With black unemployment surging up towards 20 percent, the significance of Labor Day should be much more than the end of summer to us. When it comes to advocating for jobs that put black America to work, we've had a long history. In fact, the full name of the March on Washington is the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
The waters may be muddy now but, back then, it was crystal clear: freedom and equality was linked arm and arm with economic viability. It's a fact that A. Philip Randolph, one of the often-forgotten masterminds of the historic march, built his legendary career on. As head of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, Randolph was a tireless advocate for African-American laborers, especially the iconic Pullman porters for which he helped secure pay increases to the tune of $2 million.
In 1941, when the first March on Washington was proposed, Randolph and his team, which included Bayard Rustin and the even lesser known labor organizer Frank Crosswaith, halted it only after FDR issued Executive Order 8802, also known as the Fair Employment Act, which promoted racial equality in employment.
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