Honoree Larry Brown, president of NALC Local 24

More than seventy-five unionists, community members, and labor educators gathered at the UCLA downtown Labor Center to celebrate the birthday of A. Philip Randolph during the first annual Leaders of Justice luncheon.

Hosted by the UCLA African American Union Leadership School and the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the luncheon honored seven local leaders for their commitment to workers’ rights and the development of union leadership in Los Angeles. The honorees included Larry Brown, president of NALC Local 24; Alice Goff, president of AFSCME 3090; Leroy Jackson, president of NABET Local 53; Lakesha Harrison, president of AFSCME Local 3299; Tyrone Freeman, president of SEIU Local 6434; Velma Butler, president of AFT Local 1521A; and Bill Lloyd, trustee of SEIU Local 99.

A. Philip Randolph organized ten thousand Pullman porters nationwide in 1937 and proved African Americans could organize and build power for the American labor movement. His efforts led to the desegregation of the U.S. armed forces, defense industry jobs, and later the AFL-CIO leadership. His work for social and economic justice became the foundation of the 1960s civil rights struggle.