Major Project

CARE at Work

Through a school to movement pathway of service, teaching, capacity building and research, the Center for the Advancement of Racial Equity (CARE) at Work purpose is to reveal conditions of Black work in Southern California under global racial capitalism and model approaches for change.

Black workers today face three major challenges — economic disparities, the aftermath of the COVID-19 health crisis, and anti-Black racism and racial violence ingrained in our society, structures, and institutions of power.

CARE at Work focuses on Black equity, working with more than 32 unions and community organizations across Southern California to build strong Black worker centers to engage local workers; shape regional coordination, resource-sharing, and capacity building toward field development and co-produce relevant actionable research and policy learning to fuel change.

This work serves to realize a California where advancing justice allows equity created around Black life to cascade into meaningful Black working conditions that sustain families and vibrant communities. It is comprised of three main elements:

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View all of the CARE at Work reports

Participatory Research and Narrative Shift

Community-led applied action research focused on the issues most salient to Black workers and their needs to inform corporate practice, policy learnings and systems change. Our most recent reports:

Field Development

Workforce development and capacity-building function for regional learning, coalition, and institution building toward organized Black workers and united voice, leading collective action that advances the position of Black workers and the families that rely on them in Southern California.

CARE at Work supports an emerging field of new worker centers and alliances focused on the diverse needs of Black workers in Southern California, Black centering immigrants, returning citizens, youth, and low-wage and unemployed workers.

School to Movement Pathways

CARE at Work sponsors “We Gone Be Alright: Developing the Next Generation of Black Organizers Through History, Theory and Practice.”

CARE at Work hosts Freedom Fellowship, a 10-week experiential opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience working with activists and community organizers involved in the movement for civic and economic justice for Black workers. This work will prioritize supporting Black Worker Centers across California with regional projects, policy solutions, and research studies.

Center for the Advancement of Racial Equity at Work

Developing the Next Generation of Black Organizers

In partnership with UCLA Labor Studies, local community college and other campuses, students enrolled in We Gone Be Alright: Developing the Next Generation of Black Organizers course, learn from and build on Black labor and community organizing traditions, and develop the skills and mindsets needed for transformative leadership. Students connect with leaders of labor unions, community organizations, student organizations, and prepare for more intensive community-based work.

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