SUPPORT US An appeal from a special "Friend of the Center." Dear Friend, I am proud to be a friend of the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights(The Center). Won’t you join me in making a special end of the year contribution to support the Center’s efforts on behalf of low-wage African American workers in the Mississippi Delta and across the state. Over the past year, I have traveled to many parts of the United States and the world. I have looked into the faces of victims of extreme poverty, racism and other human rights violations. I have talked with people from one end of this country to the other. I have heard their stories about their struggle for freedom and dignity. I have been ispired by the words of these courageous social change agents. Perhaps one of the most memorable experiences I had this year was my visit to Greenville, Mississippi as a guest of the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights. On February 8, 2003, I was privileged to be keynote speaker for the Center’s Annual Black History Month Celebration. Located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the Center is a beacon of hope for many low-wage African American workers who are victims of racial discrimination. Everyday these workers face hostility and terror. They work in hostile work environments and often seek redress in vain from their employers. They struggle everyday to provide their families with life’s basic necessities. They know only too well how far we must go to achieve true equality, economic justice and human rights for all. They are factory workers, housekeepers in hotels, office workers, and shipbuilders. They need support. They need a place to go to for assistance with developing strategies that will bring about change where they work and where they live. They need to know there is a place they can go to meet other workers who are fighting the good fight. They need the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights. Since its founding in 1996, the Center has trained and provided organizing support for hundreds of workers throughout the state. The Center has brought cases on behalf of victims of workplace hate violence, denial of overtime benefits and employment discrimination. The Center provides training and assistance to grassroots African American women, youth and parent activists. The Center also trains future lawyers and leaders through its internship program and provides resources for high school seniors through its Black History Essay Contest and other activities. I was amazed to learn how much this small but growing institution has been able to accomplish in such a short time. What is even more amazing is how much the Center has done, given its limited resources. You can help the Center grow. Send your tax-deductible contribution today. In the coming year, we will face many challenges in the fight for human rights and justice. Let’s all do our part to build a more just world. Support the Center because its mission is to do just that -- to build a more just world where workers will no longer have to choose between their dignity and safety and a paycheck. Please add your name to the list of “Friends of the Center.”
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