55th Annual A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) National Education Conference

Pride At Work members and Organizer Ash Kalinda attended the 55th Annual A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) National Education Conference in New Orleans July 22-26, 2026. APRI’s mission is to advocate for social, political, and economic justice for working families, particularly Black Americans, by uniting the labor movement with the Black community. Pride At Work joined our APRI siblings to show solidarity with our fellow AFL-CIO constituency group and partake in outreach.

Throughout the conference, Pride At Work engaged with APRI members both during educational sessions and in the exhibit hall, highlighting the importance of solidarity across the labor movement. Pride At Work exhibited alongside groups such as Starbucks Workers United and the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades. APRI members stopped by the table with curiosity about how to best support their queer colleagues and loved ones, and found our  resource Trans Rights are Labor Rights: A Communications Guide for Labor Unions particularly helpful.

In addition to the conference’s educational programming, Pride At Work participated in workshops that explored some of the most pressing challenges facing workers today. A highlight was AFGE Vice President Dr. Kendrick Roberson’s session focused on the administration’s impact on Black federal workers and outlined some of the tactical moves by the administration to undermine their rights and opportunities. This discussion echoed many of the attacks Pride At work has seen on 2SLGBTQIA+ workers, reinforcing the need for a united front across the labor movement to confront these attacks.

Pride At Work congratulates APRI President Clayola Brown for her tremendous leadership and a successful conference, and looks forward to strengthening relationships with APRI in a shared commitment to ensure the protections and dignity of all workers both in their unions and workplaces.