Richard Davis, Local 100's Third Black President, Sets Course of Empowerment
Davis, Local 100’s third Black President (after Willie James and Roger Toussaint), and our fourth President of Color (including Damaso Seda) now heads an Executive Committee (the top 11 union leaders) including seven Black officers – Brother Davis, Recording Secretary LaTonya Crisp, Admin. VP Lynwood Whichard, and Vice Presidents Robert Kelley, Canella Gomez, Shirley Martin, and Donald Yates.
In a speech to the packed Union Hall, Davis said: “I’m a pro-Black President, and I will continue to be pro-Black. I am very proud of my heritage. Immigrating to the United States, I experienced a level of disdain for people of color. That really put things into perspective for me. I want every person of color to experience civility, to experience citizenship… I have to focus on the development and uplifting of my people.”
He emphasized the need for unity within TWU Local 100, and praised former President Tony Utano, who he called “my best friend. He propelled me into this position, making sure that I would succeed. He stays with me day and night.”
He drew attention to less-quoted parts of Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech in which King said, “We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro is a victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.”
Turning to conflicts within the union, Davis called for an end to “us backstabbing us, scandalizing one another, pulling each others’ heritage down. We are doing it to ourselves, and it’s not civil. We are over 40,000 members strong. We have the power to effect change. We need to band together and fight as one voice. It’s our time,” he said. “We must focus now and move in one direction collectively to secure a solid contract for our members and our families.”
He said we must move forward as "one TWU -- Member Built, Member Strong, Member Driven."
US Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (D-Brooklyn) keynoted the evening, first recapping the economic benefits of the Biden Administration’s signature 2021 American Rescue Plan (which provided $769 million to the MTA, preventing layoffs during the pandemic, as well as the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, also passed in 2021, which included $39 billion for public transit.
She urged her colleagues in Congress now to pass the PRO Act, which would give Unions much greater power to win organizing drives by instituting card check. She then turned to her childhood in Brooklyn, remembering a transit worker who was revered on the block as a breadwinner.
“You are emblematic of what we believe is the American dream,” she said. “You have made the difference in so many peoples’ lives, whether you know it or not. You are influential, and many of us look up to you for your sacrifice and what you do each and every day to strengthen our communities and strengthen our families.”
Great food from Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem was ladled out in abundance, and the overflow crowd was treated to a night of excellent entertainment from our very own Power Cable Maintainer Orasarie Howard, who performs spoken word under the name Lyrically Inclined. She’s one of a new generation of Union leaders who are being mentored by older peers like Celeste Kirkland, who chairs the Power Cable Section in MOW.
Other speakers included Teamsters Local 237 President Gregory Floyd, who sits on the NYCERS pension board along with Richard Davis, and Administrative Vice President Lynwood Whichard, who gave a rousing speech taking the audience from the horrors of slavery to our present-day struggles.
In a surprise presentation, CED Vice President Shirley Martin received a new honor, the first annual Willie James Award, commemorating the legacy of the Union’s first Black president.
The crowd was also entertained by students from Black Greek letter fraternities and one sorority, who performed distinctive step dances, drawing on over 100 years of tradition at historically black colleges and universities. An African dance troupe provided energy and passion to close out the night.