Nigerian Women Labor Leaders Share Stories, Inspiration

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)“It is only very recently that women are having a dissenting voice in the labor movement” said Sesi Agnes Fumilayo, Chairperson of the Nigeria university workers union, to a room of Nigerian and American union women and men. Fumilayo is part of a delegation of union women from Nigeria -- hosted by the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center -- who visited the Metro Council office earlier this week. They were welcomed by members of the Metro Council and Community Services Agency staff who shared information about the American labor movement and listened to stories about their experiences as union leaders in Nigeria, where women are just starting to take leadership roles in the labor movement. Gwend Johnson, President of the DC Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and active member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), told the delegation about the founding of CLUW. “It was not easy,” she said. "It took us a long time to be accepted, and it’s still a work in progress every day.” Fumilayo said that women in the Nigerian labor movement shared this struggle, as well as CLUW's dedication to creating a strong female presence in the labor movement, saying “what is most important is for the women to be able to organize ourselves.” - photo: the meeting ends with spirited chanting and singing; report/photo by Julia Kann