‘A Movement... Not a Moment’

Legendary civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) electrified the audience at CWA's National Civil Rights and Equity Conference, held in Washington, D.C., in April with the theme, "A Movement… Not a Moment." The 200 participants heard from other civil rights and labor activists, as well as CWA leaders. Speaking just a week after the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., CWA Pres. Larry Cohen told the crowd that, "King was a visionary, one of the first who saw the connection between the civil rights movement and the labor movement, that both were fighting for social justice and a more equitable society." The Mays-Carroll Award, given annually to members and locals who make outstanding contributions to civil rights and minority practices, was presented to Local 6310 member Keith Robinson, Local 1298 member Tonya Hodges and to all of Local 1180. The award is named for the late Eugene Mays, the first African-American CWA officer and staff member, and Mary Mays-Carroll, who headed CWA's Civil Rights and Fair Practices office from 1989 until her retirement in 1999.