The theme for this year’s Black History Month is “African Americans and Labor,” celebrating the foundational and transformative place that Black Americans have in the history of work and the labor movement in our country.
This history of Black labor in the United States is inseparable from the history of Black exploitation and Black resistance. When you are held apart from society and forced to labor for others without pay, or for less pay, or in segregated spaces, or in more dangerous jobs, the struggles for human dignity and control over your work become intertwined.

Winning fair treatment at work and in society is a lot of work itself. Not only did Black Americans do the essential physical, mental and emotional labor that helped build this country, but alongside that they also built the schools, churches, and community organizations that fostered the movements for freedom and social and economic justice that inspire us today.
Primary among those movements is the Labor Movement. This year marks the 100 year anniversary of the creation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids, the first Black union to receive a charter from the American Federation of Labor.
A. Philip Randolph, the founder of that union, is a giant of American history and one of the primary organizers of the March On Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where hundreds of thousands of workers, with the support of both Black and white labor leaders and unions, marched for civil, economic, and labor rights for Black Americans.
This was one of the most memorable labor rallies in history. It’s where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech and put on full display the power of cross-racial labor solidarity.
Black history is labor history and the victories from the past continue to resonate today.
Union membership is the surest path toward the middle class and has given millions of workers the ability to live the American dream of stable work, strong benefits and a secure retirement – and Black workers have a higher union membership than other racial groups.
I’ve felt this legacy in my own life. I was a kid in the LA foster care system and now, thanks to our union, I have a stable career, a house and family, healthcare and the promise of a retirement to look forward to. I know there are thousands of stories like mine in our union, and I’m proud to work alongside my SEIU 721 siblings to continue to fight for workers and carry on this legacy far into the future.
Simboa Wright,
Vice President, SEIU Local 721