What Happened to MLK Jr.'s Dream?

By Patriot-News Op-Ed 

At the apex of his life as a civil rights leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was traveling about 325,000 miles a year and gave as many as 450 speeches one year. However, the speech etched in the minds of millions, perhaps billions worldwide is the “I Have a Dream” speech.

What is it about this particular speech that makes it resonate with a variety of audiences?

Some are undoubtedly mesmerized by the colorful language and the poetic phrases. Others are struck by this speech because it expresses hope for a brighter tomorrow where everyone is judged on their merits and not their skin color, and by extension not their gender, age, religious belief or nonbelief, national origin or sexual orientation.

Still others are enamored with this speech because it occurred at such a time in history when people of all backgrounds, rich and poor, young and old, came together on a hot sweltering day in August to persuade the nation to live out the true meaning of its creed that all men (and women) are created equal. And then some are inspired by this speech because King was able to put into words the inequality a race and class of people were feeling and experiencing on a daily basis.

In 2008, there was a period of euphoria and optimism among Americans who felt they had lived to see irrefutable evidence of the fulfillment of King’s dream when we elected our first biracial president.

As it was in the days of President Kennedy, young people registered and voted in numbers not seen in 50 years. Civic engagement was at an all-time high. The outlook for race relations was promising, and the entire world applauded our willingness to look beyond color and see character and competence.

Two years later, the euphoria has worn off. Those who hoped for a fast turnaround of a faltering economy soon despaired as factories continued closing, the dollar continued declining, the unemployment rate continued rising and the federal deficit continued expanding. These conditions warrant dissatisfaction and dissent.

We are indeed within our First Amendment rights to protest for principles. We also have a duty to engage and express our discontent with government. What is troubling is the coded sentiments that threaten to undo much of the progress we’ve made to become a united federation of states and the poisonous rhetoric that attacks the person rather than their perspective.

We are devolving into a fractionalized nation of xenophobes, fearful and distrusting of anyone unlike us. Some flinch when they encounter an Indian Sikh wearing a turban, fearful that he might be an Islamic extremist. Some women clutch their purses when riding alone with an unknown man of color in the elevator, leery of being accosted, no matter how well he might be groomed and dressed.

Some are appalled at the notion of a military without a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on sexual orientation regardless of the soldier’s professionalism.

King said that “racism is the myth of inferior people.” His ally, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, added: “Racism is man’s gravest threat to man — the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.”

If King’s commitment to equality and justice is worthy of emulation then each of us must resolve to do our part to affect the change we wish to see. Determine today to shine the light of reason into the dark recesses of intolerance until justice is illuminated.

In the corporate sphere this means choosing to advocate for people with potential, regardless how different from you they might look, act, think or worship. In health care it means regarding any malady as worthy of political and financial support even if the disease in question is most prevalent among blacks (sickle cell), Latinos (cystic fibrosis) or Jews (Tay-Sachs).

Two years ago, the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Development Institute spawned the “Blueprint for Prosperity,” a comprehensive community-based strategic planning model whose impact is measured through 15 years.

The Blueprint focuses on six critical areas with far-reaching impact: education, racial opportunity and harmony, economic development, quality of life, leadership and infrastructure.

With the assistance of many partners, United Way, Penn State Harrisburg, The Firm Foundation, PinnacleHealth, Messiah College, Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC and others, including media sponsors WITF, 95.3 FM the Touch and The Patriot-News, we are framing the issues and mobilizing resources for a concerted and united attack on these systemic challenges.

Join us and others in putting aside partisan distractions and see that our fortunes are “inextricably bound together.” Do it today for “Today is the tomorrow you spoke about yesterday.”

JOSEPH ROBINSON JR. is executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Development Institute and executive director of the South Central Pa. Sickle Cell Council.

Another Reason to Take the Online Labor Movement Seriously

Puke Alert!

