Local 23’s ‘Celebration of Black History and Labor’ event revives Tacoma longshore tradition
ILWU Local 23 celebrated Black History Month by holding an event titled “A Celebration of Black History and Labor” on February 18 at Tacoma’s Foss Waterway Seaport Museum. The event honored the accomplishments of Black workers in Tacoma and also those who battled discrimination and fought for equal opportunities for all workers.
The event featured distinguished speakers and artistic performances. Guests included ILWU International President Willie Adams, Coast Committeeman Cam Williams, ILWU Canada Secretary-Treasurer Bob Dhaliwal, Alaska Longshore Division Vice President Jeff Hancock, Mayor of Tacoma Victoria Woodards, and many local elected officials. Local 23 pensioner Rodney Rhyme was the emcee for the event which was attended by more than 300 people.
Twenty-year hiatus
Local 23 revived this event in Tacoma after a more than 20-year hiatus. The original events were first organized by Local 23 members Willie Adams and Mike Chambers and were first held at the Port of Tacoma building. As the event grew in popularity, it was moved to the Sheraton Hotel—now the Hotel Murano—and then to the Pantages Theater in downtown Tacoma. Over the years, the event has welcomed notable figures such as Danny Glover, Yolanda King, Cicely Tyson, Chuck D, and baseball great Buck O’Neil from the Negro American League.
Local 23 President Jared Faker welcomed everyone to the event and celebrated its return:
“This event started over 20 years ago with Local 23 members Willie Adams and Mike Chambers, and was a tremendous success. Unfortunately, a funny thing happened after that. Nobody picked up the torch to carry it forward. That’s what we are doing today, picking the torch back up, so that our generation can continue and push the tradition forward,” Faker said. “The ILWU has historically stood at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement, fighting for social justice and equality, to advocate not only for ourselves but for our community at large and we continue to do so today. Events like this are not only important for our community, but they’re also important to remind ourselves of who we are, and who we should be. Tonight, we are going to remember some of our forgotten history and we are going to see firsthand what a great equalizer that the labor movement is for people of all backgrounds.”
Remembering Ernie Tanner
Local 23 young worker John Womack introduced a short film about Ernie Tanner, an iconic figure in Tacoma longshore history and a key player in the 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike
Tanner started on the waterfront after the strike in 1916 and joined the old Tacoma longshore union on December 26, 1918. Tanner established a reputation as an excellent winch driver and union man and a strong advocate that Black longshore workers enjoy the same wages and working conditions as white workers.
During the 1934 West Coast Waterfront Strike, Tanner was the sole Black member of the Northwest Joint Strike Committee, working closely with Harry Bridges to maintain Black and white unity during the 82-day strike.
In 1936 Tanner was elected chair of the local’s Publicity Committee and also served on the Executive Board and as a Trustee from 1933-1939 and 1948-1953. When the ILWU was formed in 1937, Tacoma was one of the few holdouts to stay with the ILA but Tanner continued advocating for affiliating with the ILWU. Harry Bridges made regular trips to Tacoma over the years to try and win over the local, often staying with the Tanner family while in town. Famously, when asked by the National Labor Relations Board what he thought of an employer-controlled hiring hall, Tanner replied: “I’d quit the waterfront first.”
Spoken word performance
Zeek Green, a Local 98 Foreman at the Port of Tacoma, gave a spoken word performance of his piece “Thank You,” which honored Black longshore workers who paved the way for him and other Black workers on the waterfront. In part:
“You all deserve a lot more credit and here is my portion; if you didn’t prove that we are men, I would not be a longshoreman
“So thank you for all you did and did not do; to forget all that you went through would be to dishonor you
“and I have nothing but the utmost respect; for those who taught me that earning a living is about so much more than just a paycheck!”
Honoring Isaac “Ike” Morrow
International President Willie Adams honored pensioner Isaac “Ike” Morrow with the Industry Impact Award for the profound influence his career had on the longshore industry and Local 23. Morrow began working on the waterfront as a casual in 1962 and got his A book in 1965. In 1972 he became the youngest and only the second Black person to be promoted to foreman. As a foreman, Morrow introduced the concept of on-dock intermodal rail which had a major impact on the longshore industry and the Port of Tacoma.
President Adams said that Morrow was a mentor and an inspiration to him on the waterfront and that his work ethic, leadership, and ingenuity commanded respect throughout the industry. Adams added that his career was profoundly influenced by Morrow and that if not for his trailblazing efforts and constant support, he would never have gone on to become International President.
“Standing up here today, I feel the presence of Ike Morrow next to me. Ike wasn’t a Black hero, he was an American hero,” Adams said. “He represented the best of the great longshoremen; he was a great foreman. We all owe him a debt of gratitude. Willie Adams doesn’t become International President if there is no Ike Morrow.”
Receiving the honor on Ike’s behalf was Terry Morrow, one of Ike’s four sons, all of whom became longshoremen themselves.
Keynote address
The evening’s keynote address was delivered by Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) President April Sims, the first woman to be elected WSLC President and the first Black woman elected to the presidency of an AFL-CIO state federation.
President Sims recounted her family’s lived experience which demonstrated the power and impact that organized labor has to change lives. She is the granddaughter of Louisiana sharecroppers and the daughter of a single mother. Sims recounted how the Great Migration brought her grandfather to Washington State where his job as a union janitor provided economic dignity for his family, how her mom’s union job pulled their family out of a cycle of poverty, and her union job provided her family with economic security.
“I know firsthand the difference our collective work makes in the lives of workers, families, and communities. I know the generational impact of a good union job. At the State Labor Council, we are committed to doing the work that lifts workers, their families, and their communities. We are committed to the fight for racial and economic justice,” Sims said. “We know our strength and power is rooted in our solidarity. And anything that divides us makes us weak. We have always known in the labor movement that solidarity is our strength and our power,” Sims said. “We recognize that the fate of all workers–black and brown or indigenous, Asian or white–are interconnected. We either rise together, or we fail.”
Sims said that it is not enough for the labor movement to focus on just economic issues of the workplace but must also confront other forms of oppression faced by workers.
“When the 24-hour news cycle demonizes black and brown immigrants, when the voting rights of Native peoples are suppressed, when dog whistles and bigotry spew from the mouths of the folks that are running to lead this country, when the most vulnerable among us are trapped in cycles of poverty, sticking to workplace issues will not be enough,” Sims said. “We have to decide whether we are going to focus on the narrow issues, economic issues of the workplace or are we going to address the tough issues of our collective issues like climate justice, racial equity, reproductive freedom, worker dignity, gender rights, the issues of our community.”
Local 23’s Nandi Seboulisa closed out the evening with a moving performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” better known as the “Black National Anthem,” written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson and later set to music by his younger brother J. Rosamond Johnson.