Fifty years after the death of The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., his message is as relevant as ever.
Throughout this year, our union, including our AFSCME brothers and sisters, has joined other labor, faith, civil rights and human rights groups for the I AM 2018 initiative.
I AM 2018 not only honors King’s work, but urges us to continue King’s fight for labor, economic, human and civil rights so all working people can see freedom.
Among the many I AM 2018 events were commemorations of King’s work, life and continuing fight for justice.
CSEA officers, activists and staff recently joined hundreds of our AFSCME brothers and sisters and labor, faith, civil rights and human rights groups for the Mountaintop Conference in Memphis.
The three-day event, which coincided with the anniversary of King’s April 4, 1968 death, included a commemoration of King’s famous Mountaintop address, a rally and march through the streets of Memphis and training sessions.
In Buffalo, more than 100 people, including CSEA members, attended The King’s Legacy March hosted by the labor and faith communities of Western New York. After the program full of speakers and performances, attendees marched to The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. statue at the city’s MLK Park for a moment of silence at 6:01 p.m., the time of King’s death.
— Ove Overmyer
CSEA officers, activists and staff at the I AM 2018 Mountaintop Conference in Memphis, Tenn. From left. Metropolitan Region Recording Secretary and CSEA Statewide Minority Issues Committee Chair Delphine Moultrie, Richard Berkley, Statewide Secretary Denise Berkley, Western Region Director Robert Mootry, CSEA Executive Assistant to the President Deb Lee, Metropolitan DDSO Local President and CSEA Statewide Human Rights Committee Chair Evans Quamina, CSEA Labor Relations Specialist Adriane Hudson, Metropolitan Region President Lester Crockett, CSEA Capital Region Treasurer and ADM Minority Caucus Co-Chair Shana Davis and Captial Region President Ron Briggs. Not shown, but also attending the conference, are CSEA Executive Vice President Mary E. Sullivan, Bronx Psychiatric Center Local President Abraham Benjamin and CSEA Director of Education and Training Sharon Lovelady-Hall. (Photo provided by Sharon Lovelady-Hall)
