For Immediate Release: July 20, 2020
Contact: Michelle Loo, apala@apalanet.org
Washington, DC - Today, tens of thousands of workers in at least 20 cities across the country are rising up to strike for Black lives. Workers are withholding their most valuable asset - their labor - in support of dismantling racism and white supremacy to bring about collective liberation for Black people and all communities. APALA staff and members are joining the strike to declare that Black Lives Matter and that we are in these racial, indigenous, economic, immigrant, gender, climate, and disability justice movements together because our liberation is bound up with one another.
APALA National Executive Board Member and highest ranking AAPI women in labor, SEIU Vice President, Luisa Blue states, “The global pandemic and uprisings against anti-Black racism throughout the world have made it clear that we cannot return to business as usual! The Strike for Black Lives on July 20th is just one month ahead of the Democratic National Convention and it is important that our voices be heard, that APALA stands with #BlackLivesMatter. We demand that our elected representatives and employers commit to dismantling white supremacy and to pass laws that guarantee people of all races, no matter the color of their skin or where they come from can thrive by raising wages, allowing workers the right to unionize, negotiating better health care, sick leave, health and safety and child care support. Corporations play a role in structural racism and the economy of our country; they should be held accountable. We cannot win economic justice without racial justice. Let’s Strike for Black Lives on July 20th to disrupt the multi-generational cycle of poverty.”
APALA National Executive Board Member and the first women of color and openly queer President of Boston's Teacher Union, Jessica Tang asserts, “I am striking for Black students, Black parents, Black teachers, and all Black people in Boston and across the globe. As public school teachers, we have known for years that there are deep cracks and divides in our society that disproportionately leaves our Black students and families vulnerable to housing instability, inadequate healthcare, food insecurity, and underfunded schools. But what's inspiring is the way teachers have demonstrated the power of collective bargaining to advocate for educators, students, and communities alike. Therefore we demand that every worker has the opportunity to form a union and the power to shape their workplace conditions and bargain for the common good. The new path forward is together, and we stand with our Black union family in this fight.
Learn more about the demands and find an action for the Strike for Black Lives here.
Contact: Michelle Loo, apala@apalanet.org
Washington, DC - Today, tens of thousands of workers in at least 20 cities across the country are rising up to strike for Black lives. Workers are withholding their most valuable asset - their labor - in support of dismantling racism and white supremacy to bring about collective liberation for Black people and all communities. APALA staff and members are joining the strike to declare that Black Lives Matter and that we are in these racial, indigenous, economic, immigrant, gender, climate, and disability justice movements together because our liberation is bound up with one another.
APALA National Executive Board Member and highest ranking AAPI women in labor, SEIU Vice President, Luisa Blue states, “The global pandemic and uprisings against anti-Black racism throughout the world have made it clear that we cannot return to business as usual! The Strike for Black Lives on July 20th is just one month ahead of the Democratic National Convention and it is important that our voices be heard, that APALA stands with #BlackLivesMatter. We demand that our elected representatives and employers commit to dismantling white supremacy and to pass laws that guarantee people of all races, no matter the color of their skin or where they come from can thrive by raising wages, allowing workers the right to unionize, negotiating better health care, sick leave, health and safety and child care support. Corporations play a role in structural racism and the economy of our country; they should be held accountable. We cannot win economic justice without racial justice. Let’s Strike for Black Lives on July 20th to disrupt the multi-generational cycle of poverty.”
APALA National Executive Board Member and the first women of color and openly queer President of Boston's Teacher Union, Jessica Tang asserts, “I am striking for Black students, Black parents, Black teachers, and all Black people in Boston and across the globe. As public school teachers, we have known for years that there are deep cracks and divides in our society that disproportionately leaves our Black students and families vulnerable to housing instability, inadequate healthcare, food insecurity, and underfunded schools. But what's inspiring is the way teachers have demonstrated the power of collective bargaining to advocate for educators, students, and communities alike. Therefore we demand that every worker has the opportunity to form a union and the power to shape their workplace conditions and bargain for the common good. The new path forward is together, and we stand with our Black union family in this fight.
Learn more about the demands and find an action for the Strike for Black Lives here.
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