With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade

About This Movie

With Babies and Banners is a fascinating deep dive into the often-overlooked role of women during the 1936-37 General Motors sit-down strike in Flint. It’s a documentary that combines some pretty rare archival footage with interviews that give it a reflective, almost haunting quality, as they’re recorded decades later. The pacing shifts from the urgency of the strike to the quieter, intimate moments of family life, showing how intertwined these struggles really were. The atmosphere is charged yet tender, portraying the resilience and strength of women often overshadowed by the male-centric narratives of labor movements. It’s that unique angle that really makes this film stand out in the documentary landscape.

This film has had limited availability, with a few releases on VHS and DVD, making it somewhat of a rarity for collectors. It captures a key moment in labor history, and its focus on women's contributions adds a unique layer that often gets lost in the grander narratives. Interest in the documentary has grown recently, particularly among those looking to understand the social dynamics of the labor movement more comprehensively.