WE ARE ONE CAMPAIGN MOBILIZES MORE THAN ONE MILLION WORKING FAMILIES ACROSS THE NATION

More than 200 people gathered on Genesee Street in Rochester, N.Y. on
April 4 for the WE ARE ONE rally, march and speakout.
photo:  Bess Watts

Rochester, N.Y.-- On Monday and the days surrounding it, more than 1 million people mobilized to stand in solidarity with workers under attack in Wisconsin, Ohio and many other states where corporate-sponsored politicians have conspired to strip workers, students and immigrants of the same rights Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought and died for 43 years ago.

We know of more than 1,200 inspiring displays of solidarity so far, and continue to get more reports here at the CSEA Voice Reporter.

Some highlights from Monday and Tuesday:

•In Memphis, more than 1,000 people-- including veterans of the 1968 sanitation workers' strike who enlisted Dr. King’s support in the weeks before he was shot-- braved a tornado watch and marched through the rain.

•In Ottawa, Ill., Nadia Valentine, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, wowed the crowds with a passionate speech, vowing to never let her generation forget the fact that “every benefit that a worker receives today came from the struggles of a union member.”

•In Ketchikan, Alaska, it “rained, snowed and hailed” most of the day, but that didn’t stop record turnout.

•In Boston, union leaders, activists and community allies outside the Massachusetts Republican Party offices reminded their legislators civil rights start with economic justice. They read the speech Dr. King delivered to striking Memphis sanitation workers the day before he was assassinated.

•In Helena, Mont., Greg Rollins from Ironworkers Local 732 joined about 1,500 others for a “No Fooling with Our Future” rally. He called the event “awesome” and reports, “I plan on attending as many as I can to support my union brothers and sisters.” Click here for photos and here for video.

•And in St. Paul, Minn., community members and union workers rallied and sang outside the Cathedral of St. Paul. You can watch that video here.

Monroe County Legislator Saul Maneiro
marches in solidarity at the WE ARE ONE
rally on April 4, 2011.
photo:  Bess Watts

We Are One actions have continued beyond Monday. On Tuesday, college professors and students in New York City joined one of more than 150 teach-ins hosted across the country.

We continue to get emails from other labor unions and our progressive partners who want to share information by way of photos, video and stories. You can read more on the AFL-CIO Now blog right here.

In the weeks and months to come, the people of Wisconsin, Ohio and many other states will continue to fight back against the corporate-backed governors and legislators conspiring to take away our rights.

April 4 may be over, but the action is only beginning-- and to take on critical fights in the states and in Washington, D.C., all of us will need to keep the energy going.

While we can take a moment to celebrate the amazing We Are One actions, we’ve got to keep mobilizing. We can’t rest.