BALTIMORE — Working people are facing unprecedented attacks on worker rights and protections, civil liberties and voting rights, and the labor movement is fighting back.
To gain knowledge to win these difficult fights, union leaders and members, faith leaders and civil rights advocates recently joined together at the AFL-CIO’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference in Baltimore.
Several of our union officers and staff participated in the conference, including CSEA Executive Vice President Richard Bebo, Long Island Region President Jarvis Brown, Capital Region President Shana Davis, Buffalo Psychiatric Center Local President Lovette Mootry, Western Region Director Robert Mootry, Western Region Labor Relations Specialist Crystal Melvin and Capital Region Labor Relations Specialist Dean Ellis.
The conference included numerous plenary sessions that included civil rights, labor, political and faith leaders sharing their experiences and knowledge. Workshop topics included how the labor movement is fighting the Trump administration’s attacks on working people and immigrants, impact of artificial intelligence on workers and more. Attendees also completed intensive, nonviolent civil resistance training.
King often highlighted the deep connection between civil rights and labor rights. Nearly 60 years after King’s death, the labor movement continues to stand on the front lines fighting for dignity and justice for all.
Conference takeaways from our union’s delegation:
“This conference is always inspirational and motivational. Dr Eddie Glaude Jr stated that ‘We don’t need heroes. We only need each other,’ and that really resonated with me. If we, not only as a labor union, but as a community, can stick together and protect each other we can overcome the greed and disrespect that we currently face.”
— CSEA Executive Vice President Richard Bebo
“The 2026 AFL-CIO MLK Conference was powerful and informative. The plenary sessions and panels addressed critical issues facing labor and our communities. My biggest takeaway was the Immigration workshop and its impact on workers, along with the valuable toolkit provided to help leaders support members facing these challenges.”
— CSEA Capital Region President Shana Davis
“The AFL-CIO Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference was an amazing experience. Morning plenary sessions and panel discussions were inspiring and uplifting. The workshops were engaging and productive. I am glad that I had the opportunity to attend this conference. I attained valuable information that will be beneficial professionally and in my everyday life.”
— Long Island Region President Jarvis Brown
“There was a strong message throughout the conference emphasizing the importance of maintaining the principles that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood for — believing in the power of the people, actively standing up for the vulnerable, and remembering the proven strategy of nonviolence in our actions. My major takeaway was the theme of honoring our history by remembering it, along with the overwhelming support being shown within the movement.”
— Buffalo Psychiatric Center Local President Lovette Mootry
“This conference reinforced that labor rights and civil rights are inseparable, and the labor movement must lead boldly in shaping and economy rooted in equity, democracy and worker power.”
— Western Region Director Robert Mootry
“The 2026 AFL-CIO MLK Conference was inspiring and reaffirming. Being in a space rooted in Dr. King’s legacy reminded me why this work matters and strengthened my commitment to collective action.”
— Western Region Labor Relations Specialist Crystal Melvin
“The panel discussion with retired Captain Charles Alphin was truly enlightening. Captain Alphin talked about the fundamental principles of the nonviolent civil resistance philosophy. One of the principles that stuck with me from this conversation is to ‘attack forces of evil, not persons doing evil.’ As an example of this, we were reminded that many of the injustices we are witnessing in our country today are symptoms of much bigger causes and the idea of nonviolence is to solve injustices at the root causes of those injustices.”
— CSEA Contract Administration Specialist Jamel Harewood
“The MLK Convention was an inspiring experience. Hearing [Maryland State Sen. Cory McCray] speak about binding arbitration, especially coming from someone with a background so similarly to mine, was powerful and reaffirming. It truly made me feel like I’m on the right track.”
— Capital Region Labor Relations Specialist Dean Ellis