Page 12 - Work Force September 2016

‘Stand against violence’
The Rev. Dr. William Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP and founder of the Moral Mondays Movement, challenged public workers and their labor unions to be part of the moral revival of our nation.
“I’m here with you because we need a moral revolution of values to address the moral crisis at the heart of our democracy right now,” he told delegates.
That crisis is nothing new, Barber
said, recalling the civil rights struggle led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who knew that racial and economic injustice are intertwined. King stood with striking AFSCME-represented sanitation workers in Memphis
in 1968, just days before he was assassinated.
Referring to recent outbreaks of social unrest and gun violence, Barber said, “We have to stand against violence and death, period.”
“Reverend Barber’s speech was really moving. He energized the (big) room and
spoke so that everyone could un”
derstand the importance of social justice.
— Diane Hanson, Long Island Region Judiciary Local
CSEA Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley speaks to social justice and public safety as CSEA delegates look on. Photo courtesy of AFSCME.
“I am so proud of our union for its commitment to bringing people together over an issue that is tearing up our communities. It was so impressive to see the way people took this matter seriously at the convention and” spoke from the heart about why it matters.
CSEA leads the way in social justice and public safety debate
The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II speaks at the 2016 AFSCME International Convention (Photo by Tessa Berg).
AFSCME, CSEA Never Quit
AFSCME 42nd
International Convention
Tragic incidents in communities across the country involving police and black youths have sparked an escalation of tension, mistrust and angry confrontations on all sides.
To respond to this tension, AFSCME decided to do something positive in the run-up to its convention by addressing it head on and bring people together on common ground.
CSEA Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley was in the thick of the issue and helped search for solutions, as a member of the Committee on Racial Justice and Public Safety that drafted a convention resolution encouraging better understanding and shared responsibility.
“We had participants from all kinds of different perspectives — law enforcement and public safety, community activists, younger people, older folks — people who you might never imagine listening to
one another and working together, but we did,” Berkley said.
“It wasn’t easy and we all had to learn to better appreciate each other better and that was probably the best part of the experience,” she said.
The committee’s work resulted
in a resolution that generated one
of the more spirited and important debates of the convention. Its focus strikes a stand for social justice in our communities while balancing it with a respect for law enforcement and public safety.
“I am so proud of our union for its commitment to bringing people together over an issue that is tearing up our communities,” Berkley said. “It was so impressive to see the way people took this matter seriously
at the convention and spoke from the heart about why it matters.
That gives me enormous hope that we can reach each other and move forward together towards healthier communities.”
12 The Work Force
September 2016
First-time Delegate