Labor Civil Rights Forum

Building One New Jersey is hosting a forum around the important and timely theme of Restoring the Historic and Powerful Alliance of Labor and Civil Rights for Racial Justice and Economic Opportunity.

With growing frustration over rising income inequality and mounting anger around racial injustice, the pivotal role of unions and civil rights needs to be reexamined for its historic significance and relevance to the critical challenges facing working people today. This non-partisan forum will educate members, allies, and the public about the mutually reinforcing power relationship that once existed between labor and civil rights and how this alliance produced some the most progressive policies and most inclusive expansion of middle class jobs that our nation had ever experienced.

It will show the importance of this coalition for today’s serious challenges and it will call upon our congregations, unions, civic and civil rights groups to work together to restore and revive this alliance to advance and promote both racial justice and economic opportunity for all American workers, their families and communities. 

Attendees will include local leaders, members, and allies such as: 

• Congregation leaders and clergy
• Municipal leaders and school board members
• Civic and local business leaders
• Local labor and civil rights leaders 
• Academics and advocates 

Register here for the confernce and reception

Guest speakers will include:

• Rev. Terrence Melvin, president of the International Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) and secretary-treasurer of the powerful New York State AFL-CIO
• Clayola Brown, national president of the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI), AFL-CIO
• Paul Jargowsky, director of the Center for Urban Research and Urban Education at Rutgers University and  author of the Architecture of Segregation - Civil Unrest, the Concentration of Poverty, and Public Policy