SAGCD President Alan A. Robb 2022 Message Honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dear Friends:

Martin Luther King Jr. would be 93 this year. When Reverend King was brutally assassinated 54 years ago, our country was attempting to reckon with the horrible legacy of slavery and the Civil War aftermath of “Jim Crow”. There was a period following his death of a united goal favoring civil rights, voting rights, and human rights when all Americans both Democrats and Republicans come together to build a better America. Somehow, particularly these last few years, that unity has been lost and at the same time, contrary to the unified goal, we see the opposite. We must be clear-the opposition to the goals of Dr. King comes from politicians who put their own greedy interests before the needs of the working men and women of the ILA and beyond. Reverend King’s goals were and are our goals. As you know, he died in the pursuit of workplace dignity for Memphis sanitation workers. He understood the need for workers’ concerted well-being depended on the strength of organized labor. We honor him in 2022 by confronting those opposing his political goals. We must never tire or become complacent in the face of the obstacles he faced, and we face today. Reverend King’s pulpit successor, now a United States Senator from Georgia running for re-election is opposed by the same forces that opposed Dr. King decades ago. We must never forget his Dream. It is our burden to carry-on; to get closer to the hope and promise of Dr. King’s Dream. That is why we honor Dr. King’s memory. May God bless the United States of America and may God bless the ILA.

Sincerely,

Alan A. Robb

To view the letter, click here.