Have you heard of the Labor Relations Institute?  It's a very informative website.  If you're interested in finding out what the anti-worker clan is thinking and sharing with others who hold similar values, you should definitely spend some time reading the various articles and "reports" to keep abreast of their modus operandi. Just be sure to have some Pepto, wine, valium, beer - whatever works for you - close by, because trust me, you're gonna need it.

A very smart and covert union operative sent me the following email he received from LRI.  He signed up so he would get their email blasts and stay current with their latest diatribes. Knowing me very well, and having been harassed personally by me about his local's lacking website, he knew this one was worth sharing with me.

You'll notice there is no date or time included. Was this on purpose, or just a moronic mistake?  Sign up for their alerts if you want to receive these kinds of notices delivered straight to your inbox.  My contact signed up for them and clearly noted the union organization he represents. Oh, and by the way, the link doesn't work, either.

Dear *******,

We Must Have Struck A Nerve!

We ran an article in INK last week about recent social media use in union organizing strategies, and offered a free social media strategy call. The response has been tremendous, so we thought we should highlight the offer, just in case you missed it the first time around. 

Here’s what inspired our offer: 

Two weeks ago we had an interesting conversation with the HR director of a large company that recently defeated a union organizing drive. When we asked her about the use of social media and technology in the counter-organizing campaign, she laughed and described how her efforts were trounced by the union. Their internal email systems were constantly taken over by those working on behalf of the union, text messages and voice mails were left on employees cell phones at two o’clock in the morning, and web sites and social media pages in support of the union effort flourished. She had to adopt a strategy of simply conceding the social media/technology effort to the union, and apologizing to the employees for the unauthorized messaging they were receiving through supposedly protected, internal channels. 

In the couple of weeks prior to this, we had run two related stories: one involving the NLRB’s categorization of Facebook conversations as “protected concerted activity”, and another about the successful use of social media strategy against Dr. Pepper Snapple. In the latter article we pointed to the November convention of the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA), which will feature a special panel on “Winning Campaigns with Social Media.” 

We encourage you to seriously evaluate your social media strategy. A proper evaluation should include such questions as:

Am I familiar with all or most of the potential venues that could be used in a campaign against my company? 
Do I have people on staff that understand how to navigate in these venues? If not, have I identified resources who can help fill that gap? 
Have we developed a proactive strategy to engage ourworkforce using social media? 
Have we considered adefensive strategy for social media used against us? 

Again, LRI is offering a FREE SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY CALL for those wishing some expert help assessing their preparedness for social media campaigns. Phil Wilson, president of LRI, will conduct a 30-minute conference call to help you answer questions like those above. More important, Phil provides pointers on how to respond to social media attacks during an organizing campaign and even offers some surprising “old school” tactics that are very effective counter-attacks. Phil will take the mystery out of this new communications venue for you and your team. 

Some of what will be covered:

 • What is the original “killer app,” and how can you make it work for you? (hint: you don’t need to be a technology expert to use it effectively) 

• What is the surface vs. the “deep” web? 

• How do you automate “listening in” to the web? 

• Do you have a Twibe? Do those who are working against you? 

• Can social media policies backfire? How do you prevent it? 

• Where’s your social media leverage? 

Copy and paste the link below into your browser to sign up for your FREE 30-minute call. (We use the process to confirm you are a member of management. The call is not for union representatives!) http://www.1shoppingcart.com/SecureCart/SecureCart.aspx?mid=99BAC904-9C2D-4F57-94A0-BFAC05D1CC8F&pid=7986c0c442ca4d47a0e7383a47bc716e&bn=1 (If Link is broken, copy and paste to a word document to create a single line link.) 

If you have any difficulties, call Tammy at 918-455-9995. 

