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John,
This nation was built on stolen land and stolen labor. As Dr. W.E.B. DuBois reminds us, the Civil War was the first “general strike.” By that, he meant that hundreds of thousands of enslaved Black people made a collective choice to withdraw their labor from a system that treated them as property.
They left plantations, joined Union lines, and transformed the war from a battle to preserve the Union into a fight for liberation. This was not simply an act of escape but an act of organized refusal. Enslaved people recognized the power of their labor, and by striking against the system that depended on it, they helped shift the course of history.
From Black washerwomen in Jackson, Mississippi organizing in 1866 to workers with the UAW last fall, Black labor has always been at the heart of the fight for justice.
We honor the generations of Black workers and leaders who forged the path toward dignity, fair wages, and safe conditions. Their legacy reminds us that unionizing is one of the strongest tools we have to challenge racial inequities, demand better pay and health care, and protect workers’ rights.
Yet the struggle continues. Black workers remain on the frontlines, facing discrimination, an ever-widening wealth gap, and right-wing attempts to weaken unions. Our history makes it clear: the labor movement and the fight for racial justice are inseparable.
It’s beyond time to secure and expand the rights of Black workers in the United States. We are proud to carry this struggle forward with you, John.
If you can, reply to this email with your message of solidarity for workers everywhere fighting for a more just future.
In love and solidarity,
Black Lives Matter
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