Civil Rights

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Working people are diverse. We are different colors, gender identities, religions, sexual orientations and ages. The labor movement has been at the forefront of the struggle for every major civil rights law. We stand strong today in the fight for dignity, life and liberty for every worker at the intersection of economic justice and civil rights. 

America’s legacy of racism, exclusion and injustice continues to obstruct working people’s efforts to act together to build better lives. Since its inception, the labor movement has aspired to include all working people, irrespective of race, gender, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. Unions must mobilize to defeat the prejudices that undermine solidarity.

Segregation, inequality and oppression harm us all. The AFL-CIO remains dedicated to demanding dignity for all working people.

The AFL-CIO Race Commission has put together a collection of activities, suggested readings and videos to spur a discussion about workers' lived experiences, how to identify and discuss the way racial bias operates in everyday life, and ways to disrupt these patterns to build a more inclusive, equitable society. Check out the full toolkit and report. 

 

Did You Know
Black workers are more likely than workers of any other race to be represented by a union.
Even here in America, people are fighting for civil rights 45 years after the civil rights movement.
  • Ruben Santiago-Hudson

What We’re Doing

Blog

King's Agenda for Working People Resonates 50 Years Later

Fifty years ago this week, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his final speech in Memphis, Tennessee. In the decades since his assassination, much of the focus on King’s life has centered on his civil rights legacy. But his final days in Memphis are a reminder that he was also a relentless champion for the dignity of work.
Blog

Remembering Memphis

This post commemorates these anniversaries and the historic links between civil rights and worker rights, especially at a time when the right of public-sector workers to unionize is being argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Blog

The AFT Has Long Been an Advocate for African Americans

In celebration of Black History Month this year, we'd like to take a look at the important role that one of the most influential group of working people in the U.S. has had in the fight for equality for African Americans--teachers.
Media Hit

Bill Spriggs Explains the Unemployment and Earnings Gaps Between Blacks and Whites (Los Angeles Times)

Blog

Why We Need the 'I AM 2018' Moment of Silence: Remembering Echol Cole and Robert Walker

Today we are taking a moment of silence in honor of the two men, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, whose tragic deaths 50 years ago led to the Memphis Sanitation Strike and the historic involvement of Martin Luther King Jr.
Press Release

AFL-CIO Celebrates Moment of Silence for Sanitation Workers and Honors Black Workers Month

Today, as America celebrates the start of Black History Month, the AFL-CIO is reaffirming its commitment to fighting for black workers who make up such a vital part of our union movement.