TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo was represented at Friday's March on Washington. UAW Local 14 sent about 30 people to be there for the historic moment.
For Local 14 President, Tony Totty, being in Washington was about acknowledging the important issues the country is dealing with in the present while also honoring the history of his UAW brothers and sisters.
"Before the March on Washington there was a walk in Detroit that had 125 thousand people, and Martin Luther King was at that as well and he planned for that event at our Solidarity House," said Totty.
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Totty says the Union played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement beyond just the Detroit Marches with UAW Leader Walter Reuther marching alongside King, pushing for national reform.
"When Martin Luther King was arrested in Birmingham it wasn't just him it was him and 800 other people and Walter Reuther came up with $160 thousand dollars to bail them out," said Totty.
So, Friday afternoon, 30 UAW Local 14 workers marched on Washington to honor Dr. King and Reuther, and to share in a moment during the current generation's fight for civil rights.
"We don't accept discrimination in the workplace so we don't want our communities to endure it either. So, just like we would fight for our members at work, we want to fight for our fellow citizens," said Totty.
The UAW participants made the whole trip in a day and Totty hopes they can bring the lessons and inspiration from the march back home to inspire their fellow co-workers.
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