Our Origin

Black and white photo of Black workers marching the streets of LA holding signs that say "We want our WORKSITES to look like our COMMUNITIES"

In 2009, the LABWC started as a project at the UCLA Labor Center. We recognized the growing need for robust and centralized spaces where Black workers could connect with each other, build leadership skills, and access resources that help us have greater control over our workplace. So in 2011, we opened our doors at the Paul Robeson Center in South Los Angeles.

Our motivation was spurred by sobering statistics coming from the 2008 labor market: nationally, Black workers had an unemployment rate of 8%—double that of white workers. In Los Angeles, Black unemployment was at 14%. And more than 34% of working-age adults were underemployed in low-wage jobs.

According to a power analysis of Black labor in Los Angeles by the UCLA African-American Union Leadership School, institutionalized community support dedicated to defending and protecting the rights of Black workers was non-existent. Most Black economic development strategies focused solely on training that addressed individual worker deficit. But there was little focus dedicated on explicitly organizing Black workers to address root causes of our jobs crisis and systems change through leadership development, base-building, and advocacy.

15th Anniversary Celebration

By Los Angeles Black Worker Center

15th Anniversary Celebration

Justice is on the Menu!