Learn how Addie Wyatt rose from a Chicago meatpacking worker to become the first Black woman International Vice President of the UFCW International Union and a civil rights leader. Her courage continues to inspire the work we do every day—to organize, to advocate, and to build a better future for working people.
Read MoreArlene Holt Baker’s career reminds us that the labor movement is strongest when workers from every background have a seat at the table and a voice in leadership.
Her journey — from organizing workers to helping lead the nation’s largest federation of unions — shows what is possible when working people stand together and fight for a better future.
Read MoreIn 1947, Rustin participated in the first Freedom Ride across the South, known as the “Journey of Reconciliation” to protest the segregation of interstate bus travel. In Chapel Hill, N.C., local authorities charged Rustin and three white protesters with violating the state's segregation laws. Convicted, they were sentenced to 30 days of hard labor on a chain gang. Rustin's description of his ordeal in the New York Post sparked prison reform in the state and led to abolition of the convict labor system there.
Read MoreWalking in the footsteps of Frederick Douglas, Lucy Parson and A. Philip Randolph, labor leaders today continue to call for broad and sustained attention to addressing racism and sexism where they continue to violate labor’s democratic ideals.
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