The Fight for Racial Justice

As a union, we have always believed that no matter where we come from or what we look like, we all deserve to work and live in dignity, to live in safe and healthy communities, and a chance to pursue our dreams.

It is now clearer than ever that we cannot live up to our ideals without confronting racial justice head-on.

That’s why our union has established a Racial Justice Project. Members who sign up for the program will meet virtually about once a month for interactive discussions guided by experts in the field. Topics covered will include racism and our public institutions today, slavery, Jim Crow, the Great Migration, Civil Rights, the Rainbow Coalition, and discrimination against Latinx and AAPI communities. Between sessions, we will ask participants to read articles and watch videos that dive deeper into the subjects we discuss.  The program will feature expert speakers and field-based events, including Saturday guided tours of important racial justice sites throughout Chicago. By the end of the program, participants will take part in making recommendations to our Delegate Assembly on what we can do as a union to fight for racial justice in our workplaces and communities.

Racism and Our Public Institutions Today 
What is systemic racism and how has it impacted our public institutions and workplaces?  

The Legacy of Slavery  
Slavery and laws to criminalize black life after emancipation, including the Black Codes, Pig Laws, and other systems of exploitation.

1870’s to 1940’s:  Jim Crow, the Great Migration, and Discrimination Against Latinx and AAPI Communities  
Laws mandating segregation and disenfranchising Black people, the Great Migration, and the birth and growth of anti-Latinx and anti-AAPI discrimination in America.

The Civil Rights Movement (1954-1965) 
Emmett Till, racist political structures, the roots of black protest, and the civil rights movement.   

Chicago Racial Justice Guided Tour #1.   

Black Power and the Rainbow Coalition  
The Chicago Black Panther Party and the multi-ethnic Rainbow Coalition as a model to organize diverse groups of people around shared community concerns to push for social change. 

Chicago Guided Racial Justice Tour #2

What’s Happening Now?   
Privatization, segregation, gentrification, mass incarceration, voter suppression, and other modern day racist structures.

We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For  
We must strengthen and exercise our power as a part of a larger movement to push forward anti-racist policies that expand the role of government and improve the lives of working people. 

If you are interested in participating or would like additional information please email Terri Wright.