Pride At Work Videos
Linda Chavez-Thompson Keynote Speaker:
Linda Chavez-Thompson, AFL-CIO Vice President, delivers an inspiring message before the Assembly of the Pride At Work 6th Triennial Convention held at The San Diego Hilton Resort, San Diego CA, September 9, 2006. Pride At Work is the Lesbian, Gay Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) Constituency Group of AFL-CIO. Please visit Pride At Work on the web http://prideatwork.org/
Leslie Cagan, Keynote Speaker:
Pride At Work Convention 2006
For more than 40 years Leslie Cagan has worked in a wide range of peace and social justice movements locally and nationally in the U.S.: from the Vietnam war to racism at home, from nuclear disarmament to lesbian/gay liberation, from fighting sexism to working against U.S. military intervention. Her coalition-building and organizing skills have mobilized hundreds of thousands of people in many ways of the nation’s largest demonstrations and countless other public events and activities including: the million person June 12, 1982 Nuclear Disarmament demonstration in NYC; the historic lesbian /gay rights march on Washington on October, 1987; the march on Washington against the Gulf War in January, 1991; and the largest mobilization against the war in Iraq (Feb. 15 and March 22, 2003; August 29, 2004; Sept. 24, 2005; and most recently, April 26, 2006).
Since the early 1990’s, Leslie’s major organizing projects included: work against Operation Desert Storm and the first War against Iraq, normalization of U.S./Cuba relations, the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion, work in New York City against police brutality and for budget equity, and serving in the leadership of United for Peace and Justice. Leslie has worked on several progressive electoral campaigns, including serving as field director for the successful David Dinkins Mayoral campaign in 1989 in NYC.
Her writings appear in 8 anthologies, and in scores of journals, newspapers and on-line outlets. She played a major role in winning back the U.S.’s first listener-sponsored media network and was chair of the Interim Pacifica Radio National Board. Leslie was one of the founders of the United for Peace and Justice – the largest antiwar coalition in the U.S. with more than 1,400 local and national organizations – and since Feb. 2003 has served as it National Coordinator.
Amjad Aljawhary, Keynote Speaker:
Pride At Work Convention, 9-9-06
Representative of Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq (FCWUI) and Unemployed Union in Iraq (UUI) for North America. Amjad Aljawhary was born in Baghdad in 1966. He earned his degree in biology at Mosul University in 1989. Because of his political views, and organizing among sewing workers, he was blacklisted by the regime and unable to find employment in any state enterprise. With his family, he fled to Turkey in 1995 and was active among Iraqi refugees there. Since 1966 he has lived in Toronto, Canada where he has spoken widely on Iraqi issues and has been active in the anti-sanctions and anti-war movements.
He is currently the FWCUI official representative in North America. Amjad is a member of the Iraqi Freedom Congress, a mass, secular organization. He participated in US Labor against the War’s (USLAW) June 2005 US tour of Iraqi trade unionists, and then in July 2005 attended the AFL-CIO Convention, helping in efforts to pass the historic resolution calling for rapid withdrawal of troops from Iraq. In 2006 he attended the Labor Notes Conference in Detroit and spoke at a USLAW workshop.
Pride At Work Presents:
“Chunky Sanchez Band”
Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez was a teenager when he traded his farm tools for a college education at San Diego State University in the early 1970s. The Chicano singer and activist never forgot his roots. The late farm labor leader César E. Chávez so loved Sanchez’s music that he often invited him and his band to play farm labor songs at United Farm Workers union rallies and marches.“Chunky and other musicians often were called upon to keep spirits high and empower people,” Chávez’s granddaughter Barbara Ybarra said. “Now is our turn to give back to the musicians of the movement and honor their legacy.“Chávez family members and supporters in San Diego honored Sanchez at the first César Chávez music festival. The event is among scores of celebrations to be held to observe Chávez’s birthday, a state holiday in California. Chávez, who died in 1993. Sanchez, was considered a natural choice to be the first recipient of the music award because of his commitment to the farm labor movement – first with the band La Rondalla Amerindia, and later with Los Alacranes, the band he co-founded with his brother, Ricardo. This home video shot by Lisa Kassner at the Pride At Work 6th Triennial Convention 9-9-06.
Keynote Speaker:
Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary – Treasurer L.A. County Federation of LaborEmerging as one of the most dynamic leaders in Los Angeles County, Maria Elena Durazo was elected to serve as Executive Secretary – Treasurer on May 15, 2006. The daughter of Mexican Immigrant farm workers, Maria Elena learned the importance of hard work and determination at a very early age. Before leading the leading the federation, Maria Elena was president of the hotel workers union UNITE – HERE, Local 11, a position she held from May 1989 up until her appointment as interim Executive Secretary – HERE, Local 11, a position she held from May 1989 up until her appointment as interim Executive Secretary – Treasurer. During her time as President, Maria Elena restructured Local 11 to become one of the most active unions in Los Angeles County and a vital force in debate over the future of Los Angeles.
In 2003, Maria Elena became National Director of the Immigrant Worker’s Freedom Ride, a national mobilization campaign initiated by HERE International to address the nations immigrant laws.
One of Maria Elena’s most significant achievements her election in 2004 to serve as Executive Vice President of the newly formed UNITE – HERE International, leading her to represent more than 400,000 active members and more than 400,000 retirees throughout North America. Maria Elena is the mother of two sons, and the widow of Miquel Contreras, former Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL – CIO Executive Secretary – Treasurer.
