(ROCHESTER, NEW YORK) – More than 100 Health Care Workers from across Upstate joined a Poor People’s & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly in Rochester over the weekend, which was held to support a similar event that took place in Washington, D.C. on Saturday (June 29th).

Saturday’s rain did not stop the message from getting out inside Aenon Missionary Baptist Church on Genesee Street in Rochester as Workers across the United States are mobilizing to defend their freedoms and build an unprecedented movement to empower voters, combat poverty and grow Worker Power.

Those Health Care Workers came from Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester - and were joined by faith leaders and a variety of community organizations to listen to a number of empowering speeches calling on them to take action.

1199 Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United Healthcare Workers East-represented Health Care Workers were in attendance and were joined by Pastor Myra Brown and representatives from the Rochester/Genesee Valley AFL-CIO Area Labor Federation, the Buffalo African American Cultural Center, the Rochester Urban League, the Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI), the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), Metro Justice/Elder Justice, and Rochester ACTS.

"Every human being has a right to live a life of dignity.  For this to happen we must abolish oppressive systems that perpetuate poverty,” said Pastor Wanda Wilson, who serves as Executive Director of RocACTS.  “The fight is against poverty not the poor."

Metro Justice Council President Alice Carli said: "National politics continues to act as a means for wealthy elites to sow division and disempower poor communities, now more than ever.  It's time for us get our act together and act out – together."

Jalil Muntaqim, who serves as Special Projects Coordinator for Citizen Action of New York’s Rochester Chapter, said: "Citizen Action believes poverty is a crime and the criminalization of poverty is inhumane.”

Dr. Leah Daniel, the Executive Director at the Buffalo African-American Cultural Center, said: “As an Afro-Latina Woman who has experienced poverty first-hand and now an influential leader in my community, I stand with the Poor People's Campaign to change the narrative surrounding poverty and to initiate the change that needs to happen right now.  Lived experiences matter and so does the action that needs to take place.”

RMAPI Executive Director Aqua Porter said: “The Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative stands in solidarity with the Poor People’s Campaign and the goal to confront the evils of systemic racism and poverty.  We believe that no one should live or die in poverty in the richest Nation on earth and we will work tirelessly toward our goal of breaking the cycle of poverty by shifting power to enable upward mobility for all families in our community.”

CBTU Rochester Chapter President Shelly Clements said: “CBTU Rochester is proud to rally with our partners to demand what is right and just.  The fact that (July 9th, 2024) is Equal Pay Day for Black Women demonstrates the urgent threat to the economic security of communities of color.  Racism and sexism have shaped the structure of our Nation’s economy, laws and policies, and are the reasons why the average Black Woman must work so far into the year to earn what the average Man earned last year.  We are morally obligated to speak out against the socio-economic disparities and systemic challenges faced by Women of Color.  We are compelled to shine a light on systemic issues such as racial bias, gender bias, occupational segregation and the lack of advancement opportunities.  We rally to uplift and center the needs of low wage Workers and in solidarity with our siblings at the Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March in Washington, D.C. and across the Nation.  The Poor People’s Campaign, Solidarity Rally in Rochester is the time to get into some ‘good trouble.’”

1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, whose mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all and is the largest and fastest-growing Health Care Union in New York State and nationwide, represents more than 450,000 Members throughout New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and Florida, and in Washington, D.C. 

Photo Courtesy Of 1199 SEIU.