Public Employee Press

Candle-lit ceremony honors Martin Luther King Jr.

The DC 37 Political Action Committee celebrated the distinguished legacy of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 12 at their monthly meeting.

Associate Director Oliver Gray welcomed the activists to the annual celebration and reminded everyone of Dr. King's strong ties to the union movement. The Nobel Peace Prize winner was slain April 4, 1968, in Memphis, where he was organizing support for striking sanitation workers in DC 37's national union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Committee Chair and Local 2021 President Leonard Allen introduced guests Hakeem Jeffries of the state Assembly (Brooklyn, 57th District) and keynote speaker state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (Brooklyn, 18th District).

"I'm so proud that we've come this far," said Montgomery. She expressed concern with the growing number of charter schools throughout the city. "It's very scary that we're moving from a public system to a private system that is funded by public money," she said. Montgomery pledged to work closely with DC 37 in the 2012 legislative session.

The committee also kicked off the union's campaign to re-elect President Barack Obama, with activists gathering signatures to place him on the state ballot. The committee will also be gearing up to participate in AFSCME's March statewide Lobby Day in Albany to press the union's political agenda and to get out the vote for the special election on March 20 for the State Senate seat vacated by Carl Kruger.

The meeting ended with participants singing the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" in the traditional candle-lit tribute to Dr. King.

The Political Action Committee meets on the second Thursday of every month except July, August and December. Members can join by simply attending and signing in.