9th Annual JWJ Awards Raise $18K

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)DC Jobs with Justice celebrated their 9th annual “I’ll Be There Awards” last Thursday in a packed Samuel Gompers room at the AFL-CIO. The crowd of over 100 came out to honor labor and community activists, including artist and activist Head-Roc, who wrote a song in support of workers at Giant Foods; immigrant rights’ organizer Sarahi Uribe of the National Day Labor Organizing Network; students at University of Maryland who have been organizing in support of striking Daycon workers; and Knetra Byrd, Franklin Carter (photo), and Eric Marshall, UFCW members who came out of the shop to fight Walmart in DC. Other highlights of the evening included performances by local artists. SongRise, an all women’s social justice a cappella group, got the crowd clapping for their renditions of “Union Maid” and "Don't Let Nobody Turn Me Around." Salvadoran-American poet and performer Quique Aviles, whose mother was a union hotel housekeeper, shared spoken word pieces reflecting the experiences of immigrant workers in DC. The event raised over $18,000 to support the work of DC Jobs with Justice.