“We’re done talking about what 2020 has taken from us,” says Nakisha Lewis, Director of Civil, Human and Women's Rights at the AFL-CIO. “Let’s talk about what we built together. Let’s talk about what we’ll fight for in 2021.” Thousands of organizers and activists protested across the country, demanding to be heard as they said, “Black Lives Matter.” Millions of people elected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House, winning a labor-friendly administration and the first African American and Indian American woman as vice president. With that inspiration, the theme for the 2021 Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference is From Protest to Power: When We Fight, We Win. “On Jan. 15 and 16, we will gather virtually to build on our victories and strategize about the continued fight for economic and racial justice with—and also within—the labor movement,” says Lewis. The conference will be free of charge, and all sessions and trainings will be held online so that everyone can attend safely.
