John,
At the center of our movement is this: There is no economic justice without racial justice. While this idea is nothing new to working people who live the realities of poverty wages, few leaders or activists have brought this important idea to prominence quite like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. King understood how race, power, and economic equity are linked and how it is the key to justice. From redlining and segregation to gerrymandering and police violence, the powerful have carefully constructed the rules to hold us all down. King knew that when all of us come together – Black, brown and white – we can build a world where all of us are respected, protected and paid a fair wage.
This was an idea so threatening that those in power did, and still do, all they can to stop working people like me and you from uniting. But we see through their attempts to divide us. Half a century after Dr. King’s work we continue to build solidarity and fight to dismantle the racist, discriminatory system the wealthy few built to hold us down.
The fight for our union is part of a labor and resistance history that spans generations. A history that includes and honors the work of Dr. King, especially his work in demonstrating that we will ALWAYS be stronger together. When we walk off the job because of violence at Waffle House or rally with fellow workers because McDonald's refuses to provide safe working conditions, we're honoring our shared history of resistance, no matter where we’re from.
And this is our mission: We are fighting for prosperity—to make sure all working people regardless of race or place are treated with dignity. We fight to raise up Black, brown, immigrant, and indigenous voices so that when we win, we win with those who have historically been left behind leading our fight.
We are proud to follow in the footsteps of those who paved the way—their fight strengthens our fight. As the Union of Southern Service Workers, we’re setting the example for workers not just in the South, but across the country to rise up, be militant in demands, and call for justice.
Watch this video about how our Union of Southern Service Workers was born out of this history of collective struggle >>
In Solidarity,
Jamila Allen
Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburger
Durham, NC
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