Abstract
Black and organized workers increasingly find themselves threatened by two key outside forces: one seeking to stop anti-racism efforts via diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices and the other curtailing employees’ union organizing. This Article argues that a response must be grounded in uniquely local strategies by two specific worker coalitions. One coalition—the New Black Workers Movement (NBWM)—arose from Black Lives Matter civil rights protests in 2020 that captivated the workplace and heightened awareness about anti-Blackness and concerns of systemic racism. The other coalition—the New Labor Workers Movement (NLWM)—developed in 2020 as a workplace response to a global pandemic that reinvigorated concerted employee efforts to pursue comprehensive protections beyond racial justice for rank-and-file workers. This Article reexamines the anti-DEI narratives that threaten the rights of many Black workers, with a particular focus on the growing legal consequences created by federal government actions and business reactions. To the extent that the federal government and businesses have started to adopt Project 2025’s anti-union agenda, these workers face additional vulnerabilities. The Article proposes that the NBWM and NLWM use local measures at a grassroots level to protect the interests of these vulnerable workers facing anti-DEI and anti-labor conditions. Most scholars continue to question the viability of coalitions between civil rights and labor movements due to historical tensions between those groups. This Article disputes those concerns by considering a unique approach focused on specific “locations” where each group may thrive independently or via joint collaborations. These coalitions emerge from a rarely considered application of the interest-convergence principle to address matters of race and develop mass-organizing strategies for Black and organized workers. By capitalizing on each movement, these vulnerable workers can find a path to resistance, protect their livelihoods, and add value to the communities where they work. When the law may not provide the best respite for these vulnerable workers, they must do something to survive. Finding “locations” for successful NBWM-NLWM mergers enhances the opportunities for these workers’ continued advancement.
