This event is co-sponsored by the Contra Costa Labor Council

The goal of the C.L. Dellums African American Leadership School is to train union and community members active in the Black community so they can strengthen relationships between the Black community and the labor movement.

This year’s program will focus on Black workers and the Black community in Contra Costa County. Economic growth in San Francisco and Oakland and the associated rise in inequality have driven many Black workers out of those cities and into Contra Costa County. The curriculum will develop participants’ skills so they can better understand the conditions of Black workers in the County including the impact of mass incarceration and support unions and other organizations who seek to address the problems on Black workers. Topics to be covered include: Organizing 101; the Political Economy in the East Bay; Listening Skills; Surveying Members; Mapping Social Networks; Immigration; Conducting a Power Analysis; and Mass Incarceration.

This year’s school will take place on six Saturdays and will include both classroom and field work. Participants will be selected after an application and interview process.

Dates:

• Saturday, September 16, 2017, 9AM–3PM
• Saturday, September 30, 2017, 9AM–3PM
• Saturday, October 14, 2017, 9AM–3PM
• Saturday, October 28, 2017, 9AM–3PM
• Saturday, November 11, 2017, 9AM–3PM
• Saturday, November 18, 2017, 9AM–3PM

Selection Process:

Participants will be selected based on an application and phone interview process.
Final deadline to submit an application is August 21.
Applicants will be notified if they have been invited to proceed to a phone interview.
Phone interviews will begin the week of August 21.
Applicants will be notified if selected to join the class by September 1, 2017.

Location:
United Steelworkers Local 5
1333 Pine Street #A
Martinez, CA 94553

Cost:
$400, per participant, includes light breakfast, lunch, instruction, parking and all workshop materials. Information on how to process the $400 registration fee will be included in the acceptance packet. Payment is due by September 16, the first day of the workshop.

Apply online here and download application materials here.

About the Facilitators

Steven C. Pitts

Steven Pitts came to the Labor Center in August of 2001 from Houston, Texas. Steven received his Ph.D. in economics with an emphasis on urban economics from the University of Houston in 1994. His M.A. is also from the University of Houston and he holds a B.A. from Harvard University. For the 15 years prior to his arrival at the Labor Center, Steven taught economics at Houston Community College and, for five years, he was an adjunct lecturer in the African American Studies Program at the University of Houston. At the Labor Center, Steven focuses on issues of job quality and Black workers. In this arena, he has published reports on employment issues in the Black community, initiated a Black union leadership school, and shaped projects designed to build solidarity between Black and Latino immigrant workers. Currently, a major area of his work involves providing technical assistance to efforts in developing Black worker centers around the country.

If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact:
Steven Pitts
(510) 643-6815
spitts1@berkeley.edu

If you have any questions regarding logistics, please contact:
Kineshia Cadogan
(510) 642-1027
kcadogan@berkeley.edu

Clementina Jara
(510) 643-7048
zenaida@berkeley.edu

The 2017 C.L. Dellums Leadership School welcomes participation from people of all races, ethnicities, national origins, and gender identities.