CWAers Celebrate Human Rights at 2026 National Conference
Earlier this month, CWA human rights activists hosted the 2026 CWA National Human Rights Conference in Atlanta, Ga. They were joined by allies from several unions, including the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Activists from the International Women’s Alliance (IWA), Fwd.US, Rise United, and the Georgia AFL-CIO also attended the conference.
CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. delivered remarks to the gathering along with CWA District 3 Vice President Richard Honeycutt, District 9 Vice President Frank Arce, IUE-CWA Industrial Division President Carl Kennebrew, AFA-CWA International President Sara Nelson, and CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam. CWA District 2-13 Vice President Mike Davis, District 7 Vice President Susie McAllister, CWA Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook, and CWA Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton also attended the conference.
President Cummings spoke about the current fight for worker rights, saying, “We are fighting for what matters most. We want to see workers protected, not used as pawns. We want to improve Social Security and Medicare so they will be there when we are ready to retire. We want better, cheaper healthcare. We want to fix our tax system so that the obscenely rich pay what they owe and corporations aren’t rewarded for sending jobs overseas. We want to be free to join unions and bargain for the wages and benefits that we deserve.”
Other guest speakers included Stacey Abrams, Congresswoman Nikema Williams, Tennessee Representative Justin J. Pearson, and the U.S. Senator from Georgia Jon Ossoff, who all had participants on their feet and fired up. Alliance for Retired Americans' Robert Roach shared what every working American needs to know about retirement. And SEIU-United Service Workers West President David Huerta shared the story of his heart-wrenching arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
From left: Stacey Abrams, Tennessee Representative Justin J. Pearson, and U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff galvanized the crowd at this year’s Human Rights conference.
National AFL-CIO Human Rights Director Alex Rias gave an informative discussion on the role of human rights within the labor movement. CWA Human Rights Campaign Lead Mikeya Jones hosted a compelling panel on building young workers into leaders, and Sandra L. Williams, President of the Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council, hosted a panel discussion on the challenges faced by African American women in the Trump era.
The Human Rights Committee continued their tradition of hosting the Interactive Activist Mall, where members wrote postcards, filmed videos, provided voice clips for the Human Rights Radio Show, signed petitions, and learned how to make effective signs for marches and rallies.
CWA Northeastern Region At-Large Diversity Executive Board Member Gloria Middleton received the prestigious Human Rights Mary Mays-Carroll Award for exemplary dedication and commitment to the labor movement. CWA Local 3204 member Rita Scott also received the CWA National Human Rights Women’s Committee Woman of Excellence Award for outstanding contributions to women’s empowerment in human rights and labor.
The CWA Minority Caucus honored Vice President Honeycutt; CWA District 9 Administrative Director Maurice Washington; and CWA Director of Human Rights, Education and Health & Safety Angie Wells with Lifetime Achievement Awards for outstanding dedication and service.
CWA members gathered in Atlanta, Ga., for the 2026 CWA National Human Rights Conference.
---
This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.
