Terre Haute's labor activist Eugene Debs is having a moment. Here's why

In his victory speech after being elected mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani quoted labor activist Eugene Debs.

"As Eugene Debs once said, 'I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity,'" Mamdani told a crowd of supporters.

Born in Terre Haute in 1855, Debs was a socialist and political activist who helped found some of the nation's first industrial unions.

Allison Duerk is the director of the Debs Museum. She said she was asleep during Mamdani's speech but woke up to her phone full of text messages.

Duerk said it's been an exciting moment as the museum has seen increased attention, especially online, where social media posts have received thousands of interactions. 

WATCH: Allison Duerk on the legacy of Eugene Debs

But she said she's most excited about the attention being given to the Debs speech Mamdani quoted. 

Debs gave an anti-war speech in Canton, Ohio in 1918, arguing that while the ruling class declared wars, the working class paid the price of those wars. 

For that speech, in which he urged resistance to the military draft, Debs was charged with sedition. 

"At a time under the Wilson administration that anti-war speech, or even just criticism of the US government, could result in 10 or 20-year prison sentences," Duerk said. 

Mamdani's victory speech quote actually comes from Debs' later address to the court just before being sentenced to ten years in prison. In that speech, Debs expressed his hope for the future. 

"Deb's closed his statement to the court with this really beautiful symbolism about the Southern Cross, the constellation of stars you can only see in the southern hemisphere," Duerk said. "Debs says, 'I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity. The people are coming into their own.'"

Mandani isn't alone in paying homage to Debs. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez both visited the Debs museum in Terre Haute in October, where Sanders received the Eugene Debs Award.

That award is presented to individuals or organizations who promote industrial unionism, social justice, or world peace. In 1981, Sanders presented the Debs Award to Indiana Author Kurt Vonnegut.

Duerk said it makes sense that a leader like Debs is resonating with people right now. 

"Mass inequality, the influence of money and corporations and politics like that's not terribly new for us right now, but I also think people are ready to come together and fight back for something better," Duerk said. "That's an idea that really speaks to our moment about radical solidarity, drawing our circle around everybody that we can include in our fight. That idea of solidarity is the only way we get through these huge challenges that we face today."

Contact Health Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org