Laboring For Justice

Jamilah King over at Colorlines has a great post this Labor Day weekend, beginning with a note about struggles for economic justice today:

“Across the United States, thousands of fast food workers have walked off the job and staged strikes for higher wages. Service work—one of the fastest growing sectors of the job market—is tough to find. And economic struggles in the United States are still colored by race—the black unemployment rate, for instance, continues to be twice as high as the rate for whites.”

The post goes on to encourage action:

“This Labor Day, we want to encourage our readers to do two things: act locally and learn more. Find a cause that’s close to home—it could be anything from supporting a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights to supporting fast food workers to backing paid sick leave for all workers to saving public sector jobs.”

Finally, an awesome round-up of films to find and watch:

“Then check out our list of labor-centered films that shed light on historic fights for labor justice and provide context for some of today’s battles.”

There are several links to and embeds for films about the intersection of race and economic justice, including these:

Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin

Booker’s Place: A Mississippi Story

The Dream is Now

The Garden

Salt of the Earth

Miles of Smiles: Years of Struggle

And several more.  If you’ve got a bit of time today, this week, or ever … check them out.

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