February is National Black History Month and this year, Region 1 celebrated the many accomplishments and contributions made by African Americans to the UAW, our nation and the world via virtual celebration. The theme for this year’s black history month was The Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity. You can view the virtual celebration here.
America’s Black History, which we celebrate this month, offers abundant examples across the centuries of how one person can make a difference, how one person can move an entire people forward. I am lucky enough to have witnessed the results of two such difference makers firsthand, both in my job and in my life. Two
Ruben Burks’ long history of unionism and advocacy for social justice started in 1955 when he began working as an assembler at the former General Motors Fisher Body Plant 2 in Flint where he joined UAW Local 598. He steadily rose through the ranks of the local, serving in various leadership posts, including shop committeeperson
Ben Gross was not only a leader in the labor movement, but also an icon in the civil rights movement and in the fight for racially integrated housing. His accomplishments eventually led him to elected office and then positions within UAW leadership. When Gross passed away in 2012, the city of Milpitas held a memorial
Marc Stepp was moved to strive for social justice after what he saw during World War II. He was drafted into the Army right after beginning work at the Chrysler Highland Park Plant. In the Army he saw the authoritarian regimentation of the military which led to his belief that unions are key to individuals
February is Black History Month, and we’re taking a look back on the contributions of African-American leaders within the UAW like Nelson “Jack” Edwards. Jack Edwards would eventually be called Walter Reuther’s “point man for civil rights.” The road to that designation was filled with dedication to civil rights and the UAW for many years.
The following article appeared in the Detroit Free Press and was written by UAW Vice President and Director of the National Ford Department, Jimmy Settles. As we celebrate Black History Month, it is important to remember the historical importance of organized labor to black workers and their families, and unionism’s continued relevance today. It was
Today is an important date in civil rights history. Eighty-nine African-Americans, including Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks, voluntarily turned themselves in to authorities in Montgomery, Alabama, on Feb. 22, 1956, after being indicted under a 1921 law “prohibiting conspiracies that interfered with lawful business.” The statute, designed to break trade union action, outlawed
Marc Stepp was moved to strive for social justice after what he saw during World War II. He was drafted into the Army right after beginning work at the Chrysler Highland Park Plant. In the Army he saw the authoritarian regimentation of the military which led to his belief that unions are key to individuals