Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a Champion for Working People

Each year, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we reflect on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who serves as an example to us all of what can be achieved through solidarity.

A pioneer of social reform and equality, Dr. King understood the importance of fostering unity between the civil rights movement and the labor movement, and led the charge to desegregate unions, promote people of color into union leadership positions, and facilitated greater collaboration between labor and the Civil Rights Movement.

As an activist, he was at the forefront of the national labor movement. Dr. King walked picket lines and actively participated in many union events hosted by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and many of our affiliated unions, supporting them in their fight for equity.

As we prepare to meet the challenges that the labor movement faces during this critical time, we can all take example from Dr. King, who emphasized the importance of unity in order to overcome adversity.