Sarah Milov is an associate professor of history at the University of Virginia. With Katherine Turk, she is writing a political biography of Karen Silkwood.
Tony Mazzocchi was instrumental in reshaping workplace health and safety — a feat made possible by empowering workers themselves to expose hazardous conditions. Recent attacks on OSHA underscore the importance and continued relevance of his work.
Karen Silkwood died in 1974 while trying to expose dangerous conditions in her workplace. Her death — and the smear campaign that followed — highlights how retaliation against whistleblowers deflects scrutiny from power by targeting the messenger.