Keys to Revitalization: Organizing Black Workers and Communities in the South

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Keys to Revitalization

On April 28-29, 2014, the Kalmanovitz Initiative convened a gathering of labor, civil rights, and community leaders to discuss and plan a new way forward in organizing Black workers and communities in the South. The conference drew over 50 invited participants from across the country.

Monday, April 28

Economic State of Black Workers Nationally and in the South
Dedrick Muhummad, Senior Director of Economic Programs, NAACP

The Science of Race and Organizing: A Practical View
Rachel Godsil, Professor of Law, Seton Hall University

Why Black Workers in the South Need A Union
A Conversation with Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS)
Introduction by Brooks Sunkett, Vice President, Communications Workers of America

Moral Monday and the Forward Together Movement: Opportunities for Labor
Reverend William Barber, President, North Carolina NAACP
Rosalyn Pelles, Interim Executive Director, North Carolina NAACP
MaryBe McMillan, Secretary-Treasurer, North Carolina AFL-CIO
Laurel Ashton, Field Secretary, North Carolina NAACP
Yara Allen, Field Secretary, North Carolina NAACP

Tuesday, April 29

Manufacturing Victory in the South: Civil Rights at Nissan and Organizing Transplants
Derrick Johnson, President, Mississippi NAACP
Richard Bensinger, Director of Transnational Organizing Campaigns, United Auto Workers

Challenges and Opportunities in the South
Dr. Dorian Warren, Professor of Political Science, Columbia University

Address by Tefere Gebre, Executive Vice President, AFL-CIO

Community and Labor Partnerships: Where Do We Go From Here?
Patrick O’Neill, Executive Vice President and Director of Organizing, United Food and Commercial Workers
Dr. Iva Carruthers, General Secretary, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
Kenneth Riley, President, International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1422