The People Fighting for Missouri: Leaders in Working-Class Organizations

Written by Bryesen Cooper

Photography by Mindy Welland

All around you, every day, there are people fighting for your rights, but you might not know who they are. Do you know what they look like or where they work? Did you know these individuals are dedicating their lives to ensure you have rights in the workplace, as a tenant, as a person of color to love who you love and be who you are?

Some people think these rights are basic and are unaware of the hard-fought battles to secure them. The fact is that all these victories are the result of a mass working-class struggle.

History tells us when one group is weaker due to division or oppression, exploitation comes to all of us more easily. Just as when women and children were being introduced to the workforce during the industrial revolution, their lack of labor and democratic rights were used to drive down the wages of the working men. When a group of people in society don't have rights in their community or in their workplace, those at the top exploit their position by paying them less and treating them worse. When a group of people can be paid less and treated worse, those at the top use them to drive down wages, drive down the rights, or even kick out other sections of working people who may have extended rights and privileges. It can then be understood that an attack on one group is an attack on all groups? 

Who are those who fight for our rights in Missouri? Where are these organizations? What do these people look like? What does their work look like? Where can you fight for yourself and those around you? In Missouri, these organizations are all around you! Here’s just some of the people fighting for you and for Missouri.

Kai Sutton — President of The Springfield NAACP

Founded on February 12, 1909, NAACP is the oldest and largest civil rights organization.

“We advocate, agitate, and litigate for civil rights. We fight for an inclusive community where all persons can exercise their civil and human rights without discrimination.”

“It was the right thing to step into the leadership role when the opportunity was presented. 

I have always enjoyed community. It's been a driving force in my life, especially in my commitment to service. My focus has always been on raising awareness about the issues that impact us here at home, and I believe that together, we can make a significant difference. It is important to support those impacted and connect them to resources to help navigate the journey to change.”

“NAACP’s efforts encompass a range of issues including securing legal justice, voting rights, educational and employment opportunities for African-Americans. Locally, we are aligned with the breadth and power of the national NAACP organization. Our member-activated committees work to carry out the mission of the organization here on the ground. The theme for this year, 'restoring our village,' speaks to a powerful movement of community revitalization. It's about reconnecting with our roots, rebuilding local economies, and fostering a sense of unity and support among residents. This can involve various initiatives, such as focusing on education, community violence, supporting local businesses, and promoting sustainable practices. By focusing on these areas, communities can work towards creating a vibrant, thriving environment that honors the past while building towards a sustainable future.”

Jeremy Manley — The Teamsters’ Local 245 Business Agent

“Our organization’s purpose is to raise the standard of living for each and every member of our union. The only answer for organized greed is organized labor.    

“I joined the Teamsters in 2000 as a UPS employee. My grandfather was a member who worked at Roadway. My grandfather went from literally dirt-floor poor to living the American dream. As a kid I quickly realized that he did that as a truck driver thanks to the Teamsters and the contract he worked under. My father followed and worked at AWH, where he is retired and enjoying his pension. So, I knew from a young age the value of a union contract.  

“There are many important things that the Teamsters fight for, but I would say the most important is making sure that our members get the fair compensation they deserve. Our members would survive without a CEO, but a CEO wouldn’t survive with(out) our members.”

Jahnavi Delmonico — Missouri Jobs with Justice Organizer and Leadership Team Member

Missouri Jobs with Justice was founded in St. Louis in 1999 (We just celebrated the 25th anniversary!) Jobs with Justice is a place for people who want to stop the wealthy few from mistreating and dividing us – and who want to start getting the dignity we deserve. 

”JWJ’s first project was working toward a municipal living wage ordinance. As an organization, we strive to raise the standard of living for workers of every class, creed, color, gender identity, ability, sexuality, and citizenship status. We work to enshrine and improve workers’ rights and protections at the state and local level, from defending the right to organize and collectively bargain, to fighting for a living wage and paid sick leave. We won’t stop until the economy works for everyone, good jobs and opportunities are abundant, and systems of oppression like white supremacy are dismantled.

“I first joined in 2017 gathering petitions to raise minimum wage and reject the ‘right to work’ amendment, which was a threat to union and non-union jobs alike. Next, we worked to expand Medicaid and provide healthcare access to thousands of uninsured folks. Then, we fought to enact campaign finance reform and curtail gerrymandering. There was always something I really believed in waiting for us to work on next! Eventually I guess I stuck around so long that JWJ decided they’d better give me a title.

