{"id":14953,"date":"2026-02-14T13:34:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T18:34:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/?p=14953"},"modified":"2026-02-14T13:34:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T18:34:59","slug":"dont-stand-alone-black-labor-organizing-in-new-orleans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/2026\/02\/14\/dont-stand-alone-black-labor-organizing-in-new-orleans\/","title":{"rendered":"Don&#8217;t Stand Alone: Black Labor Organizing in New Orleans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/New-Orleans-Art-scaled.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-14954 \" src=\"https:\/\/njfac.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/New-Orleans-Art-1024x476.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"573\" height=\"266\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>New Orleans is a city shaped by the labor, artistry, and resilience of Black workers. Their contributions are not only foundational to the city\u2019s infrastructure and economy, but also to its vibrant cultural identity.<\/p>\n<p>In November 2025 I had the opportunity to visit the art exhibit\u2014&#8221;Don\u2019t Stand Alone&#8221;\u2014 which invites the\u00a0public to engage with the history and lived experiences of Black laborers in New Orleans. It was beautiful\u00a0and eye opening. Through visual storytelling, archival materials, and community voices, the exhibit\u00a0brings to light both the hardships and creative endurance of Black workers across generations.<\/p>\n<p>In my recent interview with Senior Researcher Matt Olsen, he emphasized, \u201cWhen we talk about rebuilding New Orleans,\u00a0we have to remember who was holding the tools, who was doing the work, and whose stories have yet to\u00a0be fully told.\u201d Olsen also noted that \u201cArt is a powerful way to connect us to these histories\u2014not as\u00a0distant facts, but as living legacies that shape our present.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Initiatives like this exhibit ensure these stories\u00a0are seen, heard, and valued.\u00a0 The exhibit\u2019s website offers a wealth of resources and stories making this critical history accessible to all.<\/p>\n<p>As 2026 begins and we reflect on the meaning of labor and community, \u201cDon\u2019t Stand Alone\u201d reminds us\u00a0that honoring the legacy of Black labor is essential to understanding New Orleans itself\u2014and to building\u00a0a more just and inclusive future.\u00a0To learn more or experience the exhibit virtually, visit: <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nowcrj.org\/dontstandalone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-cke-saved-href=\"https:\/\/www.nowcrj.org\/dontstandalone\">nowcrj.org\/dontstandalone<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>By Cortney Sanders<br \/>\nDirector of National Jobs For All Network<br \/>\nThe Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Orleans is a city shaped by the labor, artistry, and resilience of Black workers. Their contributions are not only foundational to the city\u2019s infrastructure and economy, but also to its vibrant cultural identity. In November 2025 I had the opportunity to visit the art exhibit\u2014&#8221;Don\u2019t Stand Alone&#8221;\u2014 which invites the\u00a0public to engage with the&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/2026\/02\/14\/dont-stand-alone-black-labor-organizing-in-new-orleans\/\">Read More <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Don&#8217;t Stand Alone: Black Labor Organizing in New Orleans<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41,6,170,169],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-african-americans","category-constituents","category-labor","category-unions"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14953"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14955,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14953\/revisions\/14955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/njfac.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}