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On Monday, January 19th, we celebrate the life and legacy of one of the great leaders of the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama, led by King and other civil rights activists. The marches were organized as part of a campaign to achieve equal voting rights and led to the passage that year of the Voting Rights Act in the United States.
Martin Luther King, Jr. is well known for his famous and inspiring speech “I Have a Dream” where he called for an end to racism. But King was more than just a powerful speaker. He was a man who dedicated his life to fighting for racial, social and economic equality and justice for all people. He believed in peaceful civil disobedience to obtain positive change and ultimately shifted the future of social justice movements. On this day, we encourage you to reflect on and be inspired by his activism.
Activist, humanitarian, orator, and leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a natural defender of unions. While a lot of King’s work focused on African-American civil rights, he was a strong voice for workers of all colours and he recognized the challenges they faced. King spoke on many occasions about the importance of workers being organized and continues to be a symbol of the fight for fairness in the union movement.
Despite gains made during the 1960s civil rights movement, racism still prevails in our communities and in our workplaces. A recent string of controversial incidents between the black community and law enforcement – including the shooting death of an unarmed black teen by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri – has sparked protests and serious dialogue about the existence of racial discrimination in today’s society.
Additionally, the Harper government continues to slash funding to advocacy groups and critical public services such as health care, education, social welfare and housing that promote equality. Harper is hurting minority and marginalized groups in the name of balancing the books.
The fight for workers’ rights is inherently linked to the fight against racism and all forms of oppression. CUPE Ontario is committed to leading the charge through political action campaigns and raising awareness of inclusion and diversity issues.
