Public Employee Press

DC 37 honors Dr. King

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and City Council member Jumaane Williams joined DC 37's Political Action Committee Jan. 13 at the union's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial celebration.

The late civil rights leader - the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize - "represents what is best in all of us," said Gillibrand. She cited the union's nine-year struggle for the recently enacted 9/11 Health and Compensation Act as an example of the commitment that is necessary in today's battles for social justice (See '9/11 Act capped 9-year fight by coalition').

Gillibrand thanked District Council 37 and the union's Green Machine volunteers for supporting her victorious 2010 re-election campaign. "Your activism meant everything to me," she told them.

Williams, who represents the 45th Council District in Brooklyn, urged participants to help keep King's dream alive "so that it doesn't turn into a nightmare."

DC 37 Associate Director Oliver Gray recalled his visit to the historic Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., where Dr. King was gunned down on April 4, 1968, as he stood on the balcony. King was in Memphis supporting striking sanitation workers in Local 1733 of DC 37's international union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

"He stood up for those strikers just like we in DC 37 stand up for our members," said Gray. "We are prepared to lead the fight, and we're going to need all of you to get involved."

Political Action Director Wanda Williams briefed the PAC activists on other struggles they can participate in over the year ahead, including AFSCME's "Stop the Lies" (about public employees) campaign and DC 37's battle to extend the rent control laws, which expire in June.

The anthem of the civil rights movement, "We Shall Overcome," played softly in the background as the evening ended with a candlelit memorial ceremony honoring Dr. King.

• Click here to see the February 2011 Black History Month events.

— Alfredo Alvarado