Black Lives Matter at Work

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SHUTTING IT DOWN: CHARLESTON
and make a demand to be treated fairly, have to join together. Around
the world, not just in South Carolina, not just in the US, we have to reach
out to unite around these common needs—protections on the job,
discrimination, healthcare. All these rights have to be a part of what we
fight for collectively.
When there’s a problem anywhere in this country, we try to get involved.
We were a part of the effort calling for the removal of the Confederate
flag. Going back several decades, any time there was a march to remove
the flag, we were a part of it. Racism is at the root of a lot of the
conference, over Labor Day weekend, in Charleston. It’s at the root of the
Charleston 5. It’s at the root of the Walter Scott killing. It’s at the root of
the Emanuel 9 killing. We are willing to do whatever we can to challenge
this reality.
When Walter Scott was killed, we held meetings. We planned protests.
We planned strategy—how do we change local policy, how do we change
state policy? We were directly impacted by it. It was a response by this
local that we were part of this conflict because of who we are. With the
Emanuel 9, we did the same thing.
Our new union hall is a safe haven for all workers to find a safe haven and
get help. Sometimes we have too many meetings for the space. We hold
events to say to the community, this is what it looks like for the
community to come together. How do you counter deep pockets like
Boeing who can give millions of dollars into your education system, and
yet give to workers doing the same job that they’re doing in Washington
half the fee of South Carolina? We have to do something to counter that.
Because of the political climate, our action is more limited than I would