unions

The fight for economic justice–which is why labor unions exist–is inextricably linked to the fight for racial justice. It is no coincidence that Dr. King, one of the most iconic civil rights leaders, was assassinated while preparing to march with sanitation workers in Memphis who were on strike; in his last speech, “I’ve been to the mountaintop,” Dr. King implored collaboration and solidarity: “either we go up together, or we go down together.” Nor is it coincidental that the unrealized ‘racial awakening’ of 2020 was accompanied by a renewed energy for workplace unionization. Unions were designed to combat economic injustice–to redistribute wealth and power to those most marginalized in the workplace: workers.