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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 29, 2013)
2013 C AREERS E DITION The 1963 March on Washington, Black Labor and Today A ugust 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington. Publicly associ- ated with Dr. King’s famous “I have a Dream” speech, the march brought more than 250,000 people to Washington, D.C. to demand freedom and jobs. Initiated by Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters President, A. Philip Randolph, this became a joint project with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and went down in history as a powerful show of force against Jim Crow segregation. It is barely remembered that the march was for freedom and jobs. The demand for jobs was not a throwaway line in order to get trade union support but instead reflected the growing economic crisis affecting the Black worker. Over time this great march has risen to levels of near mythology. The powerful speech by Dr. King, replayed— in part—for us every King Day, has eclipsed all else. So much so that too many people believe—incorrectly—that the March was King’s march rather than that he was a major But, should any one constituency claim that legacy it is a group that does not appear to be at the table: Black labor. player in a project that was much larger than himself. As August 2013 approaches, it has been noticeable that there has been very limited public discussion regarding an anniversary march to commemorate the 1963 event. What has, apparently, been taking place are a series of closed door discussions regarding some sort of celebratory action. What has been particularly disturbing are the suggestions that any “Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They have raised wages, shortened hours, and provided supplemental benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor.” one person, organization, or family can claim the legacy of the March. But, should any one constituency claim that legacy it is a group that does not appear to be at the table: Bill Black labor. Randolph and other Black labor Fletcher Jr. leaders, particularly those grouped around the Negro American Labor Council, responded to the fact that the Black worker was largely being ignored in the discussions about civil rights. Additionally, the economic situation was becom- ing complicated terrain for Black workers. As writer Nancy Maclean has pointed out, the elements of what came to be known as “de-industrialization” (which was really part of a reorganization of global capitalism) were beginning to have its effect in the United States of America, even by 1963. As with most other disasters, it started with a particular and stark impact on Black America. In 2013 the Black worker has been largely abandoned in most discussions about race, civil rights, etc. As National Black Worker Center Project founder Steven Pitts has repeatedly pointed out, with the economic restructuring that has destroyed key centers of the Black working class strength, much of the economic develop- ment that has emerged has either avoided the Black worker altogether or limited the role of the Black work- er to the most menial of positions. Thus, unemployment for Black workers remains more than double that of Whites and hovers around Depression levels in many communities. In 1983, I participated in the 20th anniversary March on Washington. Although it attempted to raise the issues of the day, e.g., the threat of Reaganomics, what could also be seen was the canonization of Dr. King as a cen- tral feature for too many of the marchers. One of the worst ways to remember Dr. King, and for that matter the 1963 March, is by canonizing any individual. One of the best ways to remember Dr. King and the March is to use the inspiration from that great day in August 1963 as the energizing force for another round of struggle. T RANS A FRICA Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a Senior Scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies, the immediate past president of TransAfrica Forum, and the author of “They’re Bankrupting Us” – And Twenty Other Myths about Unions. Follow him at www.billfletcherjr.com. The 1963 March on Washington —John F. Kennedy TriMet Sets Records With Disadvantaged and Minority Businesses T riMet will celebrate its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program May 30. The transit agency says the program has set records in awarding contracts to disadvantaged and minority businesses and creating jobs for minority workers on the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project. TriMet General Manager Neil MacFarlane, repre- sentatives from the agency’s Diversity & Transit Equity department, will join elected officials, and business and community leaders at the Embassy Suites to recognize the people and the partnership behind the figures. May 29, 2013 The Skanner News Careers Edition Page 3
