The Martin Luther King Holiday in 2025 is the 39th anniversary of his birthday being a holiday. Ironically, when he was assassinated, he was 39 years old. The direction of the Civil Rights Movement was in transition since The Civil Rights Act of 1964. The first step was set, defining the why and what needed to happen, but realizing equality is still a moving target. A pivotal event in the labor movement for Black Americans happened in 1968. Over 1,000 Black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee went on strike for the right to form a union. This strike was about more than earning equal pay as their White counterparts, this strike was also about dignity, and manhood. Bill Lucy, a high ranking Black official from the AFSCME unions is credited with coining the slogan “I Am a Man” which was adopted by the strikers. The slogan, "I Am a Man '' represented a distinctly gendered dispute over what it meant to be a man. This strike gained national attention resulting in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr being invited to speak at a rally in support of these Black men. The famous “Mountain Top” speech would be his last, Dr. King was assassinated the next day. Dr. King’s last message and final public words were in support of organized labor and how it was important for the quality of life for Black Americans. The Civil Rights Movement and the Labor Movement are aligned, Dr. King knew this, and the fight remains, the job is not done!
Unionplus.com defines unions, “A labor union or trade union is an organized group of workers who unite to make decisions about conditions affecting their work. Labor unions strive to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our nation.” There are a lot of young Black individuals who want to grow up and have a union job that may or may not understand this is their dream. Musicians have the American Federation of Musicians, and actors have the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. All the future Michael B Jordan, Zendaya, Lil Wayne, and Beyonce’s out there aspire to be in the union. On courts, fields, and playgrounds in every state in this union there are young people who want to be professional basketball, football, or baseball players. Underlying those goals is the wish to join the National Basketball Players Association, the National Football Players Associations, and the Major League Baseball Players Association. Professions that are equally as popular such as Doctors, Nurses, Fire Fighters, Police Officers, Teachers, and Pilots are in associations, federations, and unions. Becoming a dues payer and or member fee paying professional is rarely highlighted, but it is the reality of doing business. SERJ believes it is important to reframe the narrative and own telling our story.