Dear EARN Community,
It’s official: early bird registration for EARNCon 2024 is now open! Register here!
The discounted early bird pricing (10% off) will be in effect for one month.
We are thrilled to host EARNCon in New Orleans this year. New Orleans has a rich history, one that is inextricably tied to racial, economic, and social justice movements. For example, on November 8, 1892, 30,000 factory and dock workers in New Orleans called for a general strike to demand a union. These workers were later joined by musicians, clothing workers, clerks, utility workers, streetcar drivers, and printers. Importantly, Black and white workers came together to demand a union, pushing back against efforts to divide workers by race. The success of these workers remains an inspiration for broad-based, multi-racial organizing in the South as we see organized labor and their allies, including EARN groups, continue to make inroads today.
This has been and will continue to be a consequential year for all of us. For months, many of you have worked to strengthen labor standards and social safety net programs, while pushing back against efforts to weaken child labor laws and undermine funding for public schools. You have supported workers joining together to call for better jobs, many doing so through their unions. And many of you have fought to protect the rights and wellbeing of women, immigrants, LGBTQIA, Black, and brown people in the face of hateful and dangerous rhetoric and policymaking, especially in the South.
As we prepare to convene in New Orleans, LA, we are coming with a fighting spirit like that which animated the workers in their call for a general strike in 1892. We come with a dedication and continued commitment to realize racial, economic, and gender justice not just in the South but every state across the country.
The conference will include discussions on:
Supporting worker organizing
Immigration and migrant worker rights
Policies to support children, families, and early childhood education
Coalition building within and across states
Leveraging federal funding to advance equity and create good jobs
Full conference information can be found on the EARNCon website (which will be updated regularly as more details are finalized) and through Swapcard, our new conference registration and content platform upon registration.
If you have any questions or concerns about registration or the conference, please email [email protected].
We look forward to seeing you in New Orleans!
Dave Cooper
Director of EARN
Economic Policy Institute
