As we greet this new year with renewed hope and determination, I am moved by the groundbreaking voting rights efforts in Georgia led by the Black women recently honored at the 2021 AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference. Like the increased appreciation for work that sustains us during the pandemic, the often invisible and undervalued work of building our movement--especially that which is slow, laborious, and often performed by women and particularly women of color--is being broadly recognized for its transformational power. That is cause for celebration and joy!
As labor educators, we know something about digging in for the long haul from behind the scenes. For decades, UALE has fostered women's leadership development in the labor movement through our regional summer schools, with coordinators and instructors dedicating countless hours of work at the grassroots level essential to building and transforming our movement.
Highlighting the trailblazing campaign of women clerical workers, the latest film by UALE member Julia Reichert captures the real-life fight that inspired a hit and changed the American workplace forever. UALE is a proud partner of a virtual Indie Lens Pop-Up screening of 9to5: The Story of a Movement featuring opening remarks by director Julia Reichert and secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, Elizabeth H. Shuler, and a post-screening panel with Karen Nussbaum, founding director of 9to5, District 925, SEIU, and Working America; Valarie Long, International Executive Vice President of SEIU; and Adriana Alvarez, a worker leader from Fight for $15. Join us on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, at 4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET by registering here. For more information on hosting a screening, visit here.
As we prepare for our virtual 2021 conference, join me in renewing your UALE membership to support our essential work for the years and struggles ahead.
In solidarity,
Mary Bellman
UALE President |
