The TWU proudly joins the AFL-CIO in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s memory at the AFL-CIO's King Holiday Observance this weekend. On Thursday, January 14, union members from around the country gathered in Greensboro, North Carolina for five days of activities, including community service projects, a jobs town hall meeting and workshops and commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins.

The TWU has been involved in this Observance weekend for the last several years. Many of TWU International's top officers, staff and TWU members will join more than 400 participants at the event to remind the nation that without economic justice, MLK's vision is unfulfilled. "The MLK celebration is an event the TWU is always proud to attend and it is a great honor for our union to be invited to share in the memory and reflect on our own history joining Dr. King's fight for justice," said International President James C. Little.

The weekend kicks off with a call on the White House and Congress for meaningful jobs creations policies.

Today, attendees will be participating in a variety of community service projects. The rest of the event features two days of speakers and presentations that address issues of social and economic justice, the environment, and job creation. Participants will hear from trail blazers of the Greensboro sit-ins: Joseph McNeil, Jibreel Khazan, Franklin McCain and Duke professor William Chafe, Ph.D., and AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker among many others.

One of the TWU's most memorable and proudest moments came in 1961 when Dr. King delivered a moving keynote address to our convention. King praised the TWU for its dedication to the cause of equal rights and liberties for all people and we take great pride in having been a part of Dr. Kings dream. Thousands of TWU members participated in the March on Washington D.C. to hear King's “I have a dream” speech, and we eagerly joined other civil rights demonstrators in the famous 50-mile Selma to Montgomery, Alabama march in 1965. Three years later, over 2,500 of our members joined the Poor People's March in Washington D.C.

In addition to this weekend's Greensboro celebration attended by activists from around the country, working Americans will hold roundtables, marches, and rallies nationwide to remind their representatives that Dr. King’s vision for the nation included not only civil rights but also economic justice for all Americans—a vision that is far from fulfilled.

Visit TWU.org for photos and information about the event over the next few days.