Good evening NAACP and union family. I’m honored to be here today and declare, as the first Black president of the Communications Workers of America, that CWA and the labor movement is “All In”! We’re “All In” when it comes to social justice. “All In” for protecting the working class. And we’re “All In” when it comes to combining the strength of both the labor and civil rights movements!
I’d like to take a moment to thank President Derrick Johnson for inviting me, all my fellow board members for your hard work, and my fellow members of the NAACP Labor Committee. I’d also like to acknowledge NAACP Labor Committee Chair Robin Willians and Vice-Chair Ray Curry.
I don’t have long so I’m gonna get straight to the point.
The labor and civil rights movements are intertwined both fighting for political, social, and economic equality. We cannot have a strong labor movement without attention to civil rights, nor can we have a strong civil rights movement without economic justice.
Last year, at the beginning of my presidency of CWA, we were celebrating the 60th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, which brought back memories of Dr. King’s inspiring “I Have a Dream” speech and its promise of a more just and inclusive America.
But many forget that the stated purpose of the march demanded jobs and freedom: economic and social justice. It was Dr. King who reminded us, “What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesn’t earn enough money to buy a hamburger and a cup of coffee?”
According to the Economic Policy Institute, union membership means a smaller racial wealth gap. Union membership boosts wages across the board, but the gains are even higher for Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ workers. Our collective bargaining agreements protect workers from discriminatory firings. No longer the “last hired, first fired” – Black workers, thanks to union membership, have someone in their corner. Strong, inclusive unions have helped Black workers finally start to catch up after three hundred years of a system rigged against us.
But listen, it’s not a one-way street. I believe that the Labor Movement is better today, stronger today, because of the contributions and perspectives of Black people, Latino people, Asian people, Indigenous people, LGBTQ+ people, women, and others who have been ignored or excluded in the past. Those perspectives inform the movement because labor and civil rights are two sides of the same coin.
Unions help reduce racial resentment among white workers, paving the way for unity not just around workplace issues, but also around a pro-worker, pro-democracy policy agenda. That’s why the people who rely on exploiting our labor for profit have sought to promote hatred and division among us. Our unity is the biggest threat to their greed. And their ability to use the media – including social media – to prey on our fears is the biggest threat to our unity.
Donald J. Trump is the embodiment of that threat and Project 2025 is the crystallization of more than forty years of right wing ideology: all out attacks on education, banning books, crippling corporate oversight, removing child labor protections, attacks on women’s health, and an end to the National Labor Relations Board.
This threat isn’t just a swing to the right, it’s the final blow to a free and democratic United States of America. It’s an end to having a say, any say, in how you are governed, where you work, your hours, your pay, your taxes, and how those taxes are spent.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it, the United States has not faced such a direct threat to its democratic values since fascists marched across Europe in World War II and this threat, unlike before, is “calling from inside the house.” That’s why I’m adamant that we must fight with everything we have. As workers, as parents and grandparents, and as Black people, we must be “All In”! There may not be another chance to protect our shared future.
The Biden Administration has stood strong alongside the labor movement. He’s the only sitting president to have joined a picket line with striking workers. He has welcomed us into the White House to talk with his senior advisors about issues we are facing on the job. We’ve advised this Administration on how the federal government can support the creation of good union jobs and ensure that technologies such as AI are used responsibly, not to surveil and replace us, but to improve our workplaces. Joe Biden and the people he has appointed see us as partners, not props. They have gotten to know us and we have gotten to know them. When we call, they answer.
Every generation must answer the call to protect freedom and push back against those who would put profit over people, profit over planet, and profit over plain-old common sense. Your time is now. If you’re a young person, your time is now! If you’re LGBTQ+, your time is now! If you’re a woman, your time is now! And to every Black person within the sound of my voice, your time is NOW!
If you’re ready to fight I wanna hear you say, “I’m all in!” [Pause]
I’m All In!
I’m All In!
We’re All In!
We’re All In!
Thank you and may God bless you on this journey we’re taking together.
