Rooted in the Fight for Justice

 Over the last week, the Alabama AFL-CIO reeled in heartbreak and outrage as we watched a police officer inhumanely murder George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in broad daylight on the streets of Minneapolis. Police brutality has always been an issue for unarmed people of color in America, but thanks to the technological advancement of videos and smartphones, we are now confronted with the inescapable realities of racial injustice each and every day.

 Make no mistake: What happened to George Floyd is happening here in Alabama. E.J. Bradford. Chikesia Clemons. Ulysses Wilkerson. Sureshbhai Patel. Greg Gunn. These are just a few of the names of those who have been killed at the hands of law enforcement across our own state.

 This is a labor issue. This is a workplace issue. This is a community issue. The labor movement is, and always has been, rooted in the fight for justice. Today and every day, the Alabama AFL-CIO will continue to recognize and challenge the injustices of racial and economic inequality.

 At the same time, we continue to reject those on the fringes who are seizing peaceful protests as an opportunity to destroy property. We condemn those who destroyed the lobby of the AFL-CIO headquarters on Sunday night.

 But at the end of the day, the labor movement is so much more than one building. We can always sweep up the glass. We can repaint our walls. We can dust the ashes. But we cannot revive the members of our community who have died at the hands of such brutal injustice.

 Today, tomorrow, and always, the important work of the Alabama AFL-CIO will continue. It must.