Women of Labor Celebrate Women's History Month

Liz R. Graham, SAG-AFTRA Houston-Austin Local 2nd vice president, was a guest panelist representing SAG-AFTRA at the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation/AFL-CIO’s Women of Labor Luncheon on March 27 in Houston. Celebrating Women’s History Month, the panel had female leaders from several unions, including law enforcement officers, plumbers, teachers, musicians and marine engineers. The panel opened with a surprise visit from long-time U.S. Rep. Shirley Jackson Lee of Texas, who gave a rousing speech about men and women coming together to create better work environments. She also advised women that they need to stop thinking they need to act like men. “Be yourself and follow your inner truth” she said. “We have a destiny and a challenge for moving our country forward.”

"I was proud when they recognized SAG-AFTRA and our members as leaders in the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements combating sexual abuse in our industry. Asked what lessons or advice I could share (in under two minutes) to help combat this plague in other industries, I responded that we need work environments that foster trust, where a person being harassed can say something without fear of reprisals, and where they will be believed," said Graham. "We need to educate both the abused and abusers. And we need unions that support and fight for them when employers won’t."

The theme of the day was “Nevertheless, She Persisted,” and the program ended with advice for younger women who aspire to leadership roles both within and outside of the labor movement. Participants were asked to finish the sentence: “Nevertheless, you can persist by ...”  

Graham's advice: Nevertheless, you can persist by never giving up, never giving in, and when they tell you you can’t do it, say, “Watch me!”