APWU Honored During 2021 Community Change Champions Awards

(This article first appeared in the November/December issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)

On September 30, APWU ally organization Community Change held its annual Community Change Champions Awards, with the theme of “Rooted and Rising.” The 2021 awards, held virtually due to the pandemic, recognized “those who carried us through all that was 2020: a global pandemic, economic devastation, the uprising for Black lives, [and] our democracy at a precipice.” APWU members, along with other frontline union workers of AFSCME, SEIU, NEA, UFCW, and UNITE HERE, were honored with the Champion in Labor Partnership award.

Arrion Brown, Legislative Director of the Nation’s Capital Southern MD Area Local, accepted the award on the APWU’s behalf, along with rank-and-file members of the other unions.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have proven that the millions and millions of workers across the country are the true strength and backbone of the country,” Brown said during the ceremony. “And also that the workers around the world are the true strength of humanity.”

Lorena Quiroz-Lewis, Executive Director & Founder at Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity in Mississippi, was also honored during the ceremony as Emerging Change Champion. The National Domestic Workers Alliance was honored as Champion in Community Organizing, and journalist, professor and 1619 Project creator Nikole Hannah- Jones was honored as Disruptor Change Champion.