APWU Participates in Rally for Voting Rights

Two young union activists, Courtney Jenkins and Arrion Brown, represented the national APWU at a voting rights rally in Roanoke, VA, on June 25, the second anniversary of a Supreme Court decision that struck down key sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

“The call to action was simple,” said Jenkins, of the Baltimore Francis ‘Stu’ Filbey Area Local: get Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, to hold hearings on a bill to restore the Voting Rights Act. So far he has refused.

“The crowd reflected the different coalitions, organizations and alliances that were in attendance,” said Brown, of the Nation’s Capitol / Southern Maryland Area Local. Among the 500 participants were members of civil rights groups, labor organizations, environmental groups, human rights organizations and others.

In July 2014, delegates to the APWU’s 22^nd National Convention adopted a resolution in support of the fight for voting rights. The union is a member of the Democracy Initiative, which organized the protest in Rep. Goodlatte’s district.