IWJ Summer Student Programs

This summer is an opportunity to learn different strategies of organizing utilized by the union. In implementing these strategies, organizers use various tools to help increase the effectiveness of their efforts and ensure success. One staple of a union organizers toolbox is the bullhorn and I love it. Love may not be a strong enough word here. I am willing to do almost anything if it involves a bullhorn. Now this statement is obviously hyperbolic and I have severe ethical limitations on what I am willing to do in any setting, but "bullhorning" is ridiculously fun and completely changes my demeanor. Something about having the literal soapbox afforded to any individual with a bullhorn is incredibly empowering.

To provide just a few fun and interesting examples, one of the very first days I led chants during an early-morning hotel picket line. Just today, I "bullhorned" at customers of a hotel being boycotted by the union, engaging them in conversations about the concerns surrounding the boycott and the deeper moral issues related to justice. Now before anyone accuses me of being overly righteous or prideful, I was careful to keep the comments and conversations respectful and issued-centered. Many of the individuals were unaware of the boycott and the point of the action was not pure annoyance, but an intentional and observable way of informing the customers about the situation and also sending a statement to the hotel ownership of how seriously the union took the matter. The presence of the bullhorn was necessitated by the distance between us and the hotel's entrance and our own desire not to be arrested for trespassing.

Needless to say, I did not expect this internship to be filled with these type of activities, but I am enjoying the opportunity to literally lift my voice for justice!