Los Angeles, CA — On Thursday, August 15, at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 46th International Convention in Los Angeles, AFSCME paid tribute to the late Reverend James Lawson, who passed away in June at age 95. A longtime friend and ally of AFSCME members, Rev. Lawson played a key role in the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike, leading a faith coalition in the community on behalf of the workers and persuading his friend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to join the struggle.
AFSCME President Lee Saunders led the tribute to Rev. Lawson. “AFSCME family, we are all grateful for the friendship Reverend Lawson showed our union in Memphis in 1968,” he told the crowd of over 4,000 public service workers gathered at the union’s convention. “At a pivotal moment in our history, when so much was on the line. … His role in building support for the sanitation workers among local faith leaders was essential to the strike’s success.”
Saunders continued, “even after Memphis, in the ensuing decades, Reverend Lawson continued to work closely not only with AFSCME, but with the entire labor movement – because he understood that any struggle for human rights had to recognize and uplift the dignity of work. … He was a giant, and we won’t see another like him soon. …. Rest in power, brother. I promise we’ll carry on your work.”
A video of the AFSCME tribute can be found here: https://youtu.be/NN6NPOaLeO8