“Simply put, people. I truly believe that the work we’ve done has improved lives and laid the groundwork for us to continue building a fair & just economy that prioritizes people’s health, wellbeing, and fulfillment over profit.”

Courtney Cook — The GLO Center/PROMO Organizer 

“PROMO is Missouri’s LGBTQ+ public policy and advocacy organization defending the community’s rights and fighting to expand protections for more than 35 years. We mobilize thousands of Missourians — LGBTQ+ supporters, business and community leaders, legislators, and people from all backgrounds — every year to advocate and utilize their voices in the halls of the Missouri State Capitol and within their own communities. 

“PROMO has been around for decades, fighting for my community. I've always wanted to find a way to put my skills to use in making my community better in my work, and a door opened for me to be able to do that with PROMO as their Field Director. As harmful legislation and hateful rhetoric continues to impact my friends and loved ones, I feel a responsibility to put all of my effort into changing the landscape of our state to make it safe for us to live and thrive here. 

“I think that all of the work we do is equally important, but I'd like to highlight the launch of our Deep Canvassing Program which is working to change the hearts and minds of Missourians by having real, authentic conversations around trans healthcare in our state with our neighbors. We go door to door talking to folks about trans healthcare and if they think that the government should control transgender Missourians’ access to healthcare. As this program grows, we will be able to engage our neighbors in a variety of topics. I'm incredibly passionate about this work because connection, storytelling, and honest communication is how we are able to change hearts and minds to then speak up and out for our community. We need all of us to create the change we want to see, and this is a way to introduce our neighbors to who our community is, dispel myths and disinformation, and make the case for why we need their support.” 

Vee Sanchez — Springfield Tenants Unite (STUN) Organizer  

Springfield Tenants Unite (STUN) is Springfield’s citywide tenant union. 

“We’re led by a multiracial, intergenerational base of poor and working-class tenants who come together to make housing safe, accessible, and truly, permanently affordable. We organize across all lines the other side uses to try to divide us. Our goal is simple but powerful: to shift the balance of power from profits to people. STUN is building the long-term infrastructure needed to make this vision real and to ensure that working-class communities in Springfield determine what happens in their homes and neighborhoods.”

“Alice Barber and I co-founded STUN during a time of real crisis. Like many others, I was laid off during the pandemic and as a single mom of two, I had already been struggling to make ends meet before then. I’d been working as a cook in downtown Springfield, caring for my children, including one with frequent doctor’s visits. When I lost my job, the bills didn’t stop—Rent was still due on the first of each month, and federal COVID relief money hadn’t arrived. It became painfully clear that no one was coming to save us and that my family wasn’t alone in facing the possibility of homelessness in the months ahead.

“Alice, I, and other leaders deeply impacted by housing insecurity came together and decided that enough was enough. Alone, we knew we wouldn't be able to change much but together, we had power in numbers. So, we went to city hall to demand that city leadership prioritize people’s lives over profits. Springfield had received millions in federal COVID relief funds, yet the city was on the brink of allocating most of it to ‘business assistance.’ None of us had been involved in local politics before, so when we started learning about what was happening, we were outraged! The stakes were real, and they were high. We launched a rapid-response campaign to expose the inequities and closed-door decisions happening in the halls of power. Through our collective pressure, the city shifted half of the federal COVID relief funding toward rental assistance, ensuring that fewer Springfield households would be facing homelessness that year.

“That campaign in the spring of 2020, led by poor and working-class tenants, grew into what is now STUN, Springfield’s citywide tenant union. Since then, we’ve fought for and won citywide policy changes and have supported tenants organizing their complexes to halt mass evictions, hold slumlords accountable for deplorable conditions, and push back against rent increases. All of this is possible through coming together to make our collective power felt. We’re deeply committed to building, growing the tenant union to empower tenants across Springfield.”

Overall, those who fight for the issues we face in our daily lives are all around us. The problems you, your friends, your coworkers, and your neighbors face everyday are being struggled against by members of your community, and they need all of us to join them. We all face issues in the workplace, in our community, in our schools, and in our homes, but when we join organizations like these; we can do the work to solve our problems.