Economic Justice
Perhaps the best example of the BCC approach to this issue is the mid-90ʻs Kmart labor struggle. The mostly Black workers at a huge Kmart distribution center were mistreated by the mostly White management and voted to form a union. Kmart would not enter contract negotiations in good faith. The BCC – together with the Pulpit Forum Black ministers group – played a key leadership role in the successful effort to transform this volatile dispute from a racially charged labor-management issue to a community issue, thus giving space for the community to get constructively involved and make this a positive community experience.
To accomplish this, the organizing emphasis was placed on the unjust treatment of five hundred men and women who were a part of the Greensboro community. The challenge was to find creative ways to stand with the workers so that others would feel compelled to join and all could stand for the best interest of the whole community.