Civil Rights & Community Service Conference Recap!
With the conclusion of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council’s first-ever Civil Rights & Community Services Conference, we want to say thank you and congratulations to everyone that attended and made this event the best it could be! Keep reading for a recap of all the trouble we caused at IBEW 494’s beautiful hall on Friday, May 15th.
We started our morning off with an Innovative Organizing Strategies Panel moderated by our Union brother Marcos Alfaro of the WI AFL-CIO and tabled by Union siblings John Jacobs (IBEW 494), Aislinn Bauer (IBEW 494), Wendy Fonseca (CWA District 4), and Mike Brown (ATU 998). These individuals offered incisive insights into what organizing looks like in the modern, technology-driven age and how different strategies can yield similar results between sectors of the labor world.
Our morning workshop “US & Wisconsin Black Labor History” delivered a deep look into the AFL-CIO’s history in relation to Black Unionists in Wisconsin, delivered by the Wisconsin Labor History Society’s very own Executive Director, Jackie Kelly. If you’ve never had the privilege of hearing Jackie speak, you’re sorely missing out on one of Wisconsin’s most devout history academics. We highly recommend following Wisconsin Labor History Society on Facebook to catch their updates when they happen; there’s plenty of opportunity to see Jackie in her element if you stay posted on the WLHS calendar!
The other half of our morning breakout session was presented by Jennifer Stanek of TEAM Wellness at Work. Jennifer brought a plethora of advice and guidance on handling mental health in the workplace in her presentation on “Unions & Mental Health and Wellness.” Mental health might be more universally acknowledged in contemporary society, but the stigma around it remains, and people like Jennifer are key forces in educating and providing resources to keep the conversation going.
After our lunch (sponsored by Previant Law Firm—thank you, Jill!) and short presentations from our Wisconsin Coalition of Labor Liaisons, we had the pleasure of hosting Jj Burch of Pathfinders Milwaukee and hearing about the integral work that the organization upholds in providing a variety of support to Milwaukee’s unhoused youth. (Visit pathfindersmke.org/our-vision to learn more about the agency!) The Labor movement and community service share common goals—solidarity and support for the people who make up our communities—and we managed to pack 100 kits of menstruation products and goodies for the youth that find their way to Pathfinders’ safe embrace.
In the second act of workshops, we heard from both Community Service Liaisons stationed out of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council. Julissa Velazquez led us in a rousing, group-led discussion on “The Meaning of Solidarity,” and Matty Erke engaged their audience in conversation about labor and its relationship to community service in a presentation on “Community Service: A Labor of Love.” These two individuals helped bring the conference to life, and that energy spilled over into the conference “happy hour” sponsored by Wisconsin Coalition of Labor Liaisons.
Thank you once again to IBEW 494 for allowing us full use of their space. We're grateful for the opportunity and can't wait to take everyone's feedback to improve our format for next year!