Labor joins call for reparations
By Workers World Baltimore bureau
An ad-hoc group of labor union and community activists
united at a rally here on July 27 to call for reparations for
the victims of slavery.
Standing under a banner that read, "An injury to one is an
injury to all," Andre Powell--a coordinator for Labor for
Reparations and co-chair of the rally--proclaimed, "Justice
demands reparations: the payment for hundreds of years of
unpaid labor. The wealth of this country was built by slave
labor."
Fred Mason, president of the Maryland State and Washington,
D.C., AFL-CIO, called on workers to support justice and the
fight for reparations. He linked the struggle of reparations
with the fight against global capitalism: "We can't be afraid
of the 'c' word--capitalism--because this is what we are
fighting."
Other rally speakers included Councilperson Dr. Kwame
Abayomi; Eartha Harris, chair of the Local Organizing Committee
for the Millions for Reparations March; the Rev. Graylan
Hagler, senior minister at the Plymouth Congregational Church
in Washington, D.C.; Larry Holmes, coordinator for
International Action Center; Sharon Black Ceci, All Peoples
Congress organizer; Omawale Clay, Non-Governmental Organization
delegate to the World Conference Against Racism and New York
City Millions for Reparations March; and Craig Newman
representing Sally Davies, president of AFSCMECouncil 92 with
25,000 state workers.
Ceci, who is also a shop steward for United Food and
Commercial Workers Local 27, stressed, "This was a historic
meeting. It brought together trade unionists from all
nationalities, young and old, and community activists to
grapple with issues of racism and this country's legacy of
slavery. This kind of unity built on truth has the potential to
shake the foundations of all oppression in this country."
Labor for Reparations will continue to build for the Aug. 17
Millions for Reparations march in Washington, D.C.
Reprinted from the Aug. 8, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyrighted
under a Creative
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