Union Pauses for Impromptu Celebration of Obama’s Win
June 4, 2008
APWU officers and staff paused briefly Wednesday afternoon to celebrate Barack Obama’s apparent nomination as the Democratic Party candidate for president. “We want to acknowledge the historic nature of June 3, 2008,” said union President William Burrus. “We endorsed Sen. Obama,” he noted, “and it looks like we made the right call.”
“But this day is much bigger than us. … This day shows how far we, as a nation, have come.
“Simple things” Burrus observed. “Like the right of your grandfather to get an education, or not. Like the right of your grandfather to own property, or not. Like the right to get life insurance, or not.
“No one alive today owned slaves,” he said, “and no one alive today is to blame. But all of us have been affected by this history…
“In my lifetime, to go from not being able to drink from the same water fountain as others to get to the point where a person of color is running for the highest office in the land… It is a journey.”
With that, he raised a plastic glass of sparkling cider and made a toast, “To us, and our country, and how far we’ve come! For future generations: June 3, 2008!”
Secretary-Treasurer Terry Stapleton added: “Don’t sit back and watch. Get involved and make it happen. Be a part of it.”