At first glance, the kitchen at Trinity United Church of Christ didn’t look big enough to fit five people, but at least 10 people jammed in to cook 200 breakfasts to pass around the city.
Around 200 labor members from around the country met in Gary on Feb. 19 — like they’ve done for the last 13 years — to do good for the city, said Ephrin Jenkins, founder and executive director of Black Labor Week Project Inc. He started the event because he felt Labor wasn’t reaching far enough into the Black community — especially its youth.
“We’re reaching out to these kids because there are a lot of people are retiring, so there are going to be a lot of good-paying jobs out there,” Jenkins, who goes by EJ, said. “We visit the schools and engage with the kids. For example, we have a mentoring program with Banneker because we want to start inspiring them early.”
With various community-service-based events scheduled, the project is just a way to give back, he said.
“We have a really diverse group of people here today, which is amazing in itself,” he said.
Jeff Vance made it up to Gary from Tullahoma, Tennessee for his third Labor Week. An operations technician for Bridgestone who’s also a member of the Tennessee Workforce Development Board, he too stressed the importance of talking to kids about Labor opportunities, as did Latecha Daniels, a nurse who lives in the area.
“That’s always amazing,” Daniels said of going into the schools. “Kids need to have that kind of attention where they know someone’s looking out; some come from troubled holes, so we’re there to say, ‘Let’s get this figured out.’ We just ask them what we need.”
There are also panels for men and women where workers from all career sets gather and just talk about their experiences, she said.
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“We don’t know their titles, but we create space for everyone,” she said.
Kevin Mapp, international vice president for Human Affairs for the United Steel Workers, had been involved with the project pretty much from the beginning. He enjoys the panels as well.
“It’s a place for us to talk real talk,” he said
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.