Union Local 471 American Federation of Musicians
Organized in 1908, this local was one of the first African American musicians unions in Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh was at the forefront of the jazz world in the mid-20th century, and jazz greats Mary Lou Williams, Art Blakey, Ray Brown, and George Benson, among others, were members. A controversial merger with the white union local in the 1960s ended one of the oldest black union organizations in the U.S. Headquarters was nearby, 1940-1954.
Marker is at the intersection of Crawford Avenue and Webster Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Crawford Avenue.
Courtesy hmdb.org