Labor Relations Institute 

7850 South Elm Place - Suite E 

Broken Arrow, OK 74011 US

Re-Branding the Labor Movement: A Post-Election Lesson

If last week's elections proved anything, it proved that the labor movement would be well advised to focus on creating change from within, rather than trying to create it by hitching our trailer up to a politician's vehicle and hoping they'll have enough horsepower to advance us forward.  In case you haven't noticed, we have yet to go anywhere in the last few decades.  We're actually rolling in reverse on several fronts.  It's time we put all of our money into an F-650, and let the politicians hitch up to us.  Perhaps then, when they actually win an election, we'll get much better results from our investments.


So, how do we begin building the F-650? Well, as you can probably imagine, there are many, many components required, both mechanical and technological.  The F-650 is a powerful vehicle, and it's pretty overwhelming to figure out how to transform a travel trailer into one of these monsters.  It's no wonder why it hasn't been done before.  However, if you focus on one piece at a time, the upgrading process is much more palatable.


One piece that I believe is of utmost importance to the labor movement is that of public relations/marketing/advertising/communications - however you want to categorize it.  It is the most ignored, overlooked, underfunded and/or ill-conceived yet fundamental element within the labor framework.  The labor movement is by and large made up of those in skilled trades - not media experts and public relations consultants - so it's no surprise that this is an area of need.   Labor needs to figure out how to fulfill it - and fast.


This is not to say that advancements haven't been made in this respect.  There are very positive examples here and there of labor organizations and individuals that are starting to get it.  It's time  that labor organizations, from internationals to locals and everyone in between, start constructing well written, organized and purposeful strategic communication/public relations plans that address not only our members, but the general public as well.  If we don't take measured steps to proactively control our image and brand awareness by focusing on brand strategy development, then the Tea Parties, Glenn Becks and Sarah Palins of the world certainly will - as they already have.


Hold on one second - brand strategy development? What the *@$#? This is not a phrase commonly heard at the hall over coffee among the retirees, at the monthly union meetings, or in apprentice classes.  If it is discussed, it's probably limited to the upper echelon of the AFL-CIO and the Internationals, who desperately need to develop and provide educational resources that can arm their locals with an arsenal of branding tools that impart a consistent message throughout the country.  Examples include: Instruction on how to develop and implement a communication/marketing plan; the importance of having an online presence that provides value through a quality website and social media profiles; how to significantly improve internal communications so that members become more invested in their local's efforts. However, in order to provide these types of resources and guidance, the upper echelon needs to figure it out for themselves first.  


In private industry circles, particularly those with names that end in Inc. or Corp., a "brand" is not simply a product name. It's an intangible impression of thoughts and feelings about your organization that can be indelibly left on a person.  

"Whatever your business, your brand is who you are, what you do, and how you build relationships with customers, prospects and influencers. Your brand is how you motivate your people. Your brand is how you fulfill the promise of your company and its products. Your brand is how you define customer experiences, make them memorable, and build brand value." (The Latham Guide, Latham and Company, LLC)

Further, your brand has significant power over your ability to shape your organization and its future - or lack thereof.  Organizations of all types spend large sums of money every year to develop, improve and  protect their brands - organizations that in some cases are much smaller, have much less at stake, or provide significantly less value to society. Consider this: Kentucky Fried Chicken spent millions to "rebrand" their image to become KFC.  Which has more societal impact?  Fried chicken or labor unions? If we based our answer on public relations budgets, the Colonel would win, hands down.

You're probably thinking that labor doesn't have the kind of money that a re-branding campaign would require.   Remind me again how much the AFL-CIO spent on election campaigns this go-around with very little to show for it?  Over $200 million?  Is it really cost effective to use union dues in the 11th hour for an election that most people felt was a waste of time anyway?   Perhaps if the international unions and the AFL-CIO had dedicated a chunk of change towards waging an intensive re-branding/marketing/communications campaign years ago, aimed at the general public and designed to introduce the 21st Century Labor Movement to the masses, it would have made life a little easier come election time.


Bottom line: Perception is everything, whether it's true or not.  The public's perception of Labor needs to change, but this will never happen unless labor organizations realize how vital public relations efforts are today for the existence of our unions tomorrow.