to lose our jobs when old man depression came along and the last to get them back we struggled vainly to regain our bearings while depression fear and failure stalked the nation a tenth of the population of the United States we formed as a race over a sixth of the unemployed one out of every four of us was on relief in vain we sought for something to restore our confidence our hope our courage without jobs we had no money and without money we could not purchase food for the hungry mouths at home our only hope lay in charity hunger drove our people to the bread lines anxiously we waited waited for some sign of better days then came the federal government's work program one by one it took us out of the breadline it gave us a new chance to take a normal place in the life of our community it made us self-supporting it changed the Haggard hopeless faces of the breadline into faces filled with hope and happiness for now we work [Music] again unskilled laborers the Forgotten men of past Generations now work steadily at decent wages the nation over they're building and repairing Schools public buildings community centers and airports to meet the changing needs of our modern world in one project of the nation's capital 1,200 men are employed in improving bowling Fields grading constructing runways building hangers and administration buildings in addition to the hundreds of unskilled laborers who were removed from relief roles many skilled workers are employed in this important Improvement project hundreds of homes have been freed from the bondage of poverty as their Breadwinners find security and hope in their new [Music] jobs in New York City a WPA housing demolition project is underway which will greatly improve the living conditions of families of moderate means in many other cities of the country old tenements and Fir traps are being torn down to make way for modern buildings containing comfortable sanitary apartments at Colonial Park in Harlem as in many other congested areas WPA workers have constructed a huge swimming pool and are now completing a bath house which will accommodate 4,100 persons in this construction project skilled workers are employed utilizing the knowledge of their trades gained in the days before depression swimming pools are particularly valuable to the community because they offer a Haven of relaxation to young and old during the hot summer months at the same time swimming pools remove children from the crowded city streets providing every Safeguard to prevent such tragedies as were all too common to the old swimming hle typical of the park Improvement projects underway all over the country is another feature of the Improvement program at Colonial Park a waiting pool has been built by WPA workers in which the youngsters May Splash to their hearts content new additions to the the playground area have been made possible by the grading and Improvement of parts of the park which were formerly merely decorative even the youngest children find plenty of opportunities for play Under watchful Supervision in many parts of the Country Nursery schools have been established where almost 10,000 children of our needy families are provided with hot meals supervised play activities and excellent preschool training under competent instructors removed from relief roles in these projects employment has been provided for 600 teachers nurses dietitians and [Music] Cooks at The Other Extreme of age more than 300,000 adults have learned to read and write for the first time in their lives eagerly they study realizing how very much a little knowledge can mean in our modern work Day Life teachers drawn from relief roles instruct them in useful subjects such as arithmetic and foreign languages in Harlem where a large part of the population is from Puerto Rico and Central and South America a knowledge of Spanish is valuable to workers shopkeepers and others in this class elementary instruction in the spoken language is given by native teachers in cooperation with the National Youth Administration 26,500 young men and women are employed as instructors laboratory assistants and clerical helpers thus they are enabled to continue their education clerical white collar workers find employment at filing and checking important records at typing and at such unusual occupations as abstracting and filing timeworn land records so that they may be available for the use of future [Music] Generations as part of the program of Rehabilitation and the conservation of human res sources a number of household training schools have been established by WPA in these schools girls from relief families are prepared for domestic work which will make themselves supporting others take the course in order to learn the Arts of homemaking for use in their own homes in modern kitchens under competent instructors the girls are taught to cook and to prepare salads and other Delicacies which add much to Everyday [Music] meals here's where you may be able to learn something this is the way the girls are taught to make beds an art which few have mastered these household training courses have already sent hundreds of girls out into the world well equipped to secure domestic positions and able to command skilled workers wages health education is an important part of the WPA program at a number of health centers in large cities qualified instructors teach groups of women first aid methods and the proper care of [Music] children the care of the sick is also taught by trained instructors at Health Centers throughout the country these projects which you have seen are part of a broad National educational program through which WPA has helped millions of children and adults in a number of communities sewing rooms have been established in which are employed women who are the bread winners for their families here garments are made for distrib to needy [Music] families musicians and singers too found employment in orchestral and vocal groups these art singers organized and directed by William Lawrence have successfully presented a great many programs of classical music [Music] [Music] all [Music] [Music] lady [Music] one of our greatest contributions to the world of music is the spiritual recognized the world over as a fine example of the folk music of America this choir directed by Wanita Hall presents our traditional music in all its [Music] beauty [Music] [Music] up in M whe in the midle and oh you see that [Music] [Music] Dr all the little and the big [Music] all