Let's talk about racism
This is a speech by Rich Trumka, the secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, at the United Steelworkers convention in July of this year. This (white) union leader takes on the touchy and unpopular issue of racism - and the role it's playing in the election (even though it's mostly unspoken). He is met with support and applause from the attendees at the convention. As he states, if a worker wants to keep his job, his income, his house, his health insurance, etc... then that union member needs to vote for Obama...
Challenging those in the audience to speak to their fellow union workers about the issue, Trumka quoted Edmund Burke, saying "all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing."
I think his speech - and the crowd's reaction to it - is inspiring. What do you think?
What is the AFL-CIO? (Taken from their website.)
AFL-CIO stands for American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
It has 10.5 million members who are teachers and truck drivers, musicians and miners, firefighters and farm workers, bakers and bottlers, engineers and editors, pilots and public employees, doctors and nurses, painters and laborers-and more. Since its founding, the AFL-CIO and its affiliate unions have been the single most effective force in America for enabling working people to build better lives and futures for our families.
Links to other sources discussing this video:
The Atlantic
The Nation
People for the American Way
Challenging those in the audience to speak to their fellow union workers about the issue, Trumka quoted Edmund Burke, saying "all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing."
I think his speech - and the crowd's reaction to it - is inspiring. What do you think?
Click to viewWhat is the AFL-CIO? (Taken from their website.)
AFL-CIO stands for American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
It has 10.5 million members who are teachers and truck drivers, musicians and miners, firefighters and farm workers, bakers and bottlers, engineers and editors, pilots and public employees, doctors and nurses, painters and laborers-and more. Since its founding, the AFL-CIO and its affiliate unions have been the single most effective force in America for enabling working people to build better lives and futures for our families.
Links to other sources discussing this video:
The Atlantic
The Nation
People for the American Way