For Black History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various African American leaders and activists who have worked at the intersection of civil and labor rights. On the latest edition of "State of the Unions" podcast, we talk with Kenneth Rigmaiden, the general president of the Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT).

Last year, in communities all across the country, millions of Americans mobilized and called for an economy that works for all of us. From state houses and governors mansions to Capitol Hill, we elected advocates who committed themselves to advancing that cause. That election was defined by a movement of hard working people who stood together to reject the meager crumbs we are being handed and reclaim what is rightfully ours.

If an investor was searching for the country’s most explosively successful commodity, they might look to the ground for natural resources or to Wall Street for some new financial instrument. But the most meteoric success story can be found virtually all around us—in the booming video game industry. Growing by double digits, U.S. video game sales reached $43 billion in 2018, some 3.6 times greater than the film industry’s record-breaking box office.

For Black History Month, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various African American leaders and activists who have worked at the intersection of civil and labor rights. Our next profile is Isaac Myers.

Last week, the Texas Young Active Labor Leaders (YALL) hosted its second biennial YALL Summit in Austin. Nearly 250 young labor leaders, union activists and community allies joined together to chart the course of the labor movement in Texas and beyond.