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No Workplace Justice Without Racial Justice
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Worksafe stands with the Movement for Black Lives and all those who are rising up to protest state violence against Black people and communities.
In this last week, as many of us struggled to distance ourselves from one another, we instead found ourselves drawn closer together by the power of collectively witnessing overt racism. We watched Amy Cooper call the police and knowingly weaponize her white privilege. And we watched the terrible endpoint that police encounters can have: the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
We are witnessing these acts of overt racism against the backdrop of a global pandemic that is riddled with racial health inequities. The disparate impact of COVID-19 reflects systemic racism that has harmed the health and wellbeing of Black people and communities for generations. Black workers are falling ill and dying in disproportionate numbers across the nation, and systemic racism and occupational segregation lies at the root of these inequitable health impacts.
As labor movement advocates, we must acknowledge that there will never be workplace justice without racial justice. All of our movements are connected, and there is a growing recognition (thanks to decades of work by Black and POC organizers) that it takes real solidarity to dismantle racist institutions and structures that perpetuate injustice. We are inspired by the Minneapolis bus drivers of ATU 1005 who refused to transport protestors to jail. At Worksafe we are taking this moment to recommit to this solidarity — as individuals and as an organization.
Worksafe’s mission is to ensure safety, health, and justice for all workers. We envision a world where all workers, families, and communities are safe and healthy. That means returning home safe from work. That also means returning home safe from a jog, or a drive, or a trip to the park. Black lives matter.
Rest in power George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and all those who have lost their lives to police violence and white supremacy.
In Solidarity,
Worksafe
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Resources & Ideas for Action:
▶ Participate in the Movement for Black Lives' Week of Action.
▶ Check out this list of bail funds around the US and donate if you can.
▶ Support Black-owned businesses. Here's a list of Black-owned restaurants in the Bay.
▶ For lawyers: Contact your local National Lawyers Guild chapter to join their attorney pool and/or be trained as a legal observer.
▶ With consent, create a community care response plan to support folks in crisis. Check out this template by the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective.
▶ For white people: listen to Black people, do the reading, do the work, attend a training, talk to your families.
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