With the state legislature in session, UTD Secretary/Treasurer Mindy Grimes-Festge welcomes teacher Joy Jackson to the show to discuss her work with exceptional students, the executive order on testing and impact of unionization on wages and working conditions. In addition to her activism with UTD, Ms. Jackson is also active with the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (the CBTU).

Since the earliest days of this nation when democracy was built on racial exploitation, black workers have risked their lives to protect and empower their communities through agitation, collective action and faith. The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists proudly carries that tradition into the 21st century. For more information, see www.cbtu.org 

On the anniversary of becoming the first African-American to win the Oscar (in 1963), here are 5 Things You Need to Know About Sidney Poitier https://medium.com/@MarriedAtTheMovies/4-things-you-need-to-know-about-sidney-poitier-171392fb668e  (blog post) Poitier is and will always be a brilliant figure in film history; a key bridge in 20th century African American cinema between black actor as caricature and black actor as actor. With his poise, intelligence, grace, and emotional intensity, Poitier was the right man for the times: at the height of the Civil Rights movement.

Amazon “Broke the Law”: Union Seeks New Election After Alabama Warehouse Organizing Drive Fails (https://www.democracynow.org/2021/4/12/rwdsu_alabama_amazon_union_vote, April 12) 

 The largest union drive in the history of Amazon has ended with the company on top. After a months-long battle, 738 workers at Amazon’s Bessemer, Alabama, warehouse voted to unionize, and 1,798 voted no. Ballots from another 505 workers were challenged, mostly by Amazon. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union that led the drive says Amazon illegally interfered in the vote, and it plans to file unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. Amazon, which is led by the world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, spent millions to defeat the closely watched election, and even got a private mailbox installed at the warehouse so it could pressure workers to mail their ballots from work and monitor votes. “It’s important that people don’t misread the results of this election,” says Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. “People were not saying that they were satisfied with Amazon’s working conditions in any way. They were saying that they were afraid to vote for the union.”