Central Region Human Rights Chair Theresa Young folds a towel to donate to community members in need.
SYRACUSE — When there are community service events that need volunteers, our CSEA members will always make an effort to serve the community.
A group of Central Region leaders and members joined the Greater Syracuse Labor Council and the United Way of Central New York on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to sort and deliver clothing and food donations.
Central Region Human Rights Chair Theresa Young has been involved with the event for a number of years. Young is also a member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and is an ally for the LGBTQ and other communities.
“I hope that we at CSEA are able to educate our activists, our delegates, and our leadership to all be allies to the different constituency groups,” Young said.
Syracuse Retirees Local activist King Davis organizes donations into boxes.
Young recalls her first LGBTQ and Minority Caucuses at an Annual Delegates Meeting. It was there she learned the importance of and how to be an ally for those groups.
Although Young has been participating in this event for years, she experienced something new this year. A woman who was due to have a baby within the week, and already had a 2-year-old girl, walked in and asked for help.
“We usually don’t have people that come in here,” Young said. “I think it was a great thing she did. We usually don’t get to see the people we help.”
— Nicholas Newcomb
