A View from Inside the Beltway

By Brenda Shields, Chief Steward, Memphis City Schools chapter

During the first weekend of October, SEIU Local 205 members from all across the state went to Washington D.C. to participate in the “One Nation Working Together” rally, which was held at the Lincoln Monument. One Nation Working Together is a social movement of individuals and organizations committed to putting America back to work and pulling America back together. Coming from a diverse set of backgrounds, experiences, beliefs and orientations, we are determined to build a more united country with good jobs, equal justice, and quality public education for all.

One of those who attended was Barbara Hill, one of our co-workers at Hamilton High School. “It was good to see all of these people rallying for the things we need not only in Memphis, but all over the USA,” Barbara said. She was one of eleven people from the West Tennessee chapters of SEIU to go to the rally.

The rally was endorsed by your union, along with the AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, Center for Community Change, Communications Workers of America, Green for All, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, National Action Network, National Council of La Raza, Power PAC, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Sojourners, UAW, and the United States Students Association.

Barbara Ann McGee, who works as a Cafeteria Manager at Holmes Road Elementary, said “we’ve got a lot of work to do to get this country back on track, but in Washington we started that journey with a strong first step. This rally was not an end but a beginning.”