Local 848's Civil Rights Committee honors Black History Month every February with a fun meeting at our hall. This year, they set it for 6 PM on Saturday, February 19. The main speakers are radio commentator Tunde Obazee and Pauline Medrano. Medrano is the daughter of Local 848's beloved Pancho Medrano and the sister of Pancho Jr. Both were officers of our union and renowned civil rights activists.
The event will
include food and entertainment. Every Local 848 member should be concerned with
African-American history because our local was originally organized with the
critical help of the Black janitorial staff, who could move around the plant
freely during a time in 1943 when white unionists were being closely restricted
by management.
Prior to the creation of the UAW in 1935, the automobile industry was considered un-organizable because Ford and other manufacturers skillfully used racism to divide and defeat union organizing drives. The UAW and other early-CIO unions turned the tables on management by standing up for civil rights.
Civil Rights Committee Chairperson Johnnie Durham is pictured after she completed the long Martin Luther King Day parade this past January.
Local 848's regular membership meeting takes place at 2 PM on the third Sunday, February 20, at our hall.