Remembering the Jefferson Bank protests 56 years later

DEMONSTRATING THE POWER of collective action, demonstrators representing the A. Phillip Randolph Institute, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 6355, Missouri Jobs with Justice, Organization for Black Struggle and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1 conducted a Commemorative Protest Aug. 30 at Jefferson Bank & Trust at 2301 Market St. in St. Louis. The protest marked the 56th anniversary of the Aug. 30, 1963 protests led by the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) outside the then recently relocated Jefferson Bank over bank management’s refusal to hire black employees. The ultimately successful protests opened the door for bolder demands by fair-minded people to end racial discrimination in hiring practices and increased calls for jobs with livable wages. Jay Ozier, president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists St. Louis Chapter, joined the demonstration holding a sign of support for Medicaid expansion in Missouri. – Labor Tribune photo