Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1530930
Dr. King believed unions could help dismantle systemic inequalities by advocating for fair wages, job security and bet- ter working conditions, especially for Black workers. During the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike in 1968, he highlighted how poor working conditions and low wages were part of the same oppressive system that perpetuated racial discrimination — recognizing that both the civil rights movement and labor movements faced opposition from similar forces, including pol- iticians and business interests that benefited from maintaining systemic inequality. " The labor movement was the principal force that trans- formed misery and despair into hope and progress," Dr. King said in a 1965 address to the Illinois AFL-CIO. "Out of its bold struggles, economic and social reform gave birth to unemploy- ment insurance, old-age pensions, government relief for the destitute, and, above all, new wage levels that meant not mere survival but a tolerable life." The 2025 Black Histor y Month celebration in Februar y includes a focus on the intersection of civil and workers' rights, with the theme of "African Americans and Labor." is includes a focus on prominent Black Labor leaders like A. Philip Randolph and Addie Wyatt, and how their struggles were instrumental in the greater fight against economic and social injustice. "Justice is never given; it is exacted, and the struggle must be continuous," said Randolph, founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and a key organizer of Dr. King's March on Washington. "For freedom is never a final fact, but a continuing evolving process to higher and higher levels of human, social, economic, political and religious relationship." Our shared struggles inform our path toward an uncertain future, with the return of President Trump to the White House on Dr. King's birthday. With Project 2025 as the blueprint, the incoming administration is taking aim at equitable education for Black, Brown and other marginalized children across the country. According to the urgood Marshall Institute, Project 2025 will dismantle the federal Department of Education, elim- inate civil rights protections for students, end HeadStart and universal access to early childhood education, defund our public schools, and restrict access to inclusive, accurate and quality instruction. is after years of concerted efforts by the Koch Brothers and other extremist interests to whitewash history. "Project 2025 seeks to expand the ongoing, coordinated attack on truth in schools and libraries, which will further deny our nation's shameful legacy of racism," reads a report by the urgood Marshall Institute. "It claims that incorporating teachings about systemic racism in school assignments, school activities or teacher education violates the ideals of freedom and opportunity." BAYARD RUSTIN: Chief strategist of the civil rights movement and advisor to Dr. King, who worked closely with AFL-CIO and other unions to promote racial and economic justice. ELLA BAKER: Civil rights activist and grassroots organizer who had strong ties to the labor movement, working with the National Negro Congress to support union organizing efforts, particularly those that involved Black workers. ADDIE WYATT: One of the first African American women to hold a union leadership role, with the United Packinghouse Workers of America, who fought for gender and racial equality in the workplace. "It is not enough to fight for one group. We must support each other in the struggle for freedom, equality and justice for all people," she said. C.L. DELLUMS: President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, who emphasized the need for economic development alongside racial justice, with the struggle for fair labor conditions being essential to achieving social equality. As we organize to fight for justice and equity, defend our pub- lic schools and protect our students and communities, Dr. King's words continue to light our way. "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny," Dr. King wrote in his Letter from a Birming- ham Jail. "Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." For teaching resources on Dr. King and the Civil Rights Move- ment, visit learningforjustice.org. Other Prominent Historical Black Labor Leaders 15 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5