Hundreds of IAM members and guests were in attendance for the 2011 Inaugural International Human Rights Conference at the Lake Buena Vista Palace Hotel in Lake Buena Vista, FL.
Diane Babineaux, Chief of Staff to the International President, opened the conference with a warm welcome and then a panel of distinguished guests took part in the “Preserving Human Rights through Political and Community Activism” town hall meeting.
“There really are two kinds of people in this nation – the powerful and the powerless,” said panelist William Lucy, President of the Black Trade Unionists, speaking on the importance of this week’s event. “This conference is one more advancement along a long line of leadership taken on by the labor movement.”
Other panelists included Clayola Brown, President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute; Melanie Campbell, President and CEO of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation; Gregory Cendana, Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance; Mary Cornish, Senior Partner of the Cavalluzzo Hayes Shilton McIntyre and Cornish law firm; Hector Sanchez, Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement; and Peggy Shorey, Executive Director of Pride at Work. Civil rights activist and radio host Joe Madison served as moderator.
A special treat for conference goers was the singing of the National Anthem by Local Lodge 2003 member Teresa Blevins, wife of Southern Territory Special Representative Tony Blevins. Teresa recently lost most of her eyesight, and earlier this year received a guide dog from Guide Dogs of America. Here is her performance:
