Statement by Sandra Feldman President of the American Federation of Teachers on the 40th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
 

Washington, D.C. -- Forty years ago, as a quarter of a million people gathered in Washington to hear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak about his dream for a better nation, the American Federation of Teachers and others in organized labor stood behind him.  Many current and former leaders and members of the AFT were participants and organizers in the 1963 march, and the union provided financial support for the event. 

Bayard Rustin insisted that the rally be called the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom because he recognized the link between economic freedom and social justice – a connection that guides the AFT’s work to this day.  In a speech two years earlier, Dr. King had explained that connection:  “Our needs are identical with labor's needs:  decent wages, fair working conditions, livable housing, old-age security, health and welfare measures, conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children and respect in the community.”

Thanks, in part, to organized labor’s support for civil and human rights, our nation has seen great progress since the 1960s.  Discriminatory laws are no longer on the books.  Color barriers have been shattered.  And African-Americans have increased their economic and political power.  That is the extraordinary legacy of Dr. King and all the heroes of the civil rights movement. 

Despite the successes of the last 40 years, however, the ghosts of slavery and discrimination continue to haunt our nation and slow our progress.  As we seek to fulfill our nation’s promise of equal opportunity for all, we need to adopt laws and policies that counteract the lingering effects of racism and offer equal opportunities for people of color.  To this end, the AFT will continue our longstanding commitment to ensuring universal access to education, healthcare, employment opportunities and the rights guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.

# # # #

The AFT represents more than 1.3 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals and other school support employees, higher education faculty, nurses and other healthcare workers, and state and local government employees.