After a two-year hiatus, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor was able to host the 2023 Annual MLK Breakfast live and in person, with all of the movement’s greats in one place, at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on January 14.

Our AFM Local 47 contingent was proud to join with over 1,200 sisters and brothers from our Los Angeles labor movement in celebrating the “Past, Present and Future” of the Civil Rights and Labor Movements and recommitting ourselves to the idea that “Civil Rights are Forever Right.” Proudly representing AFM Local 47 at the LA Fed 2023 MLK Breakfast were member/activist Sidney Hopson, Communications Director Linda Rapka, President Stephanie O’Keefe, Interim Secretary/Treasurer Gail Kruvand, and Vice President Marc Sazer.

In a powerful show of Black and Brown unity, speakers included:

Lee Saunders, President, AFSCME
Doug Moore, Executive Director, UDW 90 & AFSCME 3930
April Verrett, Secretary/Treasurer, SEIU
Alex Padilla, U.S. Senator for California
Maria Elena Durazo, California State Senator, SD 24
Pastor Eddie Anderson, Senior Pastor, McCarty Memorial Christian Church
Natalie Gonzalez, President, IAM 1930
Dominique DiPrima, Talk Radio Host, KBLA Talk 1580

Celebrity host Yvette Nicole Brown from the hit show “Community” kept the show moving before sitting down with Mayor-Elect Karen Bass for an insightful interview on the influence of our past Labor Leaders on Mayor-Elect Bass and her plans for ensuring working people in Los Angeles are able to thrive.

The event ended with a moving keynote by LA Fed President Yvonne Wheeler, who spoke on how we will keep MLK’s legacy alive as we move forward as a united L.A. Labor Movement.