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Supporting Living Wage Jobs; Honoring Workers




It has been 49 years since tragedy struck the civil rights movement, with the assassination of revered and respected leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Throughout the country, activists and community organizers commemorated the event by hosting local screenings of the film "At the River I Stand," (film transcript) which recounts the eventful last months of Dr. King's life, as he throws his full support behind the striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee.

Here in Denver, organizers of the "Fight for 15" movement hosted the film screening at Chez Artiste on Colorado Blvd. More than 40 labor activists and community members showed up to the venue despite falling snow. Denver's Fight for 15 coalition is comprised of fast-food workers and others who believe in securing a living wage and the right to form a union. In addition to honoring Dr. King's legacy of advocating for economic and racial justice, the film screening also was intended to further strengthen the diverse coalition of workers advocating for decent wages.

Last November, Colorado voters approved Amendment 70, which raises minimum wage in yearly step hikes to $12 by 2020. People who work in fast-food and other establishments that pay minimum wage are mothers and fathers. With ever-rising cost of living across the state, workers are struggling to make ends meet. Advocates for $15 minimum wage want to ensure that workers can afford basics like rent and food.

Denver's "Fight for 15" is planning action to celebrate International Workers' Day on May 1. Volunteers and advocates are always needed to join the movement.

Coincidentally, today also marks the launch of the yearlong commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's death. Plug into the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis to learn more.




 

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