Public Employee Press


DC 37 CELEBRATES ITS DIVERSITY

Caribbean Heritage
Solidarity and the fight for economic justice

BY ALFREDO ALVARADO

The Caribbean Heritage Committee celebrated Caribbean Heritage Month with a special event honoring the 50th anniversary of the independence of Guyana.

For the occasion committee Chair and Local 420 President Carmen Charles and Co-Chair and Local 768 President Fitz Reid invited Guyana's representative to the United Nations, George Wilfred Talbot, to give a brief talk at the June 1 celebration at union headquarters.

Talbot expressed his solidarity with DC 37 for defending workers in their fight for economic justice. He pointed out that Guyana is one of the founding members of the Caribbean Community and Common Market, (CARICOM), established in 1973 and comprised of 15 countries.

"We aim to provide decent work for everyone in Guyana and promote economic growth and sustainability," he said.

"We are one"

On Friday, June 24, SSEU Local 371 held its Caribbean Heritage celebration at union headquarters. Under the theme of "We are one. We shall not be moved," the event was in honor of the life and legacy of Marcus Garvey, the inspiring Jamaican-born Pan-Africanist leader.

Before a huge audience, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James and keynote speaker attorney Alton Maddox exhorted the crowd with rousing speeches. James criticized the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down President Barack Obama's executive order on immigration, and she called on the audience to vote in this year's election, citing its vital importance. Maddox, a long-time civil rights leader and child criminal justice advocate, called on the audience to understand the absurdities of Donald Trump's campaign statements. "You can't take America back," he said. "We are America now."