Quick links+
Labor leaders, workers, community allies, NAACP leadership, and delegates from across the country gathered in Chicago for the NAACP “We the Working People” Labor Town Hall, part of the NAACP’s National Convention. The event was hosted by actress, producer and SAG-AFTRA member Ryan Michelle Bathé.
NAACP Labor Chair Robin Williams and NAACP Board Chairman Leon Russell both addressed the crowd about the importance of the partnership between Labor and the NAACP. Throughout history, the labor and civil rights movements have been connected in their struggles for economic justice, democracy, respect, and dignity.
National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle and American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) President Everett Kelley delivered speeches that brought the delegates to their feet, stressing the importance of getting out the vote ahead of this year’s midterm election and the unemployment rates for Black women.
According to analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, Black women suffered large employment losses in 2025, particularly among college graduates and public-sector workers.
READ: Federal Job Cuts Hit Black Women Hard—a Year Later, Unemployment Is Up American Prospect
The alliance between the NAACP and the labor movement dates back 117 years, when the NAACP was founded. One of the key issues that NAACP members fought for and continue to fight for is equal employment opportunities.
Labor and the NAACP have always stood in the gaps, from labor leader A. Philip Randolph’s role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to the NAACP and Unions, standing together on the picket lines and in the halls of Congress for civil rights, voting rights, and labor rights. The partnership remains rooted in the belief that economic opportunity and racial justice are inseparable goals.
At the conclusion of the speakers, NAACP Senior Vice President of Strategy and Advancement Jamal Watkins moderated a panel discussion touching on a range of issues facing workers.
Panelists included SAG-AFTRA member Ryan Michelle Bathé, UNITE HERE Local 1 Shop Steward, Julia Lewis, AFGE Local 777 President, Darrell English, and The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) Director of Civil Rights and Community Action LaQuita Honeysucker.
Some of the issues discussed were the growing threat artificial intelligence poses to jobs, efforts to privatize the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), UNITE HERE Local 1’s upcoming contract negotiations, the impact of surveillance pricing and electronic shelf labels on consumers and workers in the grocery industry, protecting the nation’s food supply, and the concept of portable benefits for workers who move between jobs.
The NAACP “We the Working People” Labor Town Hall was sponsored by the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, AFT, APWU, CWA, IAM Union, LiUNA!, NEA, SEIU, UAW, UFCW, and UNITE HERE.
