The workers talk about what this means for younger, working-class blacks. The income generated by the unionized jobs is suddenly gone, and the neighborhood goes into a collapse. The industrial core of the community has been hollowed out. The factory closings have thrown the whole community into despair. People felt that everything they fought for was decimated.
Honey points out that the people in the book are clearly exceptional.
Most black workers chose to just survive, but these people chose to fight. Although there was good reason for fear, these workers fought back against both racism and economic exploitation and considered the union era their proudest moment.