The Labor Movement and Black History Month

As Texas and the nation continue to celebrate Black History Month, AFSCME Texas Retirees remains proud of the labor movement’s long record of fighting for civil rights and racial justice — and recognizes there is much more work to be done.

In a speech at Morehouse College, the historically Black college in Atlanta, a few months ago, AFSCME’s national president Lee Saunders told students that for generations, organized labor “has put skin in the game when it comes to racial and social justice.”

Unions helped underwrite the Montgomery Bus Boycott in the mid-1950s, provided resources that brought the Brown vs. the Board of Education desegregation case to the US Supreme Court, and financially supported the March on Washington. As you may know, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, he was in Memphis specifically to support striking AFSCME sanitation workers.

We are always mindful of that legacy and continue to fight for policies and causes that promote equity and fight hate in our communities.

We urge you to spend the last days of February reflecting on the contributions of Black Americans to our union, our movement, and our nation.