By TIM ROWDEN
Editor
Richard Womack, Jr., community and religious affairs advisor to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, and a key player in the fight to defeat Prop A (“right-to-work”) in Missouri, will serve as the keynote speaker at the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) St. Louis Chapter’s 41st Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Human Rights Awards Banquet Monday, Jan. 21, at Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 Union Hall, 2329 Chouteau Ave. in St. Louis.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The awards presentations will begin at 6 p.m.
“Richard Womack played a very valuable role in St Louis and Kansas City helping to defeat Prop A (RTW) in Missouri in the August 2018 Primary”, said Jay Ozier, president of the St. Louis CBTU Chapter.
“We will be forever indebted to Richard Womack for the countless hours he spent meeting with faith, constituency groups and Labor leaders building the coalition to defeat Prop A in Missouri,” stated Lew Moye, president emeritus of the St. Louis CBTU Chapter.
HONOREES
This year’s honorees, recognized for their contributions for social justice, human and Labor rights in the St. Louis Metro Area in the tradition of Dr. King include:
• LaKenya Roberson – Organizer, UFCW Local 655.
• Richard von Glahn – Policy Director, Missouri Jobs with Justice.
• Sonja Gholston-Byrd – Director, Labor Engagement, United Way of Greater STL.
• Keith Robinson – President, St Louis Chapter, A. Phillip Randolph Institute.
25 YEARS IN
THE LABOR MOVEMENT
Womack has been in the Labor Movement for 25 years and has worked on countless campaigns and issues that changed the lives of everyday people. He played a prominent role in several political campaigns, directed get-out-the-vote programs in numerous states, and became experienced in handling grievances, contract negotiations and arbitration hearings. One of his most gratifying achievements was working intimately with the disability community and the U.S. Congress to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act.
DESTINED FOR
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Womack was destined to live a life of service to his community; it’s in his DNA. His late mother, Mattie Womack, was a deeply spiritual individual who instilled in him an unwavering caring and compassion for all people. His father, Richard Womack, Sr., is a civil rights activist and former leader in the Labor Movement, including serving as assistant to former AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.
Womack studied political science at Mansfield State College and is a graduate of the Negro Trade Union Leadership Council, the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute, and the prestigious National Labor College.
He has served on the Darby Township Board of Commissioners since 2009, was elected vice president of the board in 2015, and elected board president in 2018. He chairs the Darby Township Democratic Party, and is the former Darby Township Police Commissioner.
COMMITTED TO
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
A champion for youth with a commitment to developing young leaders, Womack founded the nonprofit Darby Township Community First, which provides mentorship and programs aimed at promoting positive identity, self-esteem, job readiness, and enhanced cultural awareness.
He has been honored with the National NAACP’s “Labor Leader of the Year Award,” the A. Phillip Randolph Institute’s “Community Activist Award,” CBTU’s “Labor Leader of the Year Award” and the Martin Luther King Jr. “Social Justice Award.” He is currently vice president of the National A. Phillip Randolph Institute (APRI) and a board member of the NAACP Labor Committee and Rainbow Push Coalition.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets (banquet donations) are $45 per person or $450 for a table of 10. Please make checks payable to: CBTU, P.O. Box 5034, St. Louis, Mo. 63115. For more information contact Moye at lewcbtu@aol.com or call 314-495-5635.
- Share this story:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-