Book reading “Mobilizing in OUR OWN NAME: Million Worker March” by Clarence Thomas

Book reading “Mobilizing in OUR OWN NAME: Million Worker March” by Clarence Thomas – at ILWU 10 hall – 400 N. Point St., SF Henry Schmidt room
Today’s workers can no longer continue to depend on politicians to address issues of systemic racism, income inequality, corporate greed, workers rights, universal health care, slashing the military budget, and ending the murder of African Americans and people of color by police. The initiators of the Million Worker March (MWM) understood this which is why they challenged the Democratic Party and others to organize the MWM. This anthology is about radical African American trade unionists from one of the most renowned radical labor organizations in the world, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10, which defied the Democratic Party and the AFL-CIO, and mobilized the MWM on October 17, 2004 at the Lincoln Memorial. The writer understands that now more than ever workers around the world must act in unity in our own interests. Workers must build an international rank-and-file fight-back movement to defend the rights of workers internationally to achieve economic security and a peaceful world. The MWM called for an independent mobilization of working people, with a workers agenda, to address the unrestrained class warfare by the captains of capital. This historic event, which was viewed on C-Span, attracted thousands of workers, immigrant rights groups, anti-war activists, community organizations, social movements, youth, and trade unionists from around the world. This anthology captures radical workers’ actions and struggles written by activists as those events were happening through news articles, interviews, photos, posters, leaflets, and video transcripts. Through these documents, the story is told of the MWM Movement, its roots, and the branches that have grown from it mobilizing in our own name. It is intended to create a historic account and give impetus to the struggle ahead.