Fran Ansley and I have been involved with the JwJ network since 1995 when our local Central Labor Council invited us to help organize our local East Tennessee JwJ. For the past several years, we have made a monthly automatic contribution to both the Jobs with Justice Education Fund (national JwJ) and to our local JwJ coalition, JwJ of East Tennessee.
Early on, we got to witness the power and significance of union/community solidarity in the Mineworkers’ strike against Pittston Coal Company in the hollows and on the ridges of Southern Appalachia. We saw what the union and its members meant to the community and what the community, its churches and civic organizations brought to the struggle for labor justice and workers’ rights. To win that fight, it took national and even international support, and I think most fundamentally, the shoulder-to-shoulder daily support of neighbors, pastors, and local community organizations. Across the board Solidarity of material support and mutual reinforcement was necessary to win. We have seen those lessons multiplied in years since.
That is why Fran and I give regularly scheduled contributions to both national JwJ and to JwJ of East Tennessee. National JwJ’s breadth of vision and strategic support coupled with JwJET’s local, feet-on-the-ground network of neighbors, community and religious organizations give us the strength to gain justice for working families in our East Tennessee communities. Through these efforts, we have seen and have experienced both national and local victories, often interconnected.
When we decided to become monthly Sustainers of JwJ, we made a conscious decision to give separately to the national office and JwJ of East Tennessee. JwJ of East Tennessee is volunteer-led coalition, but is armed with a highly-dedicated core of leaders. With limited resources, we have been able to help launch a union local which has over a thousand members and still growing, and organize critical support for a successful new union of local poultry workers. At the national level, we know we are helping the national JwJ staff build a strong network of coalitions that are more than the sum of its parts. National staff counsel us and help us collaborate with other JwJs in our region. National JwJ research, educational materials, campaigns, and alerts make us stronger in our local struggles.
As we approach the end of the year, I encourage you, fellow JwJ activists, to make your own contribution to national JwJ and to the local coalition making a difference in your community. Further, I challenge you to make a deep commitment to JwJ by becoming a monthly Sustainer.
JwJ is building a long-term movement for justice, working to win real victories for working people that will have a profound impact for decades to come. Now is the time to provide resources for this ambitious work. We must fund our own movement by putting our money where our hopes and our vision are. Will you join me in supporting JwJ this year?
To become a JwJ sustaining member, visit the JwJ donation website and choose monthly “recurring payments”. You can designate a local coalition, JwJ national, or both to receive your donations.
Reverend Jim Sessions is a United Methodist Minister and long-time Jobs with Justice leader in East Tennessee.
