WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Hurricane Irene threatened to roil through the East Coast, activists and a Harvard sociologist gathered at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Friday to reflect on Martin Luther King’s legacy and its implications for the future of the labor movement.
The event was meant to be a companion to the unveiling of the Martin Luther King memorial in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, though the unveiling—as well as the commemorative march—was postponed because of the impending storm.
“Natural disasters we cannot control, but it is the man-made disasters that we have the power to change if we so choose,” said AFL-CIO executive director Arlene Holt Baker.
Martin Luther King III opened by reminding the audience that the 1963 March on Washington was centered around “jobs and freedom,” since one is interconnected with the other.
Many panelists noted that the economic situation for American workers remained as bleak as ever, with the gap between the rich and poor reaching all-time highs.
Unemployment currently stands at 9 percent, twice the level it was in 1963.
“We live in a country less economically equal than in Dr. King’s time,” said Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO president.
