PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2020
CONTACT
Jacob Morrison
Secretary Treasurer
(256) 426-3358
Jmm0070@alumni.uah.edu

North Alabama Area Labor Council to Hold Labor for Black Lives Rally

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota in late May has sparked protests
and uprisings across the country. This happened both because of the specific cruelty and indifference to human life
displayed by the officers, but also because the scene felt all too familiar to so many of our fellow citizens. Now more
than ever, working people are ready to put an end to police brutality. Further, they are crying out for solutions to
ever increasing problems of inequality and structural racism – the former of which is exacerbated by the latter for
our sisters and brothers in marginalized communities.
We believe it is the duty of the labor movement not only to fight for narrow benefits for our members like yearly
raises, but to advocate and organize for positive change in the community on all issues affecting working people,
and we believe that area labor councils ought to function in part as the voice of the labor movement in a given area.
With this mission as instruction and our deep love for our black and brown sisters and brothers fueling the fire in
our belly, we are organizing a “Labor for Black Lives” rally in Big Spring Park on Saturday, June 20th at 4pm.
We want to make clear to our community that we have stood and will continue to stand unambiguously on the side
of working people against the evils of structural racism, police brutality, and exploitation. We also want to
specifically express our solidarity with Black Lives Matter and the solutions offered and work done by the local
Citizens Coalition for Criminal Justice Reform. The people of North Alabama have a friend and an ally in our labor
council.
Speakers include the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President – Reverend
Everett Kelley, Texas State Council of Machinists President Byron Williams, Alabama AFL-CIO President Bren Riley,
and the local Citizens Coalition for Criminal Justice Reform Angela Curry. Other speakers will be announced as they
are confirmed. Please follow the Facebook page – facebook.com/NorthAlabamaLaborCouncil – for updates.
We are requesting attendees follow the latest CDC guidelines on wearing facemasks and social distancing to the
extent possible.