Trumka Honors 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued the following statement on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom:
Fifty years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., AFL-CIO Vice President A. Philip Randolph, labor and civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, UAW President Walter Reuther and countless Americans marched for equality, jobs and freedom. That march became a pinnacle of the civil rights movement, symbolizing hope and the power of united action.
Today, on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the fight for equality and justice for all continues. The Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act. Extremists in the U.S. House of Representatives are stalling reform of our broken immigration system. Women make 77 cents to a man’s dollar. And workers’ rights are in jeopardy across the nation. But today, the unforgettable sounds and images from 1963 also remind us that change is possible.
Today we rededicate ourselves to the dream of economic equality that so many marched for a half century ago. We will work with those who strive for prosperity for all in this great country—regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or place of birth.
