On this date in 1825, after eight years and at least 1,000 worker deaths—mostly Irish immigrants—the 350-mile Erie Canal opened, linking the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.
- compiled/edited by David Prosten at Union Communication Services Carmen Berkley, the AFL-CIO director of civil, human and women’s rights, will lead a discussion on the hot-button issue of politics in sports today at 5:30p at the AFL-CIO. She will be joined by NBA veteran and author Etan Thomas (right), Baltimore Ravens tight end and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) Vice President Benjamin Watson, and author and sports editor of The Nation Dave Zirin to discuss racial and social justice and the intersection between athletes and the labor movement. RSVP for “The Role of Athletes in Racial and Social Justice” here. Zirin’s book, "Game Over: How Politics Has Turned the Sports World Upside Down," will be available for purchase. Light refreshments will be served. Other labor events today include Mindy Fried talking about her book "Caring for Red: A Daughter’s Memoir" at 6p at the Takoma Busboys and Poets and at 6:30p, the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life convenes "Left Behind: Working Class Families and Communities," a dialogue focusing on the economic realities, political impact, and moral dimensions regarding the national neglect of working-class families and communities. Oliverio Gomez, a carwashero at the Bonus Car Wash (see Labor History, below) who told the Los Angeles Times that “They didn’t treat us like people.”
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