This (month) marks… Black History Month.
It can never be overstated the critical role Black unionists played and continue to play in building our modern Labor Movement, securing the hard-fought workplace protections that we all enjoy today, and advancing civil rights across the country. Black workers have been on the front lines of so many of the most pressing Labor rights issues of the times and have powerfully organized to fight systemic racism and exploitation.
We still have so much to learn from the history of our country’s earliest Black trade unions; inspiring figures like A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, Hattie Canty, Clara Holder, Arlene Holt Baker and so many others; pivotal moments like the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers strike; and the ongoing efforts of Black workers across our country who are walking picket lines, leading our unions and driving change as we speak.
This month demands that all corners of our movement strengthen our collective commitment to securing racial justice and ending discrimination in all its forms as a core part of Labor’s ambitions.
We honor those who have come before us, uplift their memory, and continue fighting for the values they championed.
LIZ SHULER
President, AFL-CIO
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