NATIONAL — February 2026 marks the 100 year anniversary of Black History Month. Beginning originally as a week-long observance established by Carter G. Woodson (Ph.D.) — also referred to as the “Father of Black History” — was expanded to a month of honoration in 1976 by 38th U.S. President Gerald Ford. This national holiday has gone on to receive 10 decades of recognition in states and communities throughout the United States with Union and Trades organizations as no exception.
This year, Labor Union groups — as well as individual union workers — have begun to share their Black History Month statements — in many cases, offering reflections on early Black American labor pioneers. From Isaac Myers, founder of the Colored National Labor Union (1869 to 1873) to A. Philip Randolph, organizer of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (1925 to 1978) — the first successful African American led labor union, according to UAW International Union — Labor organizations and their workers have shared how these prominent individuals have continued to shape their unions as well as how their leadership plans to continue to fight for and implement civil rights initiatives.
IAM Human Rights Director, Nicole Fears: “The IAM has a proud track record of promoting diversity and representing African American workers,” IAM Human Rights Director Nicole Fears said in a press release. “We will continue that mission and the union plans to be a voice for the Black labor agenda far into the future.”
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, Fred Redmond: “Black History Month is a time for reflection and recognition and this year marks the 100th anniversary of the federal observance. And this grew from a week in 1926 to the month-long recognition of the significant achievements and contributions Black Americans have made to our society. It’s a time to honor those trailblazers and barrier breakers on whose shoulders we all stand and it also serves as a necessary reminder of the ongoing struggles for equity and importance of protecting the fundamental rights that define our society. Rights that are being stepped on and eroded by an administration and his enablers who have attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion. Policies and programs in an age of rampant inequality and exploitation. White washing of our history in an age of misinformation and disinformation and terrorizing Black and Brown communities with cruel, inhumane and deadly immigration enforcement actions. These are attempts to scare and divide us, but this is not a time for cowardice and division. You know Dr. King in his letter from a Birmingham jail, he wrote that we are all tied in that same garment of destiny. We are all connected in the same struggle for dignity as working people — no matter our race, nationality or immigration status. What affects one of us affects all of us. That is at the heart of the civil rights and labor movements. A connection rooted in shared values and the inseparable link between economic justice and racial justice. In solidarity and collective action and non-violent, civil resistance,” Redmond said in a video. “A bond that earned us civil rights and liberties that we cherish and must protect today. We know where we’ve been; we know we’ve made progress and we know we still have further to go. And we know it’s not going to be easy. The American Labor Movement is no stranger to challenges. We know how to mobilize against oppression and injustice. We know how to stand up to powerful interests and we know we can’t just be a part of the resistance, we must lead it. We are built for this moment, tough as it is, together with our allies, we will continue to lead. To be the progressive force, responding with powerful solidarity and clarity of purpose. To correct current injustices and repair generations of damage. This Black History Month, let us acknowledge our legacy, the achievements of Black people working together for a better America. But let us also remind this nation that we are not done and that no other movement can effect change like we can. Stay strong, stay united, in solidarity forever.”
Raquel Caines — shop steward and group coordinator at United Federation of Teachers, member Office of Professional Employees (OPEIU): “What we can learn from both labor and black history is if you fail to define yourself, you will live by other people’s definition of you. It is important that we are in a moment where history is not watered down,” she said in a statement.
Margaret Mock, UAW Women’s Department Director:“In the labor movement, leadership is demonstrated not only by our works, but by our actions — how we treat one another, how we stand up for fairness and how we show up for working families every day. ‘Each person must live their life as a model for others,’ Rosa Parks did not just speak these words, she lived them,” she shared in a statement.
SEIU President, April Verrett: “Black History Month takes me back to my grandmother. I was raised by her, and she taught me what so many Black women teach without ever asking for credit: to keep going, how to hold your head up, how to tell the truth, how to love your people and still demand better. So for me, Black history isn’t just something to honor. It’s something to continue. It’s a legacy of resistance, of refusing to be broken, of standing up anyway,” she said in a social media post.
