From the stolen labor of slavery to the underpaid, essential work that powers this country today — Black workers have always carried more than their share.
This May Day, also known as International Workers Day, we honor the radical history of labor resistance and reaffirm our commitment to fighting alongside Black workers around the world.
The truth is, the labor movement as we know it wouldn’t exist without Black organizing. From washerwomen in the post-Reconstruction South, to Pullman porters, to the sanitation workers of Memphis — Black workers have always led, built, and sustained the labor movement through every era of struggle.
And still, we’re under attack.
The wealth gap is growing wider. Worker protections are being stripped. Right-wing politicians and billion-dollar corporations are trying to destroy the power of unions, especially when Black and Brown workers are organizing.
It’s not a coincidence.
Black workers are more likely to be in unions. Unionized Black workers earn higher wages and have better access to health care and retirement benefits than their non-union peers. Unionizing isn’t just a labor issue — it’s a racial justice issue.
Black labor is vital, and that’s exactly why they try to suppress it.
But we know our history and we know our power.
This May Day, we’re recognizing Black workers — in warehouses, classrooms, hospitals, kitchens, farms, and everywhere labor is essential and undervalued. And we’re asking you to join us: Sign on in solidarity with Black workers everywhere.
This is more than a fight for fair wages and benefits. It’s a fight for dignity. For justice. For collective power.
Let’s remember: when Black workers rise, we all rise.